In its Q2 earnings call Thursday, Novartis said it is moving quickly to reshore its drug manufacturing operations, but CEO Vas Narasimhan told reporters that for most medicines, it typically takes three to four years to completely relocate production.
Six weeks after HHS Secretary RFK Jr. cited unexplained conflicts of interest in dismissing all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, Democrats are asking for details.
While some analysts forecast the tariffs could mean billions in additional industry expenditure, others expect the overall impact to be “manageable.”
In a post on X, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. alleged that the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has “devolved into a morass of inefficiency, favoritism, and outright corruption.”
BMS is spinning out a new company with five immunology assets, including oral drugs being developed for systemic lupus erythematosus and plaque psoriasis, and $300 million in funds from Bain Capital.
The swift FDA action removes an overhang from Sarepta and allows Elevidys to return to the market without another safety study, as had been feared, Jefferies analysts said Monday.
In a Phase Ib/IIa trial, 91% of patients receiving the highest dose of trontinemab were amyloid negative after seven months of treatment, representing what B. Riley Securities called a “paradigm shift” to first-generation FDA-approved antibodies.
FEATURED STORIES
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are in a global battle for dominance in the weight loss space. BioSpace takes a look at the territory covered and what’s to come.
With crucial lessons learned from the manufacturing shortages of injectable GLP-1s, experts say securing adequate supply of the upcoming oral options will be the sector’s next great challenge.
AbbVie’s Humira was the top-selling drug in the world for many years. Now, its sales are eroding as doctors switch to biosimilars and new options enter the market.
Biosimilars are essential healthcare equalizers, but their regulation is overly complicated due to lobbying by makers of branded biologics looking to maintain blockbuster revenue.
It’s early days for xenotransplantation, but eGenesis, Eledon, United Therapeutics and more are working to develop solutions to make this approach a viable option and help ease the organ shortage crisis.
Since 2016, the FDA has approved three disease-modifying treatments for spinal muscular atrophy, with several companies—including Novartis, Scholar Rock and Biogen—progressing novel candidates through clinical trials.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
Establishing trust through thought leadership is no longer optional in today’s cautious biopharma market. Learn how strategic insights and targeted outreach can turn awareness into high-converting leads.
LATEST PODCASTS
A tale of two multi-billion schizophrenia deals, AstraZeneca touts strong sales while deflecting questions about an investigation into China exec, the Huntington’s pipeline builds momentum and layoffs continue with Sana Biotechnology and 23andMe.
In this episode of Denatured, BioSpace’s Head of Insights Lori and guests from Teva Pharmaceuticals and TOWER Capital discuss the opportunities, regulatory challenges and uncertainty surrounding AI.
In our anniversary episode, we discuss a rare earnings miss for Eli Lilly, a pivotal metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis victory for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, growing excitement about CAR Ts for autoimmune disease and the ongoing controversy over HeLa cells.
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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
  1. Blackstone and Bain Capital are said to be among the final bidders for the Japanese company’s Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, sources told Reuters Friday.
  2. By far, the largest acquisition of 2024 was Novo Holdings’ yet-to-be-closed buyout of manufacturer Catalent at $16.5 billion. Outside of that, the leading pharmaceutical companies kept to less than $5 billion per deal.
  3. The Muna partnership will give GSK access to Muna’s MiND-MAP platform, which it will apply to postmortem brain samples to identify potential therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease.
  4. One year after a potential $1.7 billion deal with Hansoh Pharma, GSK goes back to China to forge another alliance with DualityBio for another deal that could be worth up to $1 billion as it continues to build up its ADC portfolio.
  5. The Danish startup, whose lead candidate has parallels to Amgen’s MariTide, launches on the heels of Amgen’s Phase II data release for the drug last week.
WEIGHT LOSS
  1. Versant Ventures continues to invest in the increasingly competitive obesity space, this time launching Helicore with $65 million and a GIP-targeting asset intended to induce higher-quality weight loss.
  2. IPO
    The GLP-1 IPO arena has been heating up for the past two years and Metsera’s ask is one the largest in recent history.
  3. Patients taking Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy plus Veru’s enobosarm saw 71% lower lean mass loss than those who were taking Wegovy alone but investors await more data.
  4. The readout comes on the heels of CagriSema’s disappointing Phase III performance, where it missed Novo’s projection of 25% weight reduction.
  5. The San Diego–based company’s molecules avoid the well-trod GLP-1 pathway in favor of an alternate route in the gut.
POLICY
  1. 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.
