The biotech’s Huntingtin-targeting molecule lowered blood levels of the protein and elicited functional improvements in earlier-stage patients, but results were not as robust in other biomarkers or with patients at later stages of the disease.
Patritumab deruxtecan was unable to significantly improve overall survival in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR mutations.
iTeos expects to absorb nearly $25 million in one-time costs for severance and termination payments. The biotech had 173 full-time employees at the end of 2024.
In a letter to the Department of Commerce, Novo Nordisk argued that unsanctioned compounded semaglutide, mostly from China, constitutes a national security threat to the U.S.
The canceled contract comes as Moderna nears a critical FDA decision for its next-generation COVID-19 vaccine.
Nearly a third of employed and almost half of unemployed BioSpace survey respondents are seriously considering leaving the U.S. to find biotech and pharma jobs. Concerns about how the political climate is affecting biopharma are a key driver for many.
Leerink Partners previews the drugs likely to be subject to the Inflation Reduction Act’s next price negotiations as the program expands to Medicare Part B and smaller biotechs.
FEATURED STORIES
Bispecific antibodies and anti-TIGIT therapies both appear to be writing comeback stories as cancer experts head to Barcelona for the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress. Radioligand therapies and synthetic lethality assets are also attracting attention.
Roche’s fenebrutinib this week scored a mid-stage win in relapsing multiple sclerosis, while Sanofi’s tolebrutinib met the primary endpoint in a Phase III trial for progressive MS but flopped in two late-stage relapsing MS studies.
BioMarin executives sought to calm an anxious investor base Wednesday with a public address and pledge to achieve a nearly 50% bump in annual revenue by 2027. But analysts were left wanting.
Big Pharma has finally gotten its arms around something advocates have wanted for a long time: direct-to-consumer sales. Eli Lilly and Pfizer are leading the way.
The intellectual property landscape for newer gene-editing technologies, like that for CRISPR-Cas9, remains unclear and hard to navigate.
Analysts expect the companies’ Vabysmo and Eylea HD to generate a combined $13.2 billion by 2030 in the vascular endothelial growth A therapy market, as healthcare providers and patients switch from older products.
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode presented by IQVIA, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the concerns and opportunities of patient data driving AI tasks with Louise Molloy, associate director medical information and pharmacovigilance.
Sarepta’s Elevidys is back on the market for ambulatory patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly plans to dissolve the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and “fix” the vaccine injury compensation program, Merck, AstraZeneca and more report Q2 earnings, Novo names a new leader and Roche’s trontinemab impresses at AAIC25.
Sarepta Therapeutics faces serious FDA action after news broke of a third patient death, the FDA gets a new top drug regulator in George Tidmarsh, a handful of new drugs get turned away from the market and pharma companies continue to commit billions to reshoring manufacturing.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
BioSpace did a deep dive into executive pay, examining the highest compensation packages, pay ratios and golden parachutes—what a CEO would get paid to leave.
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.
DEALS
  1. The investment arm of the Novo Nordisk Foundation is acquiring contract development and manufacturing organization Catalent to help meet high demand for Ozempic and Wegovy.
  2. Alto Neuroscience and Fractyl Health provided further momentum to the recent spate of biotech initial public offerings, with both companies going public on Friday morning in respective $128 million and $110 million IPOs.
  3. Kyverna Therapeutics, the fifth biotech with plans for an initial public offering this year, will use the proceeds to support the development of its anti-CD19 CAR-T therapies for autoimmune diseases.
  4. On the heels of ArriVent and CG Oncology’s upsized IPOs last week, Alto Neuroscience and Fractyl Health on Monday announced their respective plans to go public.
  5. Late Thursday, ArriVent Biopharma announced its upsized initial public offering to support the development of its EGFR inhibitor furmonertinib, following CG Oncology going public earlier in the day.
WEIGHT LOSS
  1. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the Senate health committee, has proposed issuing a subpoena to Novo Nordisk President Doug Langa forcing him to testify regarding the company’s pricing for Wegovy and Ozempic.
  2. Seeking to carve out its own niche in the obesity space, Syntis Bio launched on Tuesday to develop an oral weight-loss treatment that mimics the effects of gastric bypass surgery.
  3. More patients are having to pay out-of-pocket for Eli Lilly’s weight-loss medication Zepbound than they did for type 2 diabetes drug Mounjaro, according to Lilly USA President Patrik Jonsson.
  4. Structure Therapeutics is offering over nine million shares on the heels of mid-stage data for its oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, which showed weight loss of 6.2% in overweight or obese patients.
  5. Novo Nordisk will face strong generic competition from at least 15 companies in China for its blockbuster GLP-1 receptor agonist products Wegovy and Ozempic, according to Reuters.
