Having spent the previous decade constructing its place in neurology and immunology, Belgian biopharma UCB’s pipeline technique is now targeted on turning these core areas into the following technology of progress. Moderately than branching out into solely new therapeutic areas, the corporate is trying to newer modalities and doubtlessly disease-modifying approaches to additional preserve its place inside these two sectors.
UCB’s current dealmaking supplies a transparent illustration of this technique. Up to now yr, the corporate has acquired cell remedy developer Neurona Therapeutics and T-cell engager specialist Candid Therapeutics, whereas additionally placing a worldwide licensing settlement with Antengene for one more B-cell-depleting bispecific antibody. Collectively, the offers have introduced novel approaches spanning regenerative medication, T-cell engagement, and immune modulation into UCB’s pipeline.
Moreover, with blockbuster drug Bimzelx persevering with to drive progress in immunology and a longtime neurology portfolio, the corporate already has a powerful business basis. However can its technique of concentrating on these core therapeutic areas whereas utilizing dealmaking to speed up entry to modern applied sciences ship the following decade of progress? On this article, we take a better have a look at UCB’s pipeline technique and the offers serving to to form its future.
UCB’s immunology pipeline: Constructing the following technology of autoimmune therapies
Immunology has develop into one of the vital necessary pillars of UCB’s progress technique, with the corporate more and more trying past standard approaches to treating continual inflammatory ailments.
Its established portfolio already supplies a powerful basis, led by Bimzelx (bimekizumab), which targets IL-17A and IL-17F and has develop into UCB’s key progress driver after receiving 5 approvals in simply two years for numerous autoimmune indications. First getting into the market as a plaque psoriasis treatment, it has since been authorised for energetic psoriatic arthritis, energetic non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, energetic ankylosing spondylitis and, most not too long ago, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). After its preliminary approval, Bimzelx gross sales ultimately skyrocketed, going from a modest €607 million ($716 million) in 2024 to €2.22 billion ($2.6 billion) in 2025 – already midway to the corporate’s acknowledged peak gross sales expectations of at the least €4 billion ($4.4 billion).
Alongside increasing the Bimzelx franchise, UCB can also be pursuing therapies that would doubtlessly go additional than suppressing irritation and as a substitute deal with the underlying immune dysfunction driving autoimmune illness.
One instance is dapirolizumab pegol, an anti-CD40 ligand antibody being developed with Biogen for systemic lupus erythematosus. Optimistic section 3 information not too long ago revealed within the Lancet confirmed that the drug plus normal of care demonstrated statistically important enchancment in illness exercise at week 48, strengthening the case for the drug as a possible new choice for sufferers with the complicated autoimmune illness. Moreover, UCB is advancing galvokimig, a bispecific antibody focusing on IL-13 and IL-17A/F, in atopic dermatitis and different inflammatory ailments, with section 2b topline ends in atopic dermatitis anticipated in 2028, in keeping with the corporate’s web site.
In the meantime, UCB’s current dealmaking means that its ambitions in immunology prolong past merely including one other technology of anti-inflammatory medication. In March, the corporate secured worldwide rights to ATG-201 from Antengene, a CD19/CD3 bispecific T-cell engager designed to selectively deplete B cells. And, simply two months later, it introduced the $2 billion upfront acquisition of Candid Therapeutics, including cizutamig, a BCMA/CD3 T-cell engager, to its pipeline. The acquisition was accomplished in June for as much as $2.2 billion and introduced Candid’s broader portfolio of multispecific T-cell engagers into UCB.
These two offers are significantly important as a result of they level in the direction of a typical technique. Moderately than focusing on inflammatory pathways alone, UCB is constructing capabilities across the selective depletion of pathogenic B-cell populations, with the aim of reaching what it calls an “immune reset.” The thought is that eradicating the B cells answerable for producing disease-driving antibodies might doubtlessly ship deeper and extra sturdy illness management, and even perhaps intervals of treatment-free remission, in some autoimmune ailments.
This platform-driven method might show significantly necessary as UCB seems to set up a brand new technology of immunology medicines. It doesn’t imply that it’s abandoning its current experience in monoclonal antibodies or its profitable inflammatory illness franchise by any means; as a substitute, it’s merely including new modalities that would enable it to sort out autoimmune ailments at a deeper organic stage and, within the course of, this additionally supplies it with a wider vary of medicines that would create long-term progress in a crowded immunology market.
