Also known as: Genentech
Genentech is a biotechnology company and a member of the Roche Group, focused on discovering and developing medicines for serious diseases. It was founded in 1976 and is based in South San Francisco.
Xolair may be dropped from Medicare price negotiations as a biosimilar launch looms. The CMS must decide if the biosimilar is a true competitor. The outcome could set precedent for future biosimilar-facing selections.
U.S. biotech IPOs have returned 55% on average this year, crushing the broader IPO market. Nvidia exited Recursion as ARK Invest bought shares, while Revolution Medicines gained 132% on strong pancreatic cancer data.
Phase 3 MAJESTY trial results show obinutuzumab led to 37% complete remission at 2 years vs 6% with tacrolimus in primary membranous nephropathy, with comparable safety. Genentech announced the positive data in February 2026, positioning obinutuzumab as a potential first approved therapy for PMN.
Cue Biopharma appointed Dominic Borie as chief medical officer and R&D head as it advances CUE-221 (Phase 2 data expected Q3 2026) and CUE-401 (Phase 1 start Q4 2026). He brings over 20 years of immunology and clinical development experience. The company recently raised $50M to support clinical development.
Novo Nordisk partners with OpenAI to speed drug discovery, with pilots by 2026. AI is moving beyond hype into pharma R&D, reflected in major collaborations and new FDA guidance.
Anthropic announced it will run its own preclinical drug-discovery programs for neglected and rare diseases and launched Claude Science, an AI workbench for researchers. The company has not named specific diseases or detailed how it would bring candidates to market.
Personalized mRNA vaccines showed promise in pancreatic cancer trials with 7 of 16 patients in remission after five years. Stage 2 melanoma patients saw a 50% decreased death risk with personalized mRNA vaccines. U.S. funding cuts and policy shifts have stalled domestic mRNA cancer research while companies move trials abroad.
Sangamo Therapeutics has retained Raymond James to evaluate strategic alternatives to advance its pipeline and maximize stakeholder value. Key assets include the BLA-ready Fabry disease gene therapy ST-920, the STAC-BBB capsid platform generating $88M in fees to date, and multiple neurology programs. No transaction has been agreed and no timetable has been set.
Two new interchangeable Lucentis biosimilars — Lupin's Ranluspec and Formycon/Bioeq's Nufymco — have received FDA approval, while Xbrane's Lucamzi is under review with an October target date. The Lucentis global market was valued at $630 million in 2024.
The FDA has accepted the New Drug Application for giredestrant plus everolimus in ESR1-mutated, ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. The filing is based on Phase III evERA data showing reduced risk of disease progression or death versus standard-of-care endocrine therapy plus everolimus.
