💊 Cancer expensive; Improving self-image cheap; Killing tumours priceless

#286 | Maiden Pharma in jail; Covid source-finding fail; On erythritol, you should bail

Hello, and welcome back to The Kable. Today, the world marks Rare Diseases Day, which highlights the struggles of over 300 million people worldwide who are affected by rare diseases. Despite their prevalence, these diseases are still considered rare as they affect only a small percentage of the population. They are often not a top priority for several reasons, including the challenges and costs associated with developing treatments with limited commercial viability. Due to the limited patient population, conducting clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a drug can be difficult.

Efforts have been made to incentivize the development of treatments for rare diseases. The Orphan Drug Act in the United States provides financial incentives and regulatory assistance to companies working on drugs for rare diseases, and patient advocacy groups and government organizations have also played a role in raising awareness and funding for rare disease research.

The Kable hopes pharmaceutical companies recognize the importance of addressing unmet medical needs and work to strike a balance between commercial viability and public health impact, ensuring that people with rare diseases receive the attention and care they deserve.

After failing to agree on a sale price with Merck last year, Seagen is reported to be in talks with Pfizer for a deal north of $30 billion. What is it about its pipeline that makes Seagen believe it won't become a name worth reckoning with in biotech? Or is it only shareholder consideration that matters? Just last month, Seagen said it is looking to build an oncology pipeline through acquisitions. 🙄

In more deal-making, India's Dr Reddy's is buying all of Mayne Pharma's US generics drug list for an upfront payment of $90 million with a further $15 million in milestones.

After the US Energy Department yesterday said there is a low possibility that Covid originated as a lab leak, the US administration today says there is no definitive conclusion among the US government on the subject.

And finally, Maiden Pharma's directors are going to prison not for the deaths of children in The Gambia but because of substandard Ranitidine.