The company said an NCI trial and a China study remain ongoing despite a Phase III study in relapsed/refractory disease failing, with an unusually long OS result in the control arm.

Plus alliances involving Xyphos/Kelonia, Nippon Shinyaku/Vicor, Telix/QSAM, Nicox/Kowa, Kyowa Kirin/BridgeBio, as well as deals in brief.

The recent success of Vertex in acute pain merely highlights the agonizingly slow process elsewhere, particularly in chronic pain indications.

Without sponsors willing to work with them and in the absence of legislation giving FDA authority over lab-developed tests, the agency has launched internal programs to both gain more oversight – and spur innovation.