In its first big pharma deal, Austrian biotech will develop experimental vaccines for Merck against an undisclosed target. Innovent licenses Chinese rights to Lilly diabetes candidate, while Novartis gets option to Iconic’s preclinical ophthalmology program.

Fosmetpantotenate missed all endpoints in a Phase III trial, so Retrophin will shelve the candidate for the rare disease PKAN. Now, the biotech turns focus to Phase III sparsentan in a pair of indications.

Complete response letter follows July deficiencies letter that made approval seem highly unlikely. Vanda called the setback perplexing and said it plans to continue working to get jet lag disorder added to the Hetlioz label.

AbbVie now has both of its Humira successors approved in the US, following April’s Skyrizi approval for psoriasis. But Rinvoq faces stiff competition both within the JAK1 class and in rheumatoid arthritis generally.

Revised agreement of 2016 collaboration returns all vopratelimab rights to Jounce. Gilead fortifies antiviral pipeline in deals with Novartis, Durect.