Eli Lilly has been on a dealmaking spree this year, with a few deals worth $1 billion or more. Aside from SangeneBio, these include SiteOne, Verve and Scorpion.
Multiple analyst firms were impressed by the Phase III data, which showed that Merck’s oral PCSK9 inhibitor can lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by more than 55% after 24 weeks.
The deal is done. What happens next for Pfizer and Metsera—and Novo?
After a bidding war erupted between Pfizer and Novo Nordisk over the fledgling obesity drugmaker, Metsera sided with its original suitor in a final agreement announced late Friday evening.
During a press conference to announce a drug price deal for GLP-1s, President Donald Trump asked for more details about the ongoing bidding war between Novo Nordisk and Pfizer over obesity biotech Metsera.
Following restricted vaccine approvals and changes to CDC immunization schedules, Merck, Pfizer, GSK and Sanofi are all suffering revenue hits to their vaccine programs.
FEATURED STORIES
Regulations aiming to lower the cost of vital medicines will instead end up restricting access and disincentivizing R&D.
Capricor Therapeutics met with the FDA last week for a type A meeting, during which CEO Linda Marbán aimed to explain to the regulator that it got it wrong. Capricor plans to resubmit the application based on deramiocel’s existing dataset.
The Trump administration’s ever-changing tariffs and Most Favored Nation drug pricing are part of a blizzard of unclear, potentially illegal tactics that leave observers throwing their hands in the air.
Drugs are being invented and manufactured right here in the U.S. by Americans, for Americans. So why doesn’t the industry hold the same respect as steelworkers or other all-American pursuits?
The platform strategy of using one molecule to target an underlying biological pathway to address many different diseases can be a goldmine for smaller companies. But it also has a unique set of challenges.
A new study in JAMA contradicts a series of statements made by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that paint vaccine advisory committees at the CDC and FDA as hopelessly corrupt.
LATEST PODCASTS
President Donald Trump continues to warn of tariffs on the pharmaceutical industry; Susan Monarez replaces Dave Weldon as CDC director nominee; Novo Nordisk joins the triple-G race; Alnylam wins approval for Amvuttra in ATTR-CM; and Cassava Sciences ends development of simufilam in Alzheimer’s.
Sarepta will update Elevidys’ label after a patient died following treatment; the FDA issues flu vaccine recommendations without advisor input; Trump CDC nominee Dave Weldon pulled at last minute; and FDA decisions expected for Alnylam’s Amvuttra in ATTR-CM and Milestone’s etripamil in tachycardia.
In the third podcast in a special series focused on BioSpace’s NextGen Class of 2025, Senior Editor Annalee Armstrong speaks with Mark McKenna, CEO of Mirador Therapeutics.
Job Trends
Looking for a biopharma job in or near Washington, D.C.? Check out these five top companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
In this deep dive, BioSpace investigates China’s rise as a biotech powerhouse.
In this deep dive, BioSpace explores the next big thing in obesity.
BioSpace did a deep dive into biopharma female executives who navigated difficult markets to lead their companies to high-value exits.
DEALS
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Policy uncertainties are impacting biopharma dealmaking from continent to continent, with companies being asked to walk a tightrope on their relations with China. -
The deal is a blast from the not-too-distant past, when special purpose acquisition companies were an easy way for companies to list on the public market with a bundle of cash to operate on. -
Roche’s Genentech is betting on the Flagship Pioneering–founded company’s discovery platform called DECODE to find new targets for an undisclosed autoimmune disorder. -
Alis Biosciences’ plan is a familiar tactic in the private equity world, but the firm will instead be listed on the public markets “in due course.” -
Despite making an unsolicited bid for gene therapy maker bluebird bio, Ayrmid failed to deliver a binding offer after weeks of due diligence. Bluebird’s board recommended that it go with Carlyle and SK Capital Partner’s original offer to take the company private for $30 million.
