Novo Nordisk has brought on other cardiometabolic collaborators this year, including United Laboratories International and Deep Apple Therapeutics.
The CDC director—the first to be confirmed by the Senate under new legislation—has been ousted after less than a month following internal unrest regarding new, more restrictive approvals for updated COVID-19 vaccines, according to multiple sources.
Looking for a biopharma job in San Francisco or South San Francisco? Check out the BioSpace list of eight companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
In this webinar, we’ll explore how the Truveta Language Model (TLM)—a multi-modal AI model trained on EHR data—unlocks insights from clinical notes at scale. Watch now.
Massachusetts biopharma workforce growth was fairly flat last year, and R&D and manufacturing employment declined, according to a new MassBio report. BioSpace data further highlight challenges facing the state, showing roughly 2,300 people out of work in 2025 and jobs live on the website falling.
Scott Gottlieb, who served as FDA commissioner during the first Trump administration, wrote in a JAMA editorial that China is speeding drugs to market and could potentially surpass the U.S. in the innovation game.
FEATURED STORIES
These five upcoming data drops could usher in more effective and convenient therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and open up novel pathways of action to treat the memory-robbing illness.
Second-quarter earnings come amid many high-level challenges for the biopharma industry. How will these five closely watched biotechs fare?
ADARx Pharmaceuticals CEO Zhen Li found her way to biopharma through Merck, where she was inspired by the application of powerful science to human medicine.
When talking to some of the most impressive women in biopharma, the conversation inevitably turned to what these women wanted other entrepreneurs to know. Here’s the best of the best of that advice.
Sarepta Therapeutics’ stock has dropped precipitously as questions swirl around the safety of its gene therapies. Meanwhile, the Duchenne patient community fears losing access to Elevidys while the regulator considers more drastic action.
What will Boston Pharmaceuticals CEO Sophie Kornowski do now that the company is selling off its pipeline and winding down operations? Whatever it is, data will take her there.
LATEST PODCASTS
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 this episode of Denatured, presented by IQVIA, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses how AI transformation can help organizations navigate a rapidly evolving regulatory environment with senior director of regulatory innovation and technology, Michelle Gyzen.
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.
Job Trends
Eisai’s cuts will affect 121 employees across the Japanese company’s U.S. operations, including 57 people at its American headquarters in Nutley, New Jersey. A company spokesperson said the pharma remains fully committed to the U.S. market.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
BioSpace did a deep dive into biopharma female executives who navigated difficult markets to lead their companies to high-value exits.
BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the second quarter of 2025, with increased pressure from further layoffs.
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.
DEALS
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A new report from Pitchbook suggests we’re in for a period of more sustainable investing, with VC firms continuing to create and invest in companies, just more carefully. -
The cancer conference overwhelms the senses and shows off the might of the pharmaceutical industry. -
Blueprint has a next-generation systemic mastocytosis treatment, called elenestinib, that Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson told analysts provides an “opportunity to grow through the ‘30s.” -
Bristol Myers Squibb is dropping at least $3.5 billion to jointly develop the bispecific antibody, which will race with Summit Therapeutics, Merck and Pfizer in the crowded PD-1/PD-L1xVEGF space. -
AstraZeneca has put hundreds of millions of dollars into AI deals, with an eye toward not just accelerating the development of drugs that treat cancer after it appears but also in creating diagnostics that can catch cancer earlier than current methods allow.
WEIGHT LOSS
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While Eli Lilly brushed off concerns about gastrointestinal side effects for oral weight loss candidate orforglipron, analysts from William Blair worried that adverse events are not tapering off as expected. -
After consistently failing to meet investor expectations, Novo Nordisk touted a safety profile for CagriSema in line with the GLP1-RA class, while reporting mid-stage data for its GLP1- and amylin-targeting drug amycretin that raised dosing questions. -
Analysts at William Blair say dapiglutide’s 11.6% weight reduction at 28 weeks could still be better, given that Zealand’s study predominantly included men and enrolled patients with lower BMI at baseline. -
In combination with Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, marketed as Zepbound for obesity, Scholar Rock’s monolonal antibody helped patients lose the same amount of weight as patients on tirzepatide alone while preserving more muscle mass. -
Another patient has died from acute liver failure after receiving Sarepta’s gene therapy for DMD ; After a quiet start to the year, M&A is back with one deal for a gene editing biotech reinvigorating that sector; and RFK Jr. installs a suite of new vaccine board members who share his skeptical views on vaccines.
