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Briefs tagged "Pfizer"

2 briefs

AbbVie Amgen Arvinas BMS Biogen CNS CRISPR Therapeutics Eisai Eli Lilly FDA IBD IGF-1R J&J Merck Novartis Pfizer Regeneron Roche Sandoz Sanofi TL1A Takeda Vertex autoimmune biosimilars bispecific cardiovascular competitive landscape drug development gene therapy genetics immunotherapy metabolic oncology ophthalmology patent cliff protein degradation rare disease regulatory
9 min read

IGF-1R: 20 Years of Cancer Failures, Then a $2 Billion Eye Drug

Pfizer, Amgen, Lilly, Merck, and Astellas all failed at IGF-1R in cancer. Then a shelved Roche antibody became the only effective treatment for thyroid eye disease. Same receptor, completely different biology.

Five major pharmas spent two decades chasing IGF-1R as a cancer target. Every Phase 3 trial failed. The only IGF-1R drug ever approved is for thyroid eye disease — Tepezza, which generated $1.9 billion in 2024 and 8x exceeded its acquirer's peak forecast. Eleven more IGF-1R-for-TED programs are now in clinical trials, including the literal cancer-graveyard compound being resurrected by Sling Therapeutics. Targets don't travel. Disease context decides.

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drug developmentoncologyrare diseaseophthalmologyIGF-1RAmgenEli LillyMerckRoche
15 min read

Thalidomide Accidentally Invented Targeted Protein Degradation

Nobody knew why it caused birth defects for 50 years. The answer launched a new era of drug design.

The worst drug disaster in pharmaceutical history accidentally revealed how to hijack the cell's protein disposal system. Celgene turned thalidomide derivatives into a $12.8B franchise without knowing the mechanism. When scientists finally identified the target in 2010, it launched targeted protein degradation - now one of the most promising modalities in drug development, with its first FDA-approved drug.

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drug developmentoncologyprotein degradationBMSArvinas

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