PharmTech Weekly News Roundup — Week of October 13, 2025

In this PharmTech video feature, we highlight the week’s industry news in an easy-to-consume, fun format. New roundups will drop every Friday, so be sure to come back each week.

Collectively, the week’s coverage discusses the pharmaceutical industry’s recent developments and current regulatory landscape. Read on for recaps of each story we’ve covered.

J.P. Morgan R&D Trends

Biopharma venture capital deployment remains cautious, selectively favoring later-stage Phase II programs, with median values rising to $63 million. R&D partnerships focused on obesity and diabetes treatments have reached record values totaling $18.2 billion in announced potential deal value this year.

Why Radiopharmaceuticals Are Ideal

The success of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) is catalyzing a transformation toward radiopharmaceuticals, which use radio ligands conjugated to an antibody for targeted systemic delivery. Development challenges persist in optimizing the chemistry for linking the radio ligand to the antibody and identifying the molecular cohorts most sensitive to this new therapy.

KPMG CEO Outlook

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a top investment priority for 75% of life sciences CEOs, with targeted funding focused on operational areas like intelligent manufacturing and agentic AI. While 85% of leaders cite workforce upskilling as critical, 66% also view ethical challenges as a barrier to AI implementation.

Biotech Equipment Market by 2030

The global biotechnology equipment market is projected to reach $143.9 billion by 2030, driven by increased R&D funding and the industry shift toward customized therapies. Analytical instruments are forecasted to lead this market expansion, underscoring the critical necessity of robust measurement and testing capabilities across the entire drug lifecycle.

Manufacturing and Compliance at CPHI

New manufacturing solutions include a fully gloveless filling system for cell and gene therapies, which ensures maximum sterility compliant with Annex 1 good manufacturing practice guidelines. Quality management for animal-derived ingredients requires rigorous traceability and regulatory harmonization to secure the supply chain, while unit-level syringe traceability via RFID improves efficiency.

AstraZeneca Cancer Care at ESMO

Nearly 100 abstracts featuring AstraZeneca medications or pipeline molecules will be shared at the ESMO Congress 2025, demonstrating advancements in cancer care. These presentations include pivotal Phase III trial data for ADCs like trastuzumab deruxtecan and datopotamab deruxtecan in high-risk breast cancer.

AstraZeneca MFN Deal

AstraZeneca plans a $4.5 billion investment in a new US manufacturing facility to support a broader range of medicines, including cancer treatments. This major infrastructure commitment coincides with the company’s agreement to offer drugs at lower, most-favored-nation prices through the federal government’s forthcoming TrumpRx.gov platform.