The
year 2026 began amid heightened geopolitical tensions, particularly over
Greenland. The US President Donald Trump threatened 25 percent tariff on several European
countries until the US is allowed to purchase Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory. These
threats escalated transatlantic tensions and drew strong pushback from European
nations and NATO.Despite this, biotech indices grew steadily through the month. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (NBI) rose 2.26 percent in January, moving from 5,723.48 to 5,852.67. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) gained 2.03 percent, climbing from 122.27 to 124.75, while the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index (SPSIBI) increased 2.29 percent, rising from 9,528.24 to 9,746.25.The month also saw Big Pharma continuing to pledge investments in the US to avert tariffs. January
is also the month of JP Morgan healthcare conference. This year, the meet (or
JPM26) saw announcements of several important deals, especially in the sphere
of obesity drugs and the use of artificial intelligence in drug discovery. Access the Pipeline Prospector Dashboard for January 2026 Newsmakers (Free Excel)Astra, CSPC sign up to US$ 18.5 bn obesity deal; AbbVie to invest
US$ 100 bn in USAstraZeneca made a lot of news last month. It signed an up to US$ 18.5 billion licensing deal with China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical Group for its experimental obesity and weight-related drug
candidates. AstraZeneca will pay US$ 1.2 billion upfront and up to US$ 17.3 billion in milestones. The package includes a clinical-ready and three pre-clinical candidates in CSPC’s injectable weight-management portfolio. AstraZeneca will also collaborate with CSPC on four additional new programs using CSPC’s sustained-release delivery platform and AI-driven peptide drug discovery. Besides
this deal, AstraZeneca also announced a US$ 15 billion investment in China through
2030 to expand medicines manufacturing and R&D, including capabilities in cell therapy and radio-conjugates.In
the US, pharma companies continued to announce investments to avoid import
tariffs threatened by Trump. AbbVie pledged US$ 100 billion into its US research,
development and manufacturing operations over the next 10 years. This is, by far, the
biggest commitment announced by a drugmaker. Coming in at a distant second is Johnson & Johnson, which had announced US$ 55
billion in US-based investments in March.Similarly,
Eli Lilly said it will build a US$ 3.5 billion manufacturing plant in
Pennsylvania to produce injectable weight-loss medicines, with construction expected to begin in 2026 and operations planned for 2031.Roche’s Genentech also said it will invest
nearly US$ 2 billion in a new bio-manufacturing
facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, to manufacture next-generation metabolic treatments, including obesity medicines. Access the Pipeline Prospector Dashboard for January 2026 Newsmakers (Free Excel)AI deals in Jan: Astra buys Modella AI; Sanofi ties up with Earendil; Lilly-Nimbus in obesity research dealArtificial
intelligence is taking centerstage in dealmaking. AstraZeneca agreed to acquire Boston-based Modella AI
(deal size not disclosed), integrating its foundation models and AI agents into oncology R&D to support clinical development and biomarker discovery.Similarly,
Sanofi signed an AI-powered autoimmune and inflammatory
disease collaboration worth up to US$ 2.56 billion with Earendil Labs, which will receive up to US$ 160 million in upfront and near-term payments. Sanofi will lead development and commercialization of bispecific candidates from the partnership.Lilly also signed a multi-year AI-driven obesity research
and licensing agreement with Nimbus Therapeutics worth up to US$ 1.3 billion. Additionally, Lilly and
Nvidia announced an expanded AI partnership, including a US$ 1 billion co‑innovation lab in the Bay Area (US) to integrate advanced computing and biology for drug discovery. This announcement was made at JPM26. Access the Pipeline Prospector Dashboard for January 2026 Newsmakers (Free Excel)Novo’s Wegovy pill makes blockbuster debut in US; Darzalex Faspro quadruplet wins FDA nodIn
January, the pill version of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) made a stunning debut in
the US. It was prescribed more than 18,000 times in the first full week after
its launch. Novo’s stock price went up by 14 percent during the month.Johnson & Johnson secured an approval from the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for Darzalex Faspro (daratumumab and hyaluronidase) as part of a four-drug regimen for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma
patients ineligible for an autologous stem cell
transplant. The combination includes Darzalex Faspro with Velcade (bortezomib), Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone. The approval marks Darzalex Faspro’s 12th indication overall and its fifth in the newly diagnosed multiple myeloma setting.Darzalex
(daratumumab) remains J&J’s largest growth driver, generating US$ 14.4 billion in 2025 sales. J&J (stock up 10 percent) projected its 2026 revenue to be in the range of about
US$ 100 billion to US$ 101 billion.FDA also approved Zycubo (copper histidinate) from Fortress Biotech and Sentynl Therapeutics (a US-based biopharma owned
by Zydus Lifesciences), to treat Menkes
disease, making it the first FDA-approved therapy for the genetic disorder in the US.On
the clinical front, Amgen said its experimental obesity drug MariTide
(maridebart cafraglutide) helped patients maintain weight loss when administered at a lower
dose or less frequently. Access the Pipeline Prospector Dashboard for January 2026 Newsmakers (Free Excel)AbbVie partners China-based RemeGen in US$ 5.6 bn deal; GSK to
acquire RAPT TherapeuticsAbbVie partnered China-based RemeGen in a US$ 5.6 billion oncology deal to develop and commercialize RC148, an experimental therapy for multiple advanced solid tumors. AbbVie will gain rights outside Greater China, while RemeGen will receive US$ 650 million upfront and up to US$ 4.95 billion in milestones, along with double-digit royalties. Britain’s GSK said it will acquire US-based RAPT Therapeutics (stock up 69 percent) in a US$ 2.2 billion deal, gaining global rights to the experimental food allergy drug ozureprubart, excluding rights in mainland China, Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong.Eli Lilly (stock down 3 percent)
entered into a US$ 1.93 billion collaboration with US-based Repertoire Immune Medicines to develop tolerizing therapies (treatments that restore the immune system’s ability to recognize self-antigens) for autoimmune disease targets. Repertoire will receive US$ 85 million upfront and up to US$ 1.84
billion in milestones, while Lilly will take over clinical development and
commercialization.Novartis added an Alzheimer’s program to its pipeline through a licensing and collaboration deal with SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals, paying US$ 165 million upfront and up to US$ 1.5 billion in milestones. Access the Pipeline Prospector Dashboard for January 2026 Newsmakers (Free Excel)Our viewThis
year, several new medications, including treatments for weight loss,
hypertension, smoking cessation and plaque psoriasis, are likely to receive FDA approvals. Moreover, existing medications — such as Dupixent (dupilumab) and Wegovy (semaglutide) — could see expanded indications. January has already set a dynamic tone for the year ahead.
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