Neffy 1 mg is the “first significant innovation” for epinephrine delivery in small children aged 4 years and up in over 35 years, according to ARS Pharmaceuticals.
The Senate hearing for FDA Commissioner nominee Marty Makary comes after President Trump’s NIH pick, Jay Bhattacharya, was grilled by the legislative body on Wednesday.
While hiring activity has not yet picked up, it should do so soon, according to BioSpace Recruitment Manager Greg Clouse. Meanwhile, another year-over-year decrease in layoffs means less competition for jobs.
The new formulation of Keytruda, currently under FDA review, is sparking conflict with Halozyme, which makes enzymes that convert intravenous drugs into injectable versions.
Novo Nordisk’s NovoCare will now provide uninsured or underinsured patients access to Wegovy for just $499 per month—less than half of its list price.
At the heart of the deal is the drug candidate dordaviprone, which is months away from a regulatory verdict for its use in H3 K27M-mutated diffuse glioma.
FEATURED STORIES
While some analysts say Donald Trump is a wild card when it comes to drug pricing, many argue his presidency would be more positive for the industry overall, as Kamala Harris has her price-cutting sights squarely on Big Pharma.
With Sarepta’s gene therapy Elevidys now available to a majority of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients, experts express cautious optimism while emphasizing the need for further data.
As therapies for rare and neurological diseases earn accelerated approval, experts laud the program’s intent while remaining concerned about confirmatory trials and clinical efficacy, especially as products greenlit under this pathway are pulled from the market.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
In a year when eradicated diseases are on the uptick in America, how will American children survive RFK Jr.’s vaccine scrutiny and inconsistency? Two experts call on pharma and regulatory bodies to rebuild trust.
LATEST PODCASTS
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. removes the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy kids and pregnant women—the latest in a string of changes to vaccine policies; judge issues an order to halt HHS’ reorganization and mass layoff plans; Rocket Pharmaceuticals’ pivotal Danon disease trial is on hold after a patient death; and President Trump has named Mehmet Oz to spearhead his Most Favored Nation drug pricing policy.
In this episode presented by IQVIA, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the importance of target product profiles, particularly when navigating funding challenges, with Ian Fisher, head of development analytics.
China continues to be a source of innovation as Pfizer strikes biggest pact yet; HHS provides more info on Trump’s Most Favored Nation executive order; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and CBER director Vinay Prasad reveal new COVID-19 vaccine strategy following Novavax approval; ODAC underway after chaotic planning; more.
Job Trends
Thermo Fisher Scientific to Present at TD Cowen 44th Annual Health Care Conference on March 6, 2024.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
A new generation of checkpoint inhibitors is emerging, with some showing more promise than others. From recent TIGIT failures to high-potential targets like VEGF, BioSpace explores what’s on the horizon in immuno-oncology.
Peter Marks, the venerable head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has been forced out. In this special edition of BioPharm Executive, BioSpace takes a deep dive into the instability of the HHS.
Year-over-year BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the first quarter of 2025.
DEALS
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The acquisition provides the Swedish company with an approved JAK inhibitor for myelofibrosis, a rare bone marrow cancer that disrupts the body’s normal production of blood cells.
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The biopharma company scored two major wins on Tuesday: a court victory over HIV patent claims and an acquisition deal to expand its pipeline in cancer and inflammatory diseases.
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Novel therapies often pass through several owners on their way to the market. Here’s a look at some of the drugs that got dropped before they hit primetime.
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Japanese biopharma scoops up Iveric’s investigational drug for age-related blindness disease. The drug, which trails Apellis’ Syfovre, is awaiting FDA approval with a decision expected by August.
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The acquisition of Bellus Health will give GSK access to camlipixant, a potentially best-in-class P2X3 antagonist for chronic cough.
WEIGHT LOSS
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HHS Secretary RFK Jr. removes the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy kids and pregnant women—the latest in a string of changes to vaccine policies; judge issues an order to halt HHS’ reorganization and mass layoff plans; Rocket Pharmaceuticals’ pivotal Danon disease trial is on hold after a patient death; and President Trump has named Mehmet Oz to spearhead his Most Favored Nation drug pricing policy.
