The Drug Discovery News editors took the pulse of biotech and pharma industry leaders to learn more about which new therapies or technologies in clinical trials they’re keeping track of this year.
What drug or drug class in clinical trials are you most excited about?

CREDIT: Bristol Myers Squibb
Tim Campbell, Vice President of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Early Clinical Development at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS):
I'm a hematologist by training, so when I think about my clinical interest outside of BMS, it goes back to either malignant or non-malignant blood disorders. I have a little bit of a soft spot for the menin inhibitors and some of the work that's been done in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which has been such a difficult disease over many years to develop really effective therapies for. But, I think the initial profile of some of these novel inhibitors just looks really promising in those patients, so I'm excited to see those develop into a broader patient population and in combination therapies in AML.

CREDIT: Lexeo Therapeutics
Sandi See Tai, Chief Development Officer of Lexeo Therapeutics:
I’m incredibly excited about gene therapy especially in 2025. Gene therapy offers transformative potential to treat many conditions that have few or no effective treatment options today, and there is a huge unmet need for individuals living with rare diseases. We’ve also seen some very exciting news recently from the Food and Drug Administration in Huntington’s disease, Fabry disease, and others, showing a willingness from the agency to partner and use accelerated approval pathways to help get potential treatments to patients more quickly if the evidence package appears safe and effective. To me, this acceleration really demonstrates the power of our industry to advance innovation and at the end of the day improve lives.

CREDIT: Lundbeck
Johan Luthman, Executive Vice President of R&D at Lundbeck Therapeutics:
I think some immunotherapies are still really looking very impressive. There is still some mileage to go with immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases of various kinds, but recently we've seen a breakthrough in neuromyelitis optical disorder, and some years back in myasthenia gravis. We still see new, interesting things progressing in multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is still a big medical need. We will see maybe the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors coming through, finally; it’s been a rocky road. We may see CD40 ligand monoclonal antibodies serving across the board for many indications, but also probably MS. Also, in my field, psychedelic medicine is very controversial. I think we will see in the coming years whether that delivers what we hope for or not. Johnson & Johnson’s esketamine drug, Spravato, is out on the market, and it's starting to really look promising. That's the only psychedelic-type drug that is out there. But, we may see some more breakthroughs in this area of drug treatment assisted by psychotherapy, which I think is an interesting combination therapy.

CREDIT: Claudio Soto
Claudio Soto, Cofounder and Chief Security Officer of Amprion and Professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston:
In my area of neurodegenerative diseases associated with the accumulation of protein aggregates, I am most excited about drugs aiming to reduce the expression of the endogenous proteins that become misfolded and accumulate in the brain. There are some antisense oligonucleotide-based drugs under development, such as those being tested at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, for most of the diseases in this group. I believe that reducing the normal proteins that will be the substrate for the prion-like spreading of the pathological abnormalities represents a great and novel opportunity to attack these diseases. I think it will be very difficult for small molecules or antibodies to reduce substantially the protein aggregates, but removing the raw materials for making them is a clever and logical strategy.

CREDIT: Zura Bio
Robert Lisicki, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Zura Bio:
I’m excited about the potential of drugs in clinical trials that target multiple pathways within a single therapy. These treatments, such as bispecific antibodies, could help address the complexities of diseases, particularly in the rare disease space where treatment options are limited. By targeting multiple pathways simultaneously, these therapies may offer more tailored care, providing hope for better outcomes and improved patient support.

CREDIT: Aligos Therapeutics
Lawrence Blatt, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Aligos Therapeutics:
I am most excited about the innovative chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB) therapies currently in clinical trials, particularly those leveraging a novel mechanism of action. These drugs have the potential to overcome historical barriers in CHB treatment, offering a realistic path toward improved chronic suppression and functional cure rates for millions of patients worldwide.
Some responses have been edited for length and clarity.