UCB's Zogenix Bet Pays Out Quickly With Fresh Fintepla Approval

Second Indication For Rare Epilepsy Potential Blockbuster

Gaining approval for Fintepla in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, on top of an earlier green light in Dravet, puts the Belgian group in a strong position to compete with Jazz’s Epidiolex.

Van Zyl, Charl
Charl van Zyl • Source: UCB

UCB S.A.'s just-completed acquisition of Zogenix, Inc. already looked like a shrewd bit of business and the up-to-$1.9bn purchase is increasingly looking like a snip now that the epilepsy drug Fintepla has secured another approval in the US, this time for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS).

Already approved in the US and EU for seizures associated with another rare type of epilepsy, Dravet syndrome, UCB has...

Scrip Podcast

Keep up with the top pharma business news of the week. On the go.

Scrip brings you a weekly bulletin of top picks.

More from New Products

Scrip-NewProducts (Premium-2): Top 12 Pharma Companies: Pfizer Tops The Leaderboard Again

 
• By 

The world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies mostly saw growth in 2024 but 2025 promises to be more of a mixed bag with headwinds including losses of exclusivity, Medicare Part D redesign and challenges in the Chinese market.

Innovent/GenFleet Score China’s First KRAS G12C Inhibitor Approval

 

The nod will help unlock a national market for the partners’ Dupert (fulzerasib) in which roughly 50,000 people are expected to be newly diagnosed with lung cancer harboring the KRAS G12C mutation in 2025. Meanwhile, two other homegrown rivals are also closing in on marketing clearances in China.

Cagrisema Leads The Charge For 2025

 

2030 sales forecasts for Novo’s obesity hope are an order of magnitude larger than its closest rival among 2025’s expected debutantes.  

Small But Mitey: Tarsus To Amp Up Strong Xdemvy Launch

 

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is putting more sales and marketing heft behind its novel eyelid disease therapy, Xdemvy, to capitalize on a solid start in a previously untapped market.    

More from Scrip

EHA: Lilly’s Jaypirca Posts First Phase III Triplet Win In CLL While BTK Degraders Advance - Clone

Lilly's first Phase III triplet win opens the door to a label expansion in BTK-pretreated CLL, with analysts suggesting Jaypica could attain blockbuster status. However, the window to capitalize may be brief as next-generation BTK degraders close in with head-to-head trials.

Top 10 Drugs Q1 2026: New Sheriff In Town As Mounjaro Unseats Keytruda

Mounjaro, Eliquis, and Darzalex buck the Q1 trend to make gains