A $355 million initial payment will go to Alentis for a drug aimed at rare kidney and liver diseases.

CSL Limited (ASX:CSL; USOTC:CSLLY) appointed Deborah Waterhouse as CEO, effective February 1, 2027. She currently leads ViiV Healthcare, a GSK joint venture with £7.7B sales. Waterhouse has 25+ years in pharma, including roles at GSK. She will earn £1.5M base salary, with incentives and stock units. Gordon Naylor remains interim CEO until her start.

Sanofi (SNY) avoided an EU fine after proposing commitments to address allegations of disparaging CSL's (CSLLY) flu vaccine Fluad. The EU investigated claims Sanofi made about Fluad's efficacy compared to its own vaccine, Efluelda. Sanofi agreed to publish statements affirming both vaccines are equally recommended.

Haemonetics shares rose 12% after CSL updated its plans to transition all U.S. plasma centers to Haemonetics' NexSys devices by 2027. The deal, initially disclosed in August, was expanded from a partial to a full rollout. Haemonetics' fiscal 2026 revenue was $1.33B, with organic growth at 1.1%. The stock trades at 21x forward earnings, above its 5-year average of 19.1x.

CSL and Alentis Therapeutics have partnered to develop and commercialize lixudebart, a potential first-in-class therapy for rare kidney and liver diseases. CSL will pay Alentis $355 million upfront and up to $1.2 billion in milestones. Lixudebart is in Phase 2 trials for AAV-RPGN and will be tested for FSGS and PSC. CSL will fund further trials and share global profits. According to the companies, lixudebart has shown promising results in early trials.

President Trump's administration signed drug-pricing agreements with nine mid-sized pharmaceutical companies, including Astellas Pharma, Teva, and UCB, to lower U.S. drug prices under the MFN proposal. Companies agreed to reduce prices and invest $19.6B in U.S. manufacturing, with some contributing APIs to a government reserve. The deals cover 89% of the branded drug market, expanding beyond initial Big Pharma focus.

CSL (ASX:CSL; USOTC:CSLLY) has agreed with the U.S. government to lower drug prices and invest $1.5 billion in U.S. manufacturing. The deals include pricing adjustments for Medicaid and new therapies, and a manufacturing expansion in Illinois. The company expects no material impact in fiscal 2027.