Looking to compete with Takeda’s Gattex in short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure, Ironwood succeeds in a Phase III trial, but investors may be concerned with misses on secondary endpoints.

Forbion’s Sander Slootweg looks back over the company’s most successful year so far, and looks ahead at likely market and therapy area trends for 2024.

With the acquisition of Swiss biotech firm VectivBio in late June, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has firmly positioned itself as a gastrointestinal-focused company.

Ironwood said it believes VectivBio’s once-weekly GLP-2 analog apraglutide is differentiated from Takeda’s once-daily Gattex in short bowel syndrome and could generate $1bn in peak sales.