The Pharma Closeout | Daily Pharmaceutical & Biotech News in 15 minus

May 20, 2026 | Pfizer's Next-Gen Pneumonia Vaccine Beats Prevnar 20; BMS Deploys Anthropic AI

Pfizer's 25-valent pneumococcal shot shows 8.8x–15x higher antibody levels vs. Prevnar 20 in Phase 2, advancing to Phase 3. BMS deploys Claude across 30,000+ employees in landmark pharma-AI deal. Lilly acquires Engage Bio for $202M. Tavneos linked to 20 deaths in Japan. Visit us at www.thepharmacloseout.com pharma, pharmaceutical, FDA, clinical trials, biotech, drug approvals, healthcare, pharma podcast, The Pharma Closeout, Pfizer, Prevnar 20, 25vPnC, pneumococcal vaccine, Bristol Myers Squibb, BMS, Anthropic, Claude, artificial intelligence, enterprise AI, Eli Lilly, Engage Biologics, Gilead Sciences, Yuhan, Amgen, Tavneos, avacopan, ImmunityBio, Anktiva, NMIBC, Parabilis, Relay Therapeutics, GHO Capital, CBC Group, PDUFA, Lilly, Novartis, Roche, Merck, Gilead, Regeneron

May 19, 2026 | Takeda $885M Antitrust Verdict; Bimzelx Beats Skyrizi in PsA Head-to-Head

Takeda hit with $885M pay-for-delay verdict over generic Amitiza delay. UCB's Bimzelx beats AbbVie's Skyrizi 49% vs 38% on ACR50 in PsA head-to-head. Trump bought up to $680K in Eli Lilly stock while admin promoted obesity drugs. Maryland caps Ozempic payments. Amgen Tavneos linked to 20 deaths in Japan. Relay zovegalisib Phase 2 data beats expectations.   Visit us at www.thepharmacloseout.com pharma, pharmaceutical, FDA, clinical trials, biotech, drug approvals, healthcare, pharma podcast, The Pharma Closeout, Takeda, Amitiza, pay-for-delay, antitrust, UCB, Bimzelx, bimekizumab, AbbVie, Skyrizi, risankizumab, psoriatic arthritis, Trump, Eli Lilly, Zepbound, Mounjaro, obesity drugs, Maryland, Ozempic, Novo Nordisk, semaglutide, Amgen, Tavneos, avacopan, Relay Therapeutics, zovegalisib, BioMarin, ENPP1, Roche, Xofluza, Regeneron, Parabilis, Novartis, Porton, CDMO, Tarsier Pharma, drug pricing, Lilly, AstraZeneca

May 18, 2026 | Regeneron LAG-3 Phase 3 Failure Crashes Stock 11%; Supreme Court Cements IRA

Regeneron's fianlimab misses PFS endpoint in melanoma, erasing ~$8B in market cap. Supreme Court rejects IRA pricing challenges from six pharma companies. FDA approves AstraZeneca's first-in-class Baxfendy for hypertension. Merck's sac-TMT scores Phase 3 dual-endpoint win. Visit us at www.thepharmacloseput.com pharma, pharmaceutical, FDA, clinical trials, biotech, drug approvals, healthcare, pharma podcast, The Pharma Closeout, Regeneron, fianlimab, LAG-3, melanoma, REGN, Keytruda, pembrolizumab, Merck, sac-TMT, sacituzumab tirumotecan, endometrial cancer, Kelun-Biotech, AstraZeneca, Baxfendy, baxdrostat, hypertension, Supreme Court, IRA, drug pricing, Medicare, Amgen, Tavneos, avacopan, CDER, Sara Høeg, Bristol Myers Squibb, Enhertu, Parabilis Medicines, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Bristol-Myers, BMS

May 15, 2026 | FDA's CDER Chief Høeg Expected to Exit; Tecentriq Wins Bladder Cancer Approval

Three top FDA positions now in temporary hands as CDER's Høeg follows Makary out the door. Roche's Tecentriq wins ctDNA-guided bladder cancer approval with 36% DFS and 41% OS risk reductions paired with Natera's Signatera diagnostic. Plus Enhertu's early breast cancer expansion, Rigel's $85M Veppanu deal, Biogen's tau gamble, and oral Wegovy's first prescription decline. Visit is at www.thephamacloseout.com pharma, pharmaceutical, FDA, clinical trials, biotech, drug approvals, healthcare, pharma podcast, The Pharma Closeout, CDER, Tracy Beth Høeg, Marty Makary, Richard Pazdur, Roche, Tecentriq, atezolizumab, Natera, Signatera, ctDNA, bladder cancer, Enhertu, trastuzumab deruxtecan, Daiichi Sankyo, AstraZeneca, breast cancer, HER2, Novo Nordisk, Wegovy, oral semaglutide, GLP-1, Aardvark Therapeutics, ARD-101, Prader-Willi syndrome, Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Veppanu, vepdegestrant, Arvinas, Pfizer, United Therapeutics, UHeart, xenotransplantation, Biogen, BIIB080, tau, Alzheimer's, Takeda, Create Medicines, mifepristone, SCOTUS, Lilly, Merck

May 14, 2026 | AstraZeneca Imfinzi Phase 3 Win in Bladder Cancer; Gene Therapy Safety Overhang

AstraZeneca's VOLGA trial hits EFS and OS incisplatin-ineligible bladder cancer, putting Imfinzi squarely in Keytruda's lane. Plus: Regenxbio's Duchenne gene therapy heads for FDA filing amid safetysignals, a brain tumor linked to a viral vector raises AAV concerns, and biopharma rallies behind Richard Pazdur for FDA commissioner. Also: BMS-Hengrui$15.2B alliance, BeOne's Beqalzi challenges Venclexta, and Taiho's Inqovi expands into AML. visit us at www.thepharmacloseout.com pharma, pharmaceutical, FDA, clinical trials, biotech, drugapprovals, healthcare, pharma podcast, The Pharma Closeout, AstraZeneca, Imfinzi, durvalumab, bladder cancer, VOLGA, Merck, Keytruda, Padcev, Pfizer,Regenxbio, RGX-202, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, gene therapy, BeOne, Beqalzi, sonrotoclax, Venclexta, Taiho, Inqovi, AML, FDA commissioner, Richard Pazdur,Encoded Therapeutics, Dravet syndrome, ETX101, BMS, Hengrui, Takeda, MacroGenics, BioAge, Isomorphic Labs, Kyverna, Biogen, diranersen, Alzheimer's, ASGCT, Roche, AbbVie