Executives said during Amgen’s Q1 call that the company is “encouraged” by interim Phase II data for MariTide (AMG 133) in obesity, so it is designing Phase III trials and building manufacturing capacity. 

The acquisition of Mariana will complement Novartis’s lutetium-based radioligand therapies with candidates using actinium. Lilly, Bristol and AstraZeneca all have made recent high-priced buys in the space.

Astellas is building off an existing relationship with the biotech formed last August, joining the growing number of large pharmas looking at tackling solid tumors with cell therapy.

C-suite leaders from Lilly, Roche and J&J spoke at a Citeline-sponsored panel at Swiss Biotech Day in Basel and offered encouragement to start-ups trying to negotiate the tricky financial landscape.