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The CMS last month declined to include anti-obesity medications in its Medicare coverage for Part D, a move that Lilly says could interfere with patients getting the appropriate medical care.
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China continues to be a source of innovation as Pfizer strikes biggest pact yet; HHS provides more info on Trump’s Most Favored Nation executive order; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and CBER director Vinay Prasad reveal new COVID-19 vaccine strategy following Novavax approval; ODAC underway after chaotic planning; more.
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Currently trailing Eli Lilly and Structure Therapeutics in the oral weight loss space, Novo Nordisk strikes a deal with Septerna to put new discovery-stage programs into play.
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President Donald Trump unwrapped a massive drug pricing policy as CMS prepares for the next round of Medicare drug price negotiations; Vinay Prasad to take the helm at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; Bayer cuts 2,000 more employees; Eli Lilly’s Zepbound scores again; and the Galapagos story turns again.
POLICY
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At a Thursday ASGCT 2024 session, CBER Director Peter Marks made the case for a better, “more convergent” global framework on cell and gene therapies, especially for rare diseases.
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Launched in 2021, the public-private consortium on Wednesday updated ASGCT attendees on its efforts to bring adeno-associated virus gene therapies to more rare disease patients.
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On this episode of Denatured, Lori Ellis and guests discuss President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation and the outlook of investment in women’s health.
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In a fireside chat at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy conference, CBER Director Peter Marks spoke with Takeda’s Kristin Van Goor about how the regulator is approaching the exploding gene therapy space.
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Amylyx’s recent decision to withdraw its ALS drug Relyvrio from the market highlights an important business decision for companies: when to continue marketing or investigating a drug that has failed a pivotal or confirmatory study.
Understanding which direction to take can be challenging for many professionals, whether they are in an early career stage, or later in their career.
There are several ways to assess if a biotech company has plans in place to diversify their workplace or if they have already achieved this milestone.
Regardless of if your motivation is to increase your salary or find a job that is more interesting to you, preparing for a career change can take a lot of time and energy.
Let’s take a trip through the alphabet to pick up 26 tips to optimize your cover letters.
To help you in your job search, we’ve compiled a list of cover letter do’s and don’ts.
No matter how much you justify ghosting, it’s likely to be seen as an unprofessional reputation-killer you may never recover from. Here are some situations in which you might be tempted to ghost and what to do instead.
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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BeiGene’s Brukinsa becomes the first BTK inhibitor approved for follicular lymphoma, the most common type of low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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Despite its overall survival and disease progression benefits, the U.K.’s drug cost watchdog has declined to recommend AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Enhertu due to a lack of cost-effectiveness.
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Rybrevant has been approved for use with carboplatin and pemetrexed in the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with exon 20 insertion mutations in the EGFR gene.
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Retaining the full rights to Trodelvy, Gilead now has access to $210 million in financing from venture capital firm Abingworth to help push the antibody-drug conjugate into non-small cell lung cancer studies.
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At Thursday’s Oncology Innovation Day, Pfizer laid out its business strategy which includes building up its biologics business, specifically antibody-drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Research hasn’t shown that removing amyloid plaques alone improves function in Alzheimer’s patients, said Sharon L. Rogers, CEO of AmyriAD.
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The FDA issued a complete response letter Thursday refusing accelerated approval for Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s disease candidate donanemab.
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The neurodegenerative drug development space saw incremental victories in 2022. Leaders from Eisai, Voyager and QurAlis discuss upcoming milestones.
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The FDA approved Eisai and Biogen’s lecanemab (Leqembi) Friday afternoon. It is the second anti-amyloid antibody to be approved for Alzheimer’s disease in two years.
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A letter published Wednesday in the NEJM links a stroke patient’s death to lecanemab. Eisai investigators respond.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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While an adverse event reported in Intellia’s gene therapy trial was a “non-concern” for analysts, it follows a handful of patient deaths in other trials for the modality and sent the company’s stock tumbling in pre-market trading.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Lilly will use Rznomics’ proprietary ribozyme technology to develop RNA editing therapies for congenital hearing loss.