BioMed X teams with J&J on inflammation, drug delivery research. Stem cell firm Calidi inks licensing deals with U. of Chicago, City of Hope and Northwestern. MD Anderson teams with Blueprint and Hummingbird.

As anticipated, the FDA issued a complete response letter for roxadustat. While the drug is expected to win EU approval, it is unclear if FibroGen and AstraZeneca will be willing to fund another trial.

Akebia brings in Cyclerion’s diabetes candidate praliciguat, plus deals involving Genmab/Bolt, Auris/Trasir, Zymergen/Lodo, Bavarian Nordic/Dynavax and more.

AstraZeneca's partner FibroGen stunned investors and regulators by announcing that previously disclosed cardiovascular safety data for CKD candidate roxadustat included changes made post hoc, rather than as pre-specified with the US FDA.