Neurology: From seizure management to disease-modifying therapies
Neurology is the opposite main pillar of UCB’s technique, and right here the corporate has an particularly robust basis to construct on. UCB has greater than 30 years of expertise in epilepsy, with established medicines together with Fintepla (fenfluramine), Briviact (brivaracetam), Vimpat (lacosamide), and Keppra (levetiracetam). Its present business portfolio spans each broad epilepsy therapies and therapies for uncommon epileptic syndromes equivalent to Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
However whereas UCB continues to develop therapies geared toward enhancing seizure management, its pipeline more and more factors towards a extra bold aim: addressing the underlying biology of neurological ailments relatively than merely managing their signs. One instance is STACCATO alprazolam, an investigational drug-device mixture designed to quickly terminate extended seizures exterior of a hospital setting. The remedy is at the moment in section 3 of improvement with topline outcomes anticipated in This fall 2026/H1 2027 and, if profitable, might supply sufferers and caregivers a brand new means of managing seizures at house.
UCB can also be trying past epilepsy. Considered one of its most necessary belongings right here is rozanolixizumab, because it illustrates how the corporate is utilizing its experience in antibody-mediated illness to broaden its neurology franchise. The monoclonal antibody targets the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), decreasing the recycling of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, together with the pathogenic autoantibodies that drive sure neurological ailments.
Already authorised in 2023 underneath the model title Rystiggo for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis, UCB is now exploring its potential in further indications, together with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody illness (MOGAD) and ocular myasthenia gravis. With the corporate anticipating topline outcomes from the section 3 MOGAD program within the second half of 2027, rozanolixizumab might present one other avenue for progress whereas demonstrating UCB’s technique of increasing established medicines into new areas of neurological illness.
However it’s UCB’s $1.15 billion acquisition of Neurona Therapeutics that maybe greatest illustrates how far the corporate desires to push its neurology technique. Accomplished in June 2026, the deal added rezanecel – beforehand often known as NRTX-1001 – a neuronal cell remedy that was being investigated by Neurona in section 1/2 trials for drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Moderately than merely suppressing irregular neuronal exercise, the remedy is designed to revive inhibitory interneuron perform, doubtlessly addressing a root reason behind seizures, and is run in a one-time, minimally invasive supply process.
The acquisition, due to this fact, represents extra than simply one other addition to UCB’s epilepsy portfolio; the Belgian biopharma explicitly described the deal as a “strategic enlargement” into regenerative medication and superior therapies, with the corporate aiming to maneuver past symptomatic administration. If rezanecel can exhibit sturdy efficacy, it might doubtlessly supply a really completely different remedy paradigm from standard anti-seizure medicines, which typically want to be taken constantly to regulate signs. In keeping with its web site, UCB is planning to push the candidate into section 3 in H1 2027.
Finally, UCB’s neurology technique mirrors its path in immunology: construct on a longtime business base whereas investing in applied sciences that would essentially change how critical ailments are handled. In immunology, which means shifting in the direction of deeper immune modulation and doubtlessly immune reset; in neurology, it means exploring whether or not the underlying nervous system could be modified or repaired.
Can UCB’s targeted pipeline technique ship long-term progress?
For UCB, the outlook seems to be much less about discovering a wholly new progress engine and extra about guaranteeing that the 2 it already has can proceed to increase.
The corporate entered 2026 with 5 core progress drivers: Bimzelx, Rystiggo, Zilbrysq, Fintepla, and Evenity. In its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings report launched in February 2026, UCB stated that its web gross sales had been up by 32% in 2025 to €7.39 billion ($8.53 billion), pushed by the robust launch execution of those medicines. This provides UCB some respiration room because it invests within the subsequent technology of medicines.
The corporate expects income to develop by a excessive single-digit to low double-digit share in 2026, regardless of the anticipated influence of Briviact’s lack of exclusivity, with progress anticipated to be pushed primarily by its 5 core medicines. UCB has additionally stated that its present pipeline incorporates eight modern remedy choices, setting the stage for important milestones in 2026 and past.
However, in fact, the corporate shouldn’t be relying solely on its current portfolio to maintain that trajectory. The acquisitions of Neurona and Candid, alongside the Antengene partnership, exhibit a willingness to deploy important capital to speed up entry to applied sciences that would reshape its two core therapeutic areas. We might anticipate extra of this type of dealmaking within the second half of 2026 and into 2027.
However, there are, as all the time, some dangers to be careful for. For instance, most of the applied sciences underpinning UCB’s longer-term technique stay clinically unproven, and the corporate might want to exhibit that these bold approaches can translate into protected, efficient, and commercially viable medicines. On the identical time, it should proceed increasing its current merchandise rapidly sufficient to supply the income and money circulate wanted to fund this innovation.
For now, although, UCB’s pipeline technique seems to be delivering, and if its next-generation packages can replicate the business success of Bimzelx and its different progress drivers, UCB could have the components not simply to ship the following few years of progress, however to construct the longer-term pipeline wanted to maintain it for a decade and past.
