More than 100 biopharma executives and experts told Scrip their predictions for therapeutic area advances in the coming year. The recent commercial success of GLP-1s in diabetes and obesity and their potential in further disease areas fuelled excitement around the metabolic space. Expectations were also positive in neurology following the launch of Leqembi for Alzheimer’s disease in 2023, while the multiple opportunities to improve cancer treatment kept oncology top of the pile overall.

Private Company Edition: TCGX raises $1bn for its second fund, Goldman Sachs’ first fund totals $650m and Panlin’s biopharma fund grows. Also, Apollo’s series C increases to $260m, Avistone closes a $140m series B, OnCusp raises a $100m series A and HI-Bio grabs $95m in series B cash.

Plus deals involving Biocytogen, Neurocrine and Ona, Aeterna Zentaris/Ceapro, Teva/Biolojic Design, Pathos AI/Rain Oncology, Inhibitor Therapeutics/Johns Hopkins and more.

AstraZeneca’s Truqap and Evive’s Ryzneuta bring FDA center for drugs’ 2023 novel agent total to 51, while biologics center already sits on a record-breaking 14 novel approvals.