The British pharmaceutical giant is working with the U.K. Dementia Research Institute to exploit a “natural randomization” experiment to determine whether 65- and 66-year-olds who received GSK’s shingles vaccine Shingrix have reduced dementia risk.
Jefferies analysts predict Annexon’s tanruprubart could be approved by mid-2026.
Leerink analysts noted, however, that Uplizna’s slow onset of therapeutic efficacy compares unfavorably to would-be competitors in generalized myasthenia gravis.
The Fourth Circuit’s ruling follows a Supreme Court verdict that also allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its mass layoffs at federal agencies.
Known as the home of big-name companies including Johnson & Johnson, New Jersey has become a destination for more and more small and midsize life sciences businesses. Choose New Jersey, Grace Therapeutics and Onyx Equities executives discuss the state’s life sciences scene.
Analysts suggested that the tariffs will have little effect on reshoring manufacturing and will likely decrease patient drug access and increase costs.
The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology recommends at least a $15 billion investment into biotech over the next five years.
FEATURED STORIES
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.
At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the Biotech CEO Sisterhood assembled in Union Square to showcase the large group of women and allies in biopharma as their authentic selves.
Faced with the encroaching threats of patent expirations and generics, biopharma companies in 2024 invested 33% more in licensing deals, on average, than in 2023 with an eye toward enriching their pipelines with novel and potentially more effective therapies.
LATEST PODCASTS
These days you can hardly move without figuratively bumping into ⁠antibody-drug conjugates⁠ (ADCs). This week we discuss ⁠Pfizer’s strategic priorities⁠ for oncology - focused on ADCs and less on small molecules - and how the market is being influenced by the IRA.
This episode explores the drug pricing gap between consumer experience and industry norms. Join Lori and our KOLs as we explore the drivers of healthcare costs, the CBO, rebates, and overall spend in this new series.
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.
Job Trends
Amgen will host a webcasted call for the investment community at 1:00 p.m. PT on Monday, May 20, 2024 following the presentation of new data from TEZSPIRE® in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 19 and 20, 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
  1. CEO Hervé Hoppenot said Tuesday on an investor call that Escient Pharmaceuticals’ two lead assets “address large populations with a clear medical need” with a potential multibillion-dollar market opportunity.
  2. Novartis on Thursday announced that it is making $150 million in upfront payments to protein degradation biotech Arvinas, while separately revealing that its tender offer for MorphoSys has begun.
  3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday announced it is acquiring clinical-stage immunotherapy company Alpine Immune Sciences for $4.9 billion in cash, the largest acquisition so far this year.
  4. AbbVie’s $10.1 billion takeover of ImmunoGen paces the cancer sector in early 2024, as ADCs and radiopharmaceuticals remain hot.
  5. 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.
WEIGHT LOSS
  1. Experts say Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 drugs are unlikely to reach more countries in the near term, but Sanofi’s diabetes treatment has gained ground globally.
  2. Eli Lilly released topline Phase III data on Tuesday showing that after more than three years of follow-up, pre-diabetic patients treated with tirzepatide were less likely to progress to type 2 diabetes.
  3. Eli Lilly’s new research and development facility in Boston’s Seaport district will focus on DNA- and RNA-based therapies, as well as other priority areas such as diabetes and obesity.
  4. Rivus Pharmaceuticals will push HU6 into Phase III development and is looking to engage with regulatory authorities and launch a late-stage study next year in obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
  5. Lykos Therapeutics will ask the FDA to reconsider its rejection of the company’s MDMA-assisted PTSD therapy, Pfizer scores positive Phase III results for its RSV vaccine, a roundup of Q2 earnings season and more.
POLICY
  1. A lawsuit filed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which claims the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program is unconstitutional, now goes back to a lower Texas court.
  2. IRA
    While unlikely to pass this year, given the Democrats’ control over the White House and Senate, the proposed legislation might be a harbinger of the Republicans’ agenda next year for the Inflation Reduction Act should they win the November elections.
  3. In the battle over drug prices, one sector of the healthcare industry has risen above all the players as the boogeyman: pharmacy benefit managers. In this special edition of BioPharm Executive, BioSpace takes a deep dive into the lens now focused on PBMs’ business practices.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
CAREER HUB
While it’s only a few hundred words, writing a good follow-up email accomplishes a few important things. Here’s how you can write an impressive interview follow up email.
Learn the best tips, tricks, and practices to help yourself to get the first job after college life sciences industry right out of college in our comprehensive guide.
Discover the most in-demand pharma qualifications and how to use them to score your dream job in our comprehensive guide.
Instead of going through pharma job search websites, you should create a powerful LinkedIn profile. Check out Biospace to find out the benefits of having a strong LinkedIn Profile.
Despite the massive financing from venture capitalists that poured into Massachusetts in 2021, Bay State biopharma companies are struggling to find enough talent to fill the number of available jobs.
The use of body language during interview can ensure a good impression. Kinesics includes the use of posture, facial expression, movement, and gestures to communicate nonverbally.
With more and more people applying for remote positions, how can you stand out among the massive stacks of applications?
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
When it comes to vaccination, the COVID-19 pandemic divided American society. President Donald Trump and his new Health and Human Services secretary are bringing down the hammer. What happens when there is no middle ground?
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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. FDA
    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.
  5. 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
  1. 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.
  2. Active immune therapies hold promise for preventing or slowing disease onset, but some experts warn of potential safety risks.
  3. 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.
  4. Second-quarter earnings season continues with Big Pharma beating Wall Street expectations, the author of an encrypted email sent to BioSpace has a proposal for Moderna and Merck, Roche and Viking seek quicker entry to the obesity market, and AAIC is in full swing.
  5. Sangamo and Pfizer’s hemophilia A gene therapy candidate scored a Phase III victory last week. However, with the genomic medicine company soon to run out of cash, Sangamo’s short-term prospects look bleak but not unsalvageable, analysts say.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
  1. While NK cell therapies can potentially avoid the serious side effects sometimes seen with CAR T cell therapies, experts say durability may stall their path to the market.
  2. BioSpace’s Lori Ellis discusses the risks and challenges of cell and gene therapy combination products with DIA speakers James Wabby, AbbVie and Rob Schulz, Suttons Creek, Inc.
  3. 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.
  4. FDA
    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.
  5. 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.