Sanofi Layoffs, CAR-T Warnings and a New GLP-1 Player

Sanofi will cut an undisclosed number of jobs as it revamps its U.S. vaccines commercial operations, as well as 99 employees from its Belgian sites—moves that are part of a full pipeline reprioritization. Meanwhile, the company got a win this week, with its investigational BTK inhibitor rilzabrutinib generating positive results in a Phase III study for adult patients with persistent or chronic immune thrombocytopenia. Sanofi will present its Q1 earnings tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the FDA announced an update to the boxed warnings it now requires for CAR T cell therapies regarding the heightened risk of secondary T cell malignancies. Additional requirements involve various aspects of the label, including the warnings and precautions, post-marketing experience, patient counseling information and medication guide sections.

And finally, GLP-1s are once again making headlines, as Eli Lilly’s Zepbound produced positive Phase III results that could earn the weight-loss drug a label expansion into sleep apnea and a new company, New York–based Metsera emerged from stealth with $290 million in financing. The startup’s pipeline includes multiple GLP-1 agonists in early-stage development.