  2. Yes, according to leading vaccine physician Paul Offit, who denounced the new placebo-controlled trial requirements for vaccines and sought greater clarity: “I don’t know what they’re talking about.”
  3. A new executive order from President Donald Trump aims to cut down the 5-to-10-year timeline to build new facilities while stepping up the rigor of inspections on foreign plants.
  4. Twenty attorneys general allege that the recent workforce reduction at the Department of Health and Human Services is unlawful and could have potentially irreversible consequences.
  5. As the Trump administration—including HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—plays fast and loose with scientific studies and facts, there may be a more sinister force at play: censorship.
CAREER HUB
Candice Richards, the Manager of Talent Acquisition at Kyowa Kirin North America, shed some light on what to expect from a pharma interview and how to effectively prepare.
Here are some tips to help you nail virtual interviews and networking events so you can be prepared for BioSpace’s Virtual Talent Connect on March 9.
Find out what it takes to become a successful pharma sales rep and discover helpful career advancement tips for pharmaceutical sales representatives.
A variation of rage quitting, rage applying is a method of job searching that occurs when someone applies for many new roles while still employed in their current position.
Some consider a candidate’s alma mater to be the most important factor in the hiring process. But how much does a life science candidate’s alma mater really matter? In short–it depends.
New York City employers who use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in hiring will soon be subject to new regulations requiring them to notify candidates when using the technology.
Now more than ever, there is ample opportunity for life science candidates with only a bachelor’s degree. Still, there are certain things these candidates should know to ensure their success.
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
The Annals of Internal Medicine ran a large-scale study in July, pointing to the lack of an association between childhood aluminum exposure through vaccination and chronic conditions. The Health Secretary, in an opinion piece earlier this month, called the paper a “ballyhooed study.”
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. Monday was a busy day for AstraZeneca, which also paid up to $1 billion to acquire Belgian biotech EsoBiotec and its cell therapy pipeline and technology.
  2. Japan-based Taiho Pharmaceutical has worked with Araris Biotech since 2023 developing antibody-drug conjugates for the oncology space.
  3. Pfizer was studying PF-07820435, an orally available agonist of the STING protein, for solid tumors.
  4. While Houston isn’t yet on the same level as major life sciences hubs, it has plenty to offer and room to grow, according to CNS Pharmaceuticals, RadioMedix and Greater Houston Partnership executives.
  5. Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech hope to hit blockbuster status for Carvykti this year.
NEUROSCIENCE
  1. The company, co-founded by Nobel Laureate Craig Mello, aims to push molecules for Huntington’s and a form of epilepsy into Phase I trials, with additional preclinical assets targeting Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
  2. Little information has emerged about osavampator, a potentially first-in-class drug, since its promising Phase II performance last spring.
  3. The monthly maintenance regimen, which offers a more convenient frequency than the initially approved treatment schedule for patients with Alzheimer’s, could help with Leqembi’s thus far disappointing uptake and sales.
  4. Vigil Neuroscience reported a strong safety profile and 50% sTREM2 reduction in an early-stage trial for VG-3927, potentially representing a new avenue for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
  5. In a good-news-bad-news week for Biogen, the company will cut an undisclosed number of employees, just as a higher dose of its Ionis-partnered therapy Spinraza for spinal muscular atrophy will be considered by the FDA and EMA.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
  1. In exchange for its investigational gene therapies, Regenxbio will receive $110 million upfront and up to $700 million in milestones. After hitting an all-time low of $6.95 at close of business yesterday, the stock surged on the news by nearly 20% before markets opened Tuesday.
  2. Sarepta Therapeutics’ Duchenne muscular dystrophy therapy Elevidys handily beat analysts’ expectations in the fourth quarter of 2024, reflecting the biotech’s “world-class” execution, according to BMO Capital Markets analysts.
  3. Benefiting from technological and conceptual groundwork and positive early data, gene therapies are advancing in the clinic for cardiovascular diseases including congestive heart failure, chronic refractory angina and cardiomyopathy.
  4. FDA
    Among the 55 novel drugs that crossed the regulatory finish line last year were notable new mechanisms of action, coming particularly in the oncology and neurosciences spaces.
  5. In this short teaser, BioSpace’s Head of Insights Lori Ellis talks to CBER Director Peter Marks and Tom Whitehead, Co-Founder of the Emily Whitehead Foundation about anticipated discussions at the upcoming GenScript Biotech Forum.