Innovation Meets Access: What RNA Therapies, DTC Pricing, and China Deals Signal for Pharma and Biotech in 2025

The first half of 2025 has underscored just how quickly the pharma and biotech landscape is shifting. From Ionis’ remarkable Phase 3 results for an RNA therapy in severe hypertriglyceridemia, to Novo Nordisk’s direct-to-consumer pricing experiment with GoodRx, to record-breaking dealmaking between global pharma and Chinese biotechs—commercial and market access teams are facing a wave of disruption and opportunity. Each of these developments speaks to a central theme: the need to rethink value, access, and global strategy as innovation moves faster than traditional frameworks can adapt.

RNA Therapies Push Into Mainstream Cardiometabolic Care — Ionis hits it out of the park with data for Tryngolza in severe blood fat disease

Ionis Pharmaceuticals just posted data that could reshape the treatment landscape for patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG). Their antisense drug, Tryngolza (olezarsen), cut triglycerides by up to 72% in Phase 3 trials and, more importantly, reduced the risk of acute pancreatitis by 85% over one year. This is a striking advance in an area where options have been limited.

Ionis plans to file for FDA approval by the end of 2025, with analysts now projecting peak sales as high as $2.5B. Beyond the numbers, these results underscore the growing momentum in cardiometabolic innovation—where targeted RNA therapies are moving from rare disease into broader, high-burden conditions.

TruView: The Tryngolza data highlight how RNA-based therapies are rapidly moving beyond rare disease into high-burden, high-cost conditions. For market access leaders, this raises important questions on payer readiness, value frameworks, and how to position transformative outcomes—like an 85% reduction in pancreatitis risk—within evolving reimbursement landscapes. The commercial challenge will be balancing breakthrough clinical value with affordability and access at scale.

Turning the Page on Hims: Novo’s $499 Strategy with GoodRx - Novo Teams Up With GoodRx for Lower-Price GLP-1s, Giving DTC Another Shot

Novo Nordisk’s partnership with GoodRx marks a notable shift in how pharma is approaching access and pricing. By offering Ozempic and Wegovy at a flat $499 cash price, Novo is testing whether direct-to-consumer affordability programs can expand reach, curb the growth of compounded knock-offs, and maintain brand equity in a highly competitive GLP-1 market. This comeback follows a brief and turbulent collaboration with Hims & Hers that collapsed after Hims continued marketing compounded (non-FDA-approved) versions of the drugs under the guise of personalization—a practice Novo deemed unsafe and misleading. With this move, Novo aims to reclaim control over access, affirm safety, and set a new standard for patient-centric pricing in the increasingly competitive GLP-1 space.

TruView: Novo’s GoodRx partnership illustrates how manufacturers are rethinking pricing and distribution to protect both patients and brand integrity. As GLP-1 demand surges, the industry will need to balance affordability with safety while defending against gray-market compounding. This move signals that pharma can’t afford to leave access gaps unaddressed—because if companies don’t solve them, others will.

Global Pharma Bets Big on China: $48B in Just Six Months – Pharma Spent More Than $48B in China in H1, Eclipsing Total 2024 Haul

In just the first half of 2025, global pharma committed a staggering $48.5 billion in partnership deals with Chinese biotech firms—already beating the $44.8 billion total from all of 2024. That’s 61 deals, including 16 valued over $1 billion (and five topping $3 billion), plus a record-breaking $1.25 billion Pfizer upfront investment in a bispecific antibody program. While oncology remains the dominant focus, deals across immunological and inflammatory diseases are also on the rise. IQVIA sees this as a clear sign that global biopharma increasingly values Chinese innovation—and isn’t letting geopolitical tensions cool dealmaking.

TruView: The surge of dealmaking in China underscores a fundamental shift—global pharma can’t afford to ignore Chinese innovation, even amid political and market volatility. With oncology still leading but other therapeutic areas gaining traction, companies are signaling that scientific opportunity outweighs geopolitical risk. The real test will be whether these high-dollar partnerships translate into globally competitive assets and sustainable long-term collaboration models.

The first half of 2025 shows how fast the access landscape is evolving—RNA drugs pushing into high-burden diseases, direct-to-consumer pricing disrupting GLP-1 access, and global dealmaking with China accelerating at record pace. Commercial leaders who succeed will be those who can adapt payer narratives, pricing models, and partnership strategies as innovation outpaces traditional market frameworks.

The headlines this week are more than news—they’re signals. The organizations that interpret them well and act decisively will shape the next phase of biopharma leadership. TruBio Consulting helps biotech and pharma teams translate market shifts into smart, strategic action.

TruView - What Matters This Week. Tru & Simple.