European Pharma Companies Look Ahead to 2026
- Patent Cliff Challenge: Pharmaceutical companies are facing an impending patent cliff, with billions in sales at risk, particularly Novartis, which anticipates a $4 billion loss in the first half of 2025, compelling firms to invest heavily in new drug pipelines to offset revenue losses.
- Optimistic Pipeline Outlook: Companies like Novartis and AstraZeneca are emphasizing their robust drug pipelines, with Novartis projecting $59 billion in revenue for 2025 and AstraZeneca aiming for $80 billion by 2030, reflecting confidence in future growth despite current challenges.
- M&A Strategic Focus: As companies seek to replenish revenue through acquisitions, there is a growing emphasis on the Chinese market as a significant source of innovation, with the frequency of deals with Chinese firms increasing markedly over the past decade.
- Pricing Strategy Uncertainty: Although the immediate threat from Trump's Most Favored Nation drug pricing policy has diminished, pharmaceutical companies are still deliberating on how to balance pricing strategies between the U.S. and European markets to ensure market access and profitability for new drugs.
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- Trial Success: The LIBRETTO-432 trial demonstrated that Retevmo (selpercatinib) as adjuvant therapy significantly improved event-free survival (EFS) in early-stage RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, indicating its potential value and likely enhancing market acceptance.
- Survival Trends Favorable: Although overall survival results were immature at the time of analysis, preliminary data showed a favorable trend for Retevmo, highlighting its importance in early treatment and potentially encouraging more patients to undergo genomic testing for optimized therapy.
- Patient Recruitment: The LIBRETTO-432 trial enrolled 151 patients randomized 1:1 to receive either Retevmo or placebo, ensuring the reliability and clinical applicability of the results, further validating the use of targeted therapies in lung cancer.
- Future Outlook: Eli Lilly plans to present detailed trial results at an upcoming medical congress and submit data to global health authorities, which is expected to accelerate the adoption of targeted therapies in early-stage NSCLC patients and promote the widespread use of genomic testing.

Overall Survival Results: The analysis indicates a trend in favor of Selpercatinib, suggesting improved overall survival rates for patients.
Immaturity of Analysis: The findings are considered immature due to the limited number of events observed during the analysis period.

Study Overview: The study focuses on Phase 3 of the Eli Lilly trial, which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a new treatment.
Primary Endpoint: The primary endpoint of the study is to demonstrate improved event-free survival rates among participants.

Event-Free Survival Benefit: A recent study highlights the substantial event-free survival benefit of using LILLY's RETEVMO (selpercatinib) as an early-stage therapy for patients with positive lung cancer mutations.
Adjunct Therapy: RETEVMO is positioned as an adjunct therapy, enhancing treatment options for patients diagnosed with early-stage RET fusion-positive lung cancer.

- Clinical Trial Results: Eli Lilly's TOGETHER-PsO Phase 3b trial revealed that 27.1% of participants receiving the combination of Taltz and Zepbound achieved complete skin clearance and at least 10% weight loss, significantly outperforming the 5.8% in the Taltz monotherapy group, indicating the efficacy of the combination therapy.
- Side Effects Analysis: Common adverse events in the Taltz and Zepbound group included nausea, diarrhea, and injection site reactions, yet the overall efficacy remains superior to monotherapy, highlighting the potential benefits of combination treatment despite the side effects.
- Partnership with CSL: Eli Lilly has entered into an agreement with Australian company CSL, which will receive an upfront payment of $100 million and potential milestone payments, as well as royalties on global net sales, facilitating the development of clazakizumab for cardiovascular event prevention.
- Market Performance Analysis: Although Eli Lilly's stock is currently trading below its 20-day and 50-day simple moving averages, indicating short-term weakness, it remains above its 100-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting a positive long-term trend, with analysts maintaining an optimistic outlook on its future performance.
- Trial Success: Eli Lilly announced that its TOGETHER-PsO open-label Phase 3b trial successfully met both primary and key secondary endpoints, demonstrating the efficacy of its weight loss therapy Zepbound combined with psoriasis therapy Taltz, marking a significant advancement for obese or overweight patients with plaque psoriasis.
- Significant Weight Loss: Over 36 weeks, 27% of patients receiving the combination therapy achieved at least a 10% weight loss and complete skin clearance, showcasing the potential of this combination therapy to improve patient quality of life, far exceeding the 5.8% achieved with Taltz alone.
- Efficacy Comparison: The key secondary endpoint revealed that patients on the combination regimen were 40% more likely to achieve PASI 100 compared to those receiving Taltz alone, further validating the advantages of using Zepbound with Taltz, which could enhance future market acceptance.
- Safety Profile: The trial reported mostly mild to moderate adverse events consistent with the known tolerability profiles of each drug, indicating the acceptability of this combination therapy in terms of safety, laying the groundwork for future regulatory discussions.






