A vector drawing shows one doctor standing on the left, pointing to a screen. On the right, another doctor sits and looks at a computer screen.

From cancer to rare diseases, there are many exciting clinical trials in progress.

CREDIT: iStock.com/robuart

Clinical developments experts have their eye on in 2025

Industry leaders name the clinical trials and developments they’re most excited to see in the new year.
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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?

Tim Campbell smiles and wears a navy jacket and white shirt.


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. 


Sandi See Tai wears a white blouse and smiles.


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.


Johan Luthman smiles and wears black glasses and a black jacket.


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.


Claudio Soto looks at a test tube filled with a yellow liquid.


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.


Robert Lisicki smiles while wearing black glasses on a blue background.


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.


Lawrence Blatt smiles and wears a black suit jacket while looking off into the distance.


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.

About the Author

  • Allison Whitten
    Allison Whitten joined Drug Discovery News as an assistant editor in 2023. She earned her PhD from Vanderbilt University in 2018, and has written for WIRED, Discover Magazine, Quanta Magazine, and more.
  • Stephanie DeMarco, PhD Headshot

    Stephanie joined Drug Discovery News as an Assistant Editor in 2021. She earned her PhD from the University of California Los Angeles in 2019 and has written for Discover Magazine, Quanta Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times. As an assistant editor at DDN, she writes about how microbes influence health to how art can change the brain. When not writing, Stephanie enjoys tap dancing and perfecting her pasta carbonara recipe.

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