Your essential life science news 23 March 2026 digest: the past week’s biggest stories in pharma, biotech and healthcare.
The FDA approved Johnson and Johnson’s once-daily psoriasis pill ICOTYDE (icotrokinra) on 18 March, making it the world’s first oral peptide to block the IL-23 receptor. Phase 3 data across 2,500 patients showed 65 to 70% of patients achieved clear or nearly clear skin at 16 weeks, outperforming rival oral therapy Sotyktu. J and J projects peak annual sales exceeding $5 billion, with trials already underway in psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Novo Nordisk won FDA approval on 19 March for Wegovy HD (semaglutide 7.2 mg), a higher-dose injectable version of its blockbuster obesity drug delivering a mean weight loss of 20.7% over 72 weeks. Around one in three trial participants achieved 25% or greater weight loss. The company plans a US launch in April and is positioning the product directly against Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.
Structure Therapeutics reported Phase 2 data on 16 March for its oral GLP-1 drug aleniglipron showing placebo-adjusted weight loss of 16.3% at 44 weeks with no plateau observed, the highest efficacy reported for any oral GLP-1 receptor agonist to date and comparable to injectable therapies. The company plans to meet with the FDA in Q2 ahead of a Phase 3 programme launch in the second half of 2026.
A federal judge in Boston on 16 March blocked all changes to the US childhood vaccine schedule made under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ruling that Kennedy had acted unlawfully in overhauling the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11. The ruling invalidated the appointments of 13 Kennedy-picked committee members and halted a scheduled ACIP meeting. HHS has said it intends to appeal.
AstraZeneca announced on 19 March plans to build a new cell therapy manufacturing facility in Shanghai, becoming the first multinational pharmaceutical company with end-to-end CAR-T production capabilities in China. The move follows the company’s $15 billion China investment commitment made in January and will support therapies in development for multiple myeloma and autoimmune diseases. Manufacturing investment was a recurring theme in life science news 23 March 2026, with AstraZeneca’s Shanghai facility announcement underscoring the sector’s global expansion ambitions.
Sana Biotechnology is evaluating a donor-derived primary islet cell therapy as a potential functional cure for Type 1 diabetes that does not require immunosuppression, with early Phase 1/2 data presented this week generating significant scientific interest.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Phase 3 interim data for povetacicept in IgA nephropathy showed a 49.8% reduction in proteinuria versus placebo, sending shares up 8.4%. Vertex is on track to complete its FDA regulatory submission in the first half of 2026, using a priority review voucher to cut the standard review timeline from ten months to six.
Eli Lilly issued a warning letter this week alerting that combining tirzepatide with vitamin B12, a common additive in compounded versions of the drug, produces an impurity that could alter the drug’s toxicity profile and pose unknown safety risks to patients.
Evotec announced on 10 March it will cut 800 jobs and close four sites over the next two years under its “Horizon” restructuring plan, targeting annual savings of approximately €75 million by end of 2027. The German CRO is reducing its global footprint from 14 to 10 sites, following 600 previous redundancies made since 2024.
Shares in Immutep collapsed by more than 80% after an independent data monitoring committee recommended halting its Phase 3 frontline lung cancer trial early for futility. The study was testing eftilagimod alfa in combination with Merck’s Keytruda and chemotherapy. The Immutep collapse was one of the starkest reversals in life science news 23 March 2026, wiping over 80% from the company’s share price on a single data readout.
Semaglutide’s patent expired in India on 20 March, opening the market to an estimated 40 or more generic manufacturers. Indian companies including Natco Pharma and Eris Lifesciences launched generic versions on the same day, priced up to 90% below Novo Nordisk’s branded product. Novo had pre-emptively cut prices in India by up to 37% and launched the higher-dose Wegovy HD partly to stay ahead of generic competition.
Salspera has set terms for a biotech IPO that could raise up to $91 million, making it potentially the seventh company to go public in the sector in 2026. Proceeds would support late-stage clinical testing of a pancreatic cancer drug candidate.
That’s your life science news 23 March 2026 digest – back next week with the latest from pharma, biotech and healthcare.
This weekly digest is produced by the Life Science Daily News editorial team. All stories are selected and written independently.
