CAR T-cell therapy has transformed blood cancer treatment, but solid tumours have proven stubbornly resistant, largely because tumours can shed targeted antigens or present different ones across cells. A new study introduces DGLA-sPAT, a modular system that addresses both problems simultaneously.

By engineering a phycoerythrin-binding protein (PEbody), researchers created a CAR T cell that can be reprogrammed to target multiple antigens via off-the-shelf antibodies. Crucially, a drug-gated light-activation mechanism confines T-cell activity to illuminated tumour sites, dramatically reducing off-tumour toxicity, a longstanding safety concern. In vivo results showed potent tumour suppression with minimal collateral damage. The framework decouples antigen selection from CAR engineering entirely, opening the door to truly personalised, spatially controlled cell therapies for heterogeneous solid tumours.

Chinese biotech Excalipoint Therapeutics has closed one of the largest early-stage rounds in Chinese biotech history, raising USD $68.7 million across two tranches to advance six T-cell engager (TCE) programs targeting solid and difficult-to-treat tumours. Built around three proprietary platforms designed to convert immunologically "cold" tumours and reach previously undruggable antigens, the company has moved rapidly from inception to clinic.

Lead asset EXP011, a tri-specific antibody for small cell lung cancer, dosed its first patient just months after founding. The raise signals growing investor confidence in China's biotech maturation, combining strong science with clinical development efficiency and large patient populations. Excalipoint's progress sets a notable benchmark for early-stage oncology financing globally.

The FDA has approved Bristol Myers Squibb's Opdivo (nivolumab) in combination with AVD chemotherapy for previously untreated stage 3/4 classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) in adults and adolescents aged 12 and older, marking a meaningful shift earlier in the treatment pathway. Simultaneously, two accelerated approvals from 2016–17 for relapsed or refractory cHL converted to full traditional approvals.

The decisions rest on a 994-patient NCI-sponsored trial in which Opdivo-AVD outperformed the current standard of brentuximab vedotin plus AVD on progression-free survival, also recording a notably lower death rate at 36-month follow-up. The approvals further cement PD-1 blockade as a cornerstone of lymphoma care, though the subcutaneous formulation Opdivo Qvantig does not yet carry the new cHL label.

Novo Nordisk's patent on semaglutide expired on March 20, triggering a wave of partnership activity among Indian pharmaceutical companies positioning to enter the GLP-1 market. Rather than building end-to-end capabilities independently, players are combining manufacturing expertise with established prescriber networks through licensing and co-marketing arrangements.

Zydus Lifesciences, leveraging its peptide manufacturing and regulatory capabilities, has emerged as a central partner, signing deals with both Lupin and Torrent Pharmaceuticals. Eris Lifesciences has tied up with Natco Pharma, while Novo Nordisk itself has partnered with Abbott to defend distribution share. The complexity of semaglutide's manufacturing, cold-chain requirements, and specialist delivery format makes it a higher barrier-to-entry generic than most, reinforcing the partnership-first approach across the industry.

The fierce competition between Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk over the US weight-loss drug market is producing something rare in American healthcare: visible, consumer-facing price cuts. Wegovy now starts at $149 per month for self-pay patients, down from over USD $1,600 at launch, while Zepbound vials begin at USD $299, less than a third of its 2023 debut price. With insurers largely refusing to cover GLP-1s for obesity, manufacturers have been forced to compete for out-of-pocket customers directly, bypassing the opaque rebate system that typically governs US drug pricing.

The shift is drawing attention to the role of pharmacy benefit managers in inflating costs, and has prompted policymakers including President Trump to champion direct-to-consumer models more broadly. Experts caution, however, that GLP-1 market dynamics are unusual, and that structural reform remains necessary to address systemic drug pricing across the board.