Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating because that oh-too-familiar routine of meetings, deadlines, and online calls has returned with a vengeance. You knew this would happen, though, yes? To cope, we are relying, as always, on a cuppa stimulation. Our choice today is laced ginger honey. Please feel free to join us. Remember, no prescription is required. Meanwhile, here is a menu of items of interest to help you along. We hope you conquer the world today and, of course, do keep in touch. …
Two drugmakers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to restore mail-order access to mifepristone, a move that would continue to allow women access to one of the most widely used abortion methods pending ongoing legal challenges, Reuters notes. Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro both filed applications with the top court on Saturday, one day after an appeals court temporarily blocked deliveries, significantly curtailing access to the drug nationwide and particularly in states that have banned abortion. The lower court ruling, while temporary, is the first to significantly curtail access to mifepristone in a series of lawsuits challenging the drug’s initial approval in 2000 and subsequent rules making it easier to obtain.
UCB has made its second acquisition of the year, agreeing to a front-loaded takeover of Candid Therapeutics, a move designed to build its presence in therapies for autoimmune diseases, Pharmaphorum writes, The deal — which includes an upfront payment of $2 billion with another $200 million in potential milestones — will give UCB a pipeline of four T-cell engager candidates, of which two are in early-stage clinical testing. For Candid, hitching its wagon to UCB means that it has opted not to complete a reverse merger agreement with Rallybio — announced at the start of March — that would have delivered a Nasdaq listing and $505 million in concurrent financing.
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