In this bonus episode, BioSpace’s vice president of marketing Chantal Dresner and careers editor Angela Gabriel take a look at Q1 job market performance, layoffs and administration decisions impacting the workforce.
In the company’s first-quarter earnings call Tuesday, J&J CEO Joaquin Duato said there’s a better way to encourage drug manufacturing in the U.S. than President Donald Trump’s threatened pharma tariffs.
Merck has not disclosed which of its peptide therapies it plans to develop oral formulations for.
J&J opened Q1 2025 pharma earnings Tuesday, reporting sales of $21.9 billion and diluted earnings per share of $4.54. The medicines unit provided $13.9 billion while the medtech unit generated the remaining $8 billion.
According to analysts at BMO Capital Markets, non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy would have meant a $1.3 billion label expansion opportunity for Camzyos.
At the heart of the licensing deal is CUE-501, a bispecific molecule that can selectively deplete B cells to address autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.
FEATURED STORIES
Compounding pharmacies aren’t the only makers of off-brand versions of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound. The situation is causing the FDA regulatory headaches and, more seriously, posing potential risks to the public.
BioSpace Senior Editor Annalee Armstrong headed to the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference with a months-long story idea brewing. Unfortunately, it was one she’s written before.
Of the 102 company launches or series A financings since October 2023, just nine had a woman at the helm, according to a BioSpace analysis. This is happening in an era of biotech where new company founders are searching for CEOs with a track record.
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
This week Lori, Greg and Tyler discuss AbbVie: how longtime CEO Richard Gonzalez navigated Humira’s LOE, his victorious retirement announcement, and the future of biosimilars.
This week Lori, Greg and Tyler discuss the Accelerated Approval of Amtagvi, the first one-time cell therapy for solid tumors and the first TIL therapy; the FTC and HHS probe into generic drug shortages and some recent ADC-focused raises from ProfoundBio and Firefly Bio.
This week, Greg, Heather and Tyler discuss reaction to Novo Nordisk’s purchase of Catalent and speculate on what that means for existing manufacturing contracts, customers and consequences with regulators.
Job Trends
AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals today announced a collaboration and option-to-license agreement to develop next-generation therapies for psychiatric disorders.
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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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AbbVie’s $10.1 billion takeover of ImmunoGen paces the cancer sector in early 2024, as ADCs and radiopharmaceuticals remain hot. -
As the antibody-drug conjugate space continues to heat up, Merck has acquired preclinical startup Abceutics—spun out of the University at Buffalo—and its novel platform that aims to make ADC therapeutics safer. -
The FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division will have another 30 days to examine Novo Nordisk Foundation’s acquisition of contract manufacturer Catalent, according to an SEC filing. -
Contineum Therapeutics priced its initial public offering Friday, scaling back its expectations for gross proceeds of $110 million for clinical trials of a challenger to Boehringer Ingelheim and Roche. -
Acorda Therapeutics becomes the latest biotechnology company in 2024 to go bankrupt and shutter its business, following years of financial difficulty. Merz Therapeutics will acquire two commercial medicines from Acorda for $185 million.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Hundreds of companies are currently running clinical trials in the increasingly lucrative obesity space. BioSpace looks at five candidates with data expected before the end of the year. -
This week, Q2 earnings from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly revealed that the competition between the pharma giants’ weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound is getting closer. -
Eli Lilly comfortably cleared analyst estimates in the second quarter after improving supply of its blockbuster tirzepatide brands Mounjaro and Zepbound, which together generated more than $4 billion in sales. -
Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide brands Ozempic and Wegovy fell short of analyst expectations in the second quarter, mainly held back by supply headwinds. The company’s shares dropped more than 7% in Wednesday morning trading. -
A day after Eli Lilly’s obesity and weight-loss therapies were removed from the regulator’s database, Novo Nordisk also made strides in boosting the supply of all but one of semaglutide’s shortages.
POLICY
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Many Big Pharma companies including Pfizer, Merck and BMS make the drugs that some researchers expect to be selected by CMS for next year’s Medicare price negotiations alongside analysts’ top pick, Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic. -
Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster type 2 diabetes medication is a sure bet for the list of the next 15 drugs whose Medicare prices will be negotiated in 2025 and go into effect in 2027, according to analysts and academics. -
A senior senator has asked the CEOs of both companies to provide information about the limits they are putting on 340B drug pricing for hospitals. -
Regeneron’s lawsuit, filed earlier this year, alleged more than 30 counts of patent infringement against Amgen and its biosimilar to the blockbuster eye therapy Eylea. -
As technology continues to evolve, companies should have strategies that incorporate an understand of where they are now, where they want to be, and do they have the talent to get there.
Working from home can cause burnout and stress. The stress caused leads to low performance sometimes. Here are nine ways to prevent work from home burnout.
It’s no secret that employers ask tricky interview questions. But what do you do if you find yourself fumbling for words to answer these tricky questions?
Following up after an interview can be essential to help you gain peace of mind and reinforce your interest. Here’s how to improve follow up after interview.
Instead of letting LinkedIn slide to the bottom of your to-do list day after day, dedicate some time to it. Here’s what you need to add to your LinkedIn post.
Deciding on when to switch your job can be a difficult decision to make.
The pharmaceutical industry is full of job opportunities for people in various fields. Read on to find out more information about high-paying pharma industry jobs.
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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Sales of Johnson & Johnson’s oncology drugs jumped nearly 19% in the third quarter, driven by cancer treatment Darzalex which brought in more than $3 billion. -
The FDA is looking at four events for the remainder of October, one of which is an advisory committee meeting for a dual SGLT inhibitor for use alongside insulin in type 1 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. -
As companies roll out data showing the power and improved safety profile of antibodies that target two antigens, analysts say the class could overtake monoclonal antibody Keytruda as the “immunotherapy backbone” of solid tumor treatment. -
Since its inception in 1992, the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway has helped shepherd nearly 300 new drugs to the market. However, recent years have seen a number of high-profile market withdrawals and failed confirmatory trials. -
With the regulatory approval for advanced breast cancer, Roche’s inavolisib is a potential challenger to Novartis’ PI3K inhibitor Piqray, which last year generated $505 million in revenue.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Experts say the time is now to develop and provide widespread access to genetic medicines for the rarest diseases. What’s more, they say it is a moral imperative. -
Sangamo Therapeutics announced Tuesday it secured an exclusive licensing agreement with Roche’s Genentech, which is paying $50 million in near-term upfront fees and milestone payments to develop novel genomic medicines for neurodegenerative diseases. -
Longeveron and Lexeo Therapeutics are working on CGT therapies to treat Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s not clear whether they have a better chance of success than traditional approaches. -
Active immune therapies hold promise for preventing or slowing disease onset, but some experts warn of potential safety risks. -
Eisai presented a plethora of data on the drug at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, including a study showing the consequences of pausing treatment.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Belgian biotech Galapagos is teaming with Blood Centers of America to help deploy its decentralized CAR-T therapy manufacturing platform closer to treatment centers across the U.S. -
Following back-to-back approvals in lymphocytic leukemia, Bristol Myers Squibb’s CAR-T therapy Breyanzi on Wednesday won the FDA’s green light for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. -
While these technologies are now a therapeutic reality, the ASGCT 2024 annual meeting this week was a reminder of just how far we are from widespread use. -
With 15 patients started across its three gene therapies, bluebird bio claims a 138% year-over-year revenue growth and aims to initiate up to around 100 new patients in the current year. -
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.