POLICY
  1. Ahead of a Senate health committee hearing next week with Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jørgensen, Sen. Bernie Sanders claims he has secured assurances from generics developers that they will charge a significantly lower monthly price than the $969 Americans currently pay for the Danish drugmaker’s diabetes blockbuster.
  2. If Johnson & Johnson refuses to scrap its proposed changes to the 340B drug pricing for hospitals, it risks the termination of participation in the program and monetary fines, the Health Resources and Services Administration warned.
  3. It’s time for Congress to step up and fund America’s supply chain independence from Chinese companies by bolstering our domestic manufacturing capabilities.
  4. Healthcare players are pointing fingers amid regulatory crackdowns on pharmacy benefit managers, but proposed reforms wouldn’t address a dearth of competition in the larger market.
  5. A recent study estimated that Wegovy’s label expansion beyond obesity could push Medicare spending to $145 billion annually, but analysts remain dubious of the estimate.
CAREER HUB
For young people looking to find a career path, the pharmaceutical industry is a good one to go into, especially if salary is a major concern.
Some semblance of a work-life balance is already a challenge to maintain, but doing so when you’re working and living in the same space takes effort and one (or more!) of these strategies.
While you’ve likely answered many of these before, it never hurts to brush up on solid answers and think of new or recent anecdotes to illustrate your point.
How productive are you on a daily basis? The truth is, you probably don’t get as much done as you possibly can due to distractions. But, these productivity methods can help you for sure.
If you’re contemplating changing careers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality is that if it’s time to make a change, there’s no time like the present.
Oh, the world of professional email communication. It can be hard to navigate with various expectations across industries, age groups and cultures.
While there are all kinds of advice out there, here are a few things NOT to do in your next interview. Make sure to avoid these interview mistakes at all costs.
HOTBEDS
Where are the Best Places to Work in life sciences? BioSpace’s annual Best Places to Work list demonstrates a company’s desirability in the recruitment marketplace - find out who made the list this year.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
After issues with a batch of Jasper Therapeutics’ investigational antibody led to “lower” therapeutic effects in several patients, analysts at BMO Capital Markets said they “believe investors won’t feel comfortable coming back to the story.”
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
  1. FDA
    The FDA has six target action dates ahead to round out September as drugs for gastroparesis, Niemann-Pick disease type C and more await decisions.
  2. Tecentriq Hybreza, which combines Roche’s Tecentriq with Halozyme Therapeutics’ Enhanze drug delivery technology, is being touted as the first and only subcutaneous anti-PD-(L)1 cancer immunotherapy.
  3. In an effort to build its commercial capacity, Moderna on Thursday announced it is lowering research and development spending, while pushing back its target for breaking even by two years to 2028.
  4. BioMarin’s new business strategy leaves investors with questions; Lykos CEO steps down; Terns releases compelling data on oral weight loss candidate; and more.
  5. Despite the disappointing late-stage results in non-small cell lung cancer, Jefferies analyst Stephen Barker contends the likelihood of FDA approval “remains high” for the experimental antibody-drug conjugate, though the regulator is now more likely to convene an advisory committee.
NEUROSCIENCE
  1. In advance of an advisory committee meeting on Monday, the FDA’s internal reviewers have raised issues regarding Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s disease candidate donanemab, flagging problems with its study design and safety outcomes.
  2. In this deep dive BioSpace analyzes the neuropsychedelic therapeutics pipeline, which grabbed headlines in February when the FDA accepted the New Drug Application for Lykos Therapeutics’ MDMA capsules for PTSD.
  3. While more programs now involve candidates with different targets, experts say anti-amyloid therapies will remain a primary player in treating the memory-robbing disease.
  4. FDA
    In the next two weeks, the FDA is scheduled to decide on four drug applications and hold two highly anticipated advisory committee meetings.
  5. Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday reported late-stage trial data showing its first-in-class orexin receptor antagonist reduced major depressive disorder symptoms as an adjunctive treatment in patients with insomnia.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
  1. From gene-corrected cell therapies to a new CAR-T, the cell and gene therapy space looks to expand its reach into the market.
  2. Cullinan Oncology, now renamed Cullinan Therapeutics, is riding the growing wave of interest in autoimmune disorders by refocusing its bispecific T cell-engager CLN-978 for systemic lupus erythematosus.
  3. Roche’s Genentech subsidiary is terminating for undisclosed reasons its 2021 contract with Adaptimmune for the development of allogeneic T-cell therapeutics.
  4. Investors were disappointed in data from a mid-stage study of Enlivex Therapeutics’ Allocetra cell therapy for the treatment of sepsis. The Israeli company is considering a follow-on trial in sepsis caused by urinary tract infection.
  5. FDA
    The approvals, third line for BMS and 2seventy Bio’s Abecma and second line for J&J and Legend Biotech’s Carvykti, represent a new class of therapy for these blood cancer patients.