POLICY
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President Donald Trump plans to start with a “small tariff” on pharmaceutical imports before ramping duties up to 250% within a year and a half. -
The Department of Health and Human Services is terminating around $500 million in BARDA contracts associated with mRNA vaccine development, a move that will affect several pharma companies, including Moderna, Pfizer, Sanofi and AstraZeneca. -
The regulatory environment is placing extreme pricing pressure on pharmaceutical manufacturers. Their success in the market depends on mounting an agile response. -
Albert Bourla confirmed that he called President Donald Trump after receiving a letter asking Pfizer and a clutch of other pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices or face consequences. -
Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services scrapped a previous proposal, from the Biden administration, to include anti-obesity medications in Medicare Part D coverage.
Plus, learn about what to expect in initial interviews and how to time your post-Ph.D. job search for maximum success.
Having difficult conversations with the right mindset can build trust and further develop your relationship with your team.
Getting caught between younger team members and older bosses can be stressful for millennial managers. A leadership expert and millennial manager share tips for bridging the gap between these groups.
For reasons including downsizing, avoiding retirement and a tight labor market, senior-level biopharma professionals are increasingly turning to fractional roles, according to two recruitment experts.
Massachusetts’ biopharma jobs increased 2.6% in 2023, according to the MassBio Industry Snapshot. Whether the state’s jobs grow in 2024 remains to be seen based on this year’s layoffs and seemingly slowed hiring based on BioSpace data.
The federal judge’s decision Tuesday said the Federal Trade Commission exceeded its statutory authority in implementing a final rule aimed at restricting noncompete clauses.
HOTBEDS
REPORTS
BioSpace surveyed our community to gain their insights and perspectives on work, their employers, and to understand who makes up the life science community.
How does being Black affect the workplace experience as a life sciences professional? BioSpace surveyed our community to gain a greater understanding of Black employees’ feelings of inclusion and their perspectives on employer DEI initiatives.
Over the last two decades, women have achieved near equal levels of representation in life sciences - though there are distinct gaps in leadership and pay equity. The experience of women also differs vastly depending on age, race, and other factors.
CANCER
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In this episode presented by Eclipsebio, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses mRNA and srRNA with Andy Geall of Replicate Bioscience and Alliance for mRNA Medicines, and Pad Chivukula of Arcturus Therapeutics. -
The deal, which involves a $700 million upfront payment, gives AbbVie access to ISB 2001, a clinical-stage first-in-class trispecific antibody currently being tested for certain kinds of multiple myeloma as well as autoimmune indications. -
The deal marks an end for CAR T company Cargo Therapeutics, which has been slashing its workforce and cutting programs since the January decision to halt its lead candidate for a certain type of aggressive large B cell lymphoma. -
TIGIT-targeting therapies have largely disappointed in recent months, with failed studies, terminated partnerships and shuttered businesses. Here are five biopharma players staying alive with differentiated candidates against the once promising immuno-oncology target. -
While it trails Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli, Regeneron still hopes Lynozyfic can differentiate in terms of dosing convenience and efficacy.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Around 3,500 FDA employees received termination emails; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary suggests lowering industry user fees and tying review times to drug prices; the regulator opens its trove of complete response letters in the name of transparency; and two companies receive rejections for rare disease therapies.
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More than thirty years since its 1993 founding, Catherine Owen Adams and Elizabeth Thompson—the R&D combo that has led Acadia since last year—are managing two products on the market and a pipeline estimated to be worth an additional $12 billion in sales. -
Takeda’s oveporexton improved wakefulness, attention and other key narcolepsy endpoints “with a high degree of statistical significance,” according to Jefferies analysts. -
The development saga for the depression molecule has been rocky for years, unable to ease symptoms in multiple late-stage trials. -
Market reaction to recent readouts from Compass Pathways and Beckley Psytech/atai in treatment-resistant depression speaks to the hurdles psychedelic therapies must clear to quell concerns about commercial viability.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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While BMO Capital Markets said that zimislecel is “highly encouraging” for type 1 diabetes, questions regarding its target population and Vertex’s execution hang over the cell therapy’s commercial potential. -
The well-respected director of the FDA’s cell and gene therapy office was seen as a stabilizing and trustworthy voice inside the quickly reshaping FDA, especially since the late-March exit of CBER Director Peter Marks. -
The pending deal was rumored overnight after a report from the Financial Times, spurring analysts to speculate that if true, the entire gene editing space would see a boost at the markets. -
Analysts at Truist Securities called J&J’s CAR T readout “compelling,” noting that the efficacy figures could position the cell therapy as a formidable competitor to the current standard of care, Gilead’s Yescarta. -
Sarepta’s shares crashed 41% in premarket trading Monday morning to $21.01 after the biotech reported a second death from acute liver failure, a known side effect of adeno-associated virus-based gene therapies.