WEIGHT LOSS
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For $812 million, Novo Nordisk will enlist Deep Apple to discover and develop a non-incretin therapy for obesity, months after the Danish pharma’s amylin efforts underwhelmed investors. -
The deal is Lilly’s second obesity tie-up in a week, after sinking up to $870 million into an agreement with Camurus to develop long-acting versions of molecules against GLP-1 and other incretins. -
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made waves this week, firing the remaining members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; Metsera’s amylin drug produced weight loss of 8.4% at 36 days; and FDA leaders gathered last week to discuss the future of cell and gene therapy, a sector that has been in turmoil since the ousting of CBER Chief Peter Marks. -
In what Guggenheim Partners called one of Metsera’s “critical program milestones” this year, its ultra-long-acting amylin injection MET-233i showed promising weight-loss after a little more than a month of treatment. -
Given the evidence, the committee has recommended that the labels for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic be updated to include the “very rare” risk of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
POLICY
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Six weeks after HHS Secretary RFK Jr. cited unexplained conflicts of interest in dismissing all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, Democrats are asking for details. -
While some analysts forecast the tariffs could mean billions in additional industry expenditure, others expect the overall impact to be “manageable.” -
In a post on X, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. alleged that the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has “devolved into a morass of inefficiency, favoritism, and outright corruption.” -
The swift FDA action removes an overhang from Sarepta and allows Elevidys to return to the market without another safety study, as had been feared, Jefferies analysts said Monday. -
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to remove all members of the USPSTF for being too “woke,” according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal. An HHS spokesperson, however, says no final decision has been made about the panel.
Carina Clingman, founder of The Collaboratory Career Hub, answers questions about the ins and outs of finding, landing and succeeding in openings in biotech.
Despite recent layoffs and closures in the state, there are still many companies actively recruiting for roles in California.
Consider each company using three different criteria: its match with the candidate’s “why,” its financial health and its employee reviews.
Carina Clingman, founder of The Collaboratory Career Hub, answers questions about the ins and outs of finding, landing and succeeding in biotech jobs.
Research associates are always in demand. Check out these top companies currently hiring RAs.
Newer hiring models based on skills applicants have learned and their general potential for growth could avoid the drawbacks of relying on degrees and experience.
HOTBEDS
REPORTS
In this Employment Outlook report, BioSpace explores current workforce sentiment, job activity trends and the prospective job and hiring outlook for 2025, particularly as it compares to the previous year.
BioSpace’s third report on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in life sciences examines dramatic shifts in attitude around diversity initiatives.
CANCER
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The Seattle-based company came to ASCO25 with new data on its neuroendocrine tumor–treating lead therapy, with big vibes and speedy speech. -
Analysts at Truist Securities called the mid-stage data a “mixed bag,” also flagging gastrointestinal adverse events. However, the readout is unlikely to be “incremental” to Corcept’s overall stock narrative. -
Sanofi and BMS paid big money for rare disease and cancer assets, while Regeneron got in the obesity game; AstraZeneca, Gilead and Amgen shone at ASCO; RFK Jr. and the CDC appeared to disagree over COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and several news outlets are questioning the validity of the White House’s Make America Healthy Again report.
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Kura Oncology won FDA priority review for its drug the day before announcing new data at ASCO 2025 showing remission in about one-quarter of patients. -
The cancer conference overwhelms the senses and shows off the might of the pharmaceutical industry.
NEUROSCIENCE
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The U.K.-based biotech is set to enter mid-stage studies for its depression drug this year, while two other GABAA modulators are poised for clinical trials in 2026. -
Jefferies analysts said on Tuesday that Ventyx could leverage its mid-stage data for VTX3232 to position the oral drug candidate as a treatment for other neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s. -
Analysts at Jefferies give Roche and Prothena’s Phase III study just a 25% to 40% probability of success. -
Stifel analysts said the deal “feels like an unremarkable outcome for a company that was once one of the hottest stories in CNS.” Supernus’ offer beats Biogen’s unsolicited bid of about $7.22 per share, which arrived with a thud in late January. -
Avidity has been given the go-ahead by the FDA to request accelerated approval of delpacibart braxlosiran—potentially the first disease-modifying treatment for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy—with an application in the second half of 2026.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Acute systemic infection caused the patient to develop fatal capillary leak syndrome, highlighting the unpredictability of gene therapies and potentially challenging investment in the space, analysts say. -
Taking center stage at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy meeting was the first-ever reported case of a personalized in vivo CRISPR editing therapy, which substantially eased the symptom burden in an infant. -
Since Elevidys’ accelerated approval in 2023, experts have been clamoring for more data, particularly in older and non-ambulatory children. New results, presented Friday, show mobility improvements in 8- to 9-year-old patients after one year of follow-up. -
Lilly will use Rznomics’ proprietary ribozyme technology to develop RNA editing therapies for congenital hearing loss. -
After warnings that the dragged-out process was putting the cell therapy company at risk of bankruptcy, bluebird bio now has a new deal to offer shareholders.
