By Philippe Lopes-Fernandes, Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer at Ipsen
Science rarely gives us a simple answer. A result can validate a hypothesis, challenge one or point us towards a different question entirely. The first answer matters, but I believe that with the right skill, passion and commitment you can move beyond, towards the goal of delivering scientific and patient impact.
Across our work we all recognize speed matters, as we have patients living with complex and life-limiting diseases that urgently need treatment options. But so does judgment. Sometimes the right decision is to move quickly, sometimes it is to stop and sometimes it is to look more carefully to recognize potential. Some of the most important advances in medicine have come from to recognizing the potential to ask a different question.
At Ipsen, we believe scientific leadership requires both discipline and courage: the discipline to follow the evidence where it leads to build strong, lasting partnerships and the courage to pursue an opportunity others may overlook. That mindset is shaping how we build our portfolio today through partnerships across our three therapeutic areas.
Looking differently
The best opportunities rarely reveal themselves through a single data point, program or deal, they emerge through experience. At Ipsen, we have built deep expertise across Oncology, Rare Disease and Neuroscience. That expertise helps us understand the science, recognize meaningful signals and make informed decisions about where we can make the greatest difference.
It also helps us answer a difficult question: has the science reached a dead end, or is it pointing towards a new direction? The distinction matters.
A failed hypothesis does not necessarily invalidate a biological mechanism. A setback in one disease does not automatically mean there is no future in another. Sometimes the most important insight is found beyond the original question. Our role is to identify when that possibility exists and have the conviction to act on it.
Rare Disease: taking experience somewhere new
Our Rare Disease franchise has been built through years of experience developing medicines, capabilities and scientific understanding in areas of high unmet need. Along the way, we have demonstrated the importance of looking beyond a setback that closes one path as other routes can be advanced. 1
When evaluating a potential partnership in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), we saw how the science first explored in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis did not deliver the result many hoped for.2 However, improvements in biochemical markers pointed to PBC as a different possibility.3 Establishing a strategic alliance in this area was not about holding on to the original plan. It was about recognizing that the evidence supported a different scientific question and a credible way forward.2
The acquisition of Memo Therapeutics reflects a similar philosophy as one outcome did not tell the whole story. Taking the total findings into consideration including viral response and kidney pathology, the data pointed towards a more focused opportunity and a clearer view of where the science could matter most.4 Kidney transplantation presents a new challenge for Ipsen. But we are not approaching it from a standing start. We are building on decades of experience in Rare Disease while developing the expertise this new field demands. That is how therapeutic expertise grows. Not by staying within established scientific boundaries, but by applying knowledge in new ways.4
Kidney transplantation presents a new challenge for Ipsen. But we are not approaching it from a standing start. We are building on decades of experience in Rare Disease while developing the expertise this new field demands. That is how therapeutic expertise grows. Not by staying within established boundaries, but by applying knowledge in new ways.4
Oncology: building on what we have learned
In Oncology, our acquisition of Kartos has strengthened our hemato-oncology pipeline through innovative approaches in MDM2 inhibition. What attracted us was not only the science itself, but the expertise behind it, recognizing an opportunity to shape a more focused development strategy.5 Every answer should help us ask a better question and this is why we are working to deliver progress in myelofibrosis.
Neuroscience: advancing science
Sometimes looking beyond the first answer begins closer to home. For more than 30 years, Ipsen has built deep expertise in neuroscience and complex biologics. As the need for longer-lasting treatment options became increasingly clear, we asked whether our scientific expertise and our proprietary manufacturing capabilities at Wrexham could help us explore new scientific approaches.6 That question led to our investigational recombinant neuroinhibitor program, designed through advanced protein engineering with intentional design.7
Knowing when another look is worthwhile
The common thread across these examples is judgment and action.
We cannot continue pursuing a path when the evidence no longer supports it, but we should be equally careful not to write off credible scientific potential simply because the first answer was not the one we expected.
Looking beyond that first answer takes expertise. It takes conviction. And sometimes it takes courage. The courage to challenge assumptions. The courage to see opportunity where others see uncertainty. And the courage to take a different path, creating new possibilities through partnerships when the science supports it.
The future of medicine will not be built by repeatedly asking the same questions. It will be built by asking better ones.
At Ipsen, we are building the expertise, capabilities and partnerships needed to do exactly that. Because sometimes the biggest breakthroughs do not come from finding the right answer. They come from having the courage to ask a different question.
This article was funded by Ipsen.
This article is for scientific and educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice, promote any product or imply benefit in any disease area.
© 2026 Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. All rights reserved.
ALLSC-ALL-010532 NON-US-004781 | November 2026
References:
- Ipsen. Acquired Science. Accelerated Impact. Ipsen’s Determined M&A Strategy Is Rewriting the Rules of Innovation. Published December 16, 2025. Available at: https://www.ipsen.com/stories/science/acquired-science-accelerated-impact-ipsens-determined-ma-strategy-is-rewriting-the-rules-of-innovation/. Accessed October 2026.
- Qasim A, Alataa R, Veena F, Shehi E. The new era of MASH pharmacotherapy: a comprehensive review of FDA-approved and emerging agents. Front Gastroenterol. 2026;5:1850915. doi:10.3389/fgstr.2026.1850915. Accessed November 2026.
- Radice R, Pollaroli G, Salvatici M, et al. The Role of Laboratory Markers in Primary Biliary Cholangitis: A Clinical Review and a Case Report. Biomedicines. Published April 18, 2026;14(4):925. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13113175/. Accessed October 2026
- Ipsen. Ipsen completes acquisition of Memo Therapeutics AG, adding first-in-class asset to Ipsen’s Rare Disease pipeline. Published July 22, 2026. Available at: https://www.ipsen.com/press-release/ipsen-completes-acquisition-of-memo-therapeutics-ag-adding-first-in-class-asset-to-ipsens-rare-disease-pipeline-3331074/. Accessed October 2026.
- Ipsen. Ipsen completes acquisition of Kartos Therapeutics, strengthening late-stage Oncology pipeline. Published August 21, 2026. Available at: https://www.ipsen.com/press-release/ipsen-completes-acquisition-of-kartos-therapeutics-strengthening-late-stage-oncology-pipeline-3348882/. Accessed October 2026.
- Kaji R. A look at the future-new BoNTs and delivery systems in development: What it could mean in the clinic. Toxicon. Published October 2023;234:107264. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37657515/. Accessed October 2026.
- Ipsen. Neuroscience at Ipsen. Available at: https://www.ipsen.com/science/neuroscience/. Accessed October 2026.