Improvements in generating, purifying, and delivering RNA material, as well as addressing challenges with degradation by enzymes, have made the RNA class more attractive to drug developers.

Terray/Calico tie-up will focus on small molecule discovery for diseases of aging, including cancer. Lilly, AstraZeneca sign discovery pacts with Nimbus and Illumina, respectively.

As signaled when Pfizer acquired Biohaven’s Nurtec and CGRP assets, Biohaven will continue under a modified name, with a focus on epilepsy, obsessive compulsive disorder and spinal muscular atrophy.

The US firm’s nanoparticle candidate has disappointed in a late-stage ALS trial but experts say secondary survival data could prove a silver lining given an increasingly flexible US regulatory environment.