Public Company Edition: J&J’s consumer health spinout Kenvue grossed $3.8bn in its public market debut and Acelyrin raised $540m in an upsized IPO. Also, Seres accessed $250m in new debt for Vowst commercialization while follow-on offerings raised $325m for ImmunoGen and $240m for Morphic. 

As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reduces its dependence on oil as an export, one sector it is building up is the life sciences industry. The government is encouraging global companies to manufacture and invest domestically and they are improving their regulatory system and working with local players to enhance access to patients.

Hasten brought in $315m, and Orbital garnered $270m, but while multiple venture firms have raised large new funds, Q1 saw the lowest amount of biopharma VC fundraising in a single quarter since 2019.

MORF-057, addressing the same target as Takeda blockbuster Entyvio, shows efficacy and safety in ulcerative colitis. Various companies have sought an oral competitor to established biologics in UC.