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Global Briefs: Sanofi, US Gov’t, AstraZeneca & More 

A roundup of news from Sanofi, AstraZeneca, the US Government and ADC Therapeutics. Highlights below.  

* Sanofi, AstraZeneca Expand RSV Drug Production 
* HHS Revamps Vaccine Advisory Committee
* US DOJ, FTC Plan Public Listening Sessions on Drug Pricing 
* ADC Therapeutics Announces Restructuring Plan 

Sanofi, AstraZeneca Expand RSV Drug Production 
Sanofi will begin shipping Beyfortus (nirsevimab), a preventative treatment for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) at the start of the third quarter of 2025 following increasing production. The global shipping timelines are to ensure broad availability ahead of the 2025-2026 (RSV) season, which typically starts in November and runs through March.  

Sanofi, in collaboration with its partner AstraZeneca, has tripled production capacity and doubled the number of manufacturing sites since the launch of Beyfortus in 2023. Current supply for the upcoming season matches the total doses distributed last year (2025), and production continues, according to Sanofi.  

Source: Sanofi 

HHS Revamps Vaccine Advisory Committee 
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has revamped the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), an advisory committee that makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy, and clinical need of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the agency removed the 17 sitting members of ACIP and will replace them with new members currently under consideration (as reported on June 9, 2025). ACIP will convene its next meeting, June 25 through June 27 at CDC headquarters in Atlanta. 

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services 

US DOJ, FTC Plan Public Listening Sessions on Drug Pricing 
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division, along with the US Department of Commerce and US the Department of Health and Human Services, will jointly host listening sessions to discuss prescription drug pricing. The three listening sessions will occur under the direction of FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson and Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater of the DOJ Antitrust Division. 

The listening sessions will focus on improving the affordability of pharmaceuticals by increasing generic and biosimilar availability and promoting competition through drug formularies and benefit practices. The listening sessions will inform the FTC and DOJ’s joint report on anticompetitive practices in pharmaceutical markets as per an Executive Order by the President.

The dates for the sessions and titles of the sessions are as follows: 

  • Monday, June 30 at 2 pm ET – Anticompetitive Conduct by Pharmaceutical Companies Impeding Generic or Biosimilar Competition 
  • Thursday, July 24 at 2 pm ET – Formulary and Benefit Practices and Regulatory Abuse Impacting Drug Competition 
  • Monday, August 4 at 2 pm ET – Turning Insights into Action to Reduce Drug Prices 

Source: Federal Trade Commission 

ADC Therapeutics Announces Restructuring Plan 
ADC Therapeutics, a Lausanne, Switzerland-based bio/pharmaceutical company specializing in antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), has announced a restructuring plan and a $100-million private placement to raise additional funding.  

The company reported that it will advance its preclinical exatecan-based ADC targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen and will discontinue early development efforts for the remaining preclinical programs in solid tumors. As research and development efforts and related programs are closed out, the company plans to shut down its UK facility and reduce its global workforce across functions by approximately 30%, which is expected to be substantially completed by September 30, 2025. The company estimates that it will incur one-time cash restructuring charges of between $6 million and $7 million for employee severance, benefits and related termination costs, the majority of which will be recognized in the second quarter of 2025. 

In addition, the company is selling approximately 13 million common shares of stock as part of a private placement to raise $100 million, expected to close on June 16, 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. ADC Therapeutics intends to use the net proceeds to fund multiple activities  primarily in support of clinical development and commercialization of Zynlonta (loncastuximab tesirine), working capital,and general corporate purposes. Zynlonta is approved for treating relapsed refractory large B-cell lymphoma and high-grade B-cell lymphoma. The drug is also being evaluated as a therapeutic option in combination studies in other B-cell malignancies and earlier lines of therapy. 

Source: ADC Therapeutics (press release) and ADC Therapeutics (financial filing)