Major drugmakers are advancing therapies that could affect hospital formularies, oncology programs, infectious disease management and obesity care. Here are six recent pharma developments healthcare leaders should know.
Here are six recent moves to know:
- GSK’s first oral carbapenem won FDA approval June 17, giving hospitals a new tool to discharge patients with resistant infections who would otherwise require IV antibiotics or prolonged stays. Tebipenem pivoxil (Utebzi) is the first oral carbapenem cleared in the U.S., indicated for adults with complicated UTIs who have limited or no alternative oral treatment options. The drug is expected to be available nationwide by the end of 2026.
- GSK agreed to acquire Nuvalent for $10.6 billion, its third acquisition of 2026 and largest in over a decade, adding two lung cancer drugs currently under FDA review, according to a June 9 news release. The deal includes two late-stage inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer, zidesamtinib and neladalkib, with FDA target decision dates of Sept. 18 and Nov. 27, 2026, respectively, both carrying Breakthrough Therapy and Orphan Drug designations. For oncology pharmacists and clinical programs, the acquisition signals GSK’s intent to compete in a lung cancer space currently dominated by established ALK and ROS1 agents, with potential formulary additions later this year if approvals follow.
- Pfizer partnered with China’s Innovent Biologics on a 12-drug oncology collaboration, paying $650 million upfront and up to $10.5 billion total, according to a May 28 news release. The agreement covers antibody-drug conjugates with novel differentiated payloads and multi-specific antibodies.
- Eli Lilly agreed to acquire three vaccine developers — Curevo, LimmaTech Biologics and Vaccine Company — for up to $3.8 billion combined, marking the company’s first entry into the vaccine space, according to a May 26 news release. Curevo is developing a shingles vaccine candidate designed to improve tolerability, LimmaTech is advancing early-stage vaccines against bacterial pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus — the leading cause of surgical-site infection, and Vaccine Company is developing a vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus.
- Eli Lilly’s retatrutide posted the largest weight-loss result ever recorded in a phase 3 obesity trial, with data showing participants on the highest dose lost an average of 28.3% of body weight over 80 weeks, with patients at a BMI over 35 reaching 30.3% at two years. Those results approach the 30% to 35% total weight loss typically seen with gastric bypass surgery. With an NDA filing expected in late 2026 or early 2027, hospital pharmacies and value-based care programs will face new formulary and prior authorization questions as the drug approaches market.
- AstraZeneca’s baxdrostat (Baxfendy) received FDA approval as the first aldosterone synthase inhibitor for treatment-resistant hypertension — a condition prevalent in high-acuity inpatient populations and tied to significant cardiovascular risk, according to a May 18 news release. The drug is an oral small-molecule aldosterone synthase inhibitor approved as an add-on to other antihypertensive medications for adults whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled.
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