Stifel analysts were bullish on the data, which showed a 16.5% drop in body-mass index among patients with damage to the hypothalamus taking Rhythm Pharmaceuticals’ Imcivree.
GSK is paying to access ABL Bio’s Grabody-B platform, which potentially enables therapies to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Under Friday’s final ruling anti-obesity medications for weight-loss will remain ineligible for Medicare coverage.
Kennedy, a long-time opponent of vaccines, stated that the MMR vaccine is “the most effective way” to combat the measles outbreak, which has already claimed the lives of two children in the U.S.
Analysts at BMO Capital Markets said Centessa’s orexin receptor agonist has “best-in-class” potential for narcolepsy, putting the company in a strong position in the $15 billion market.
Health-focused nonprofits like the Drug Information Association (DIA) serve as crucial bridge-builders in the healthcare ecosystem during a time of uncertainty.
FEATURED STORIES
AbbVie launched a revamped version of its Allē loyalty program, which ultimately was not adopted by providers. The marketing misstep comes as the company’s aesthetics franchise faces broader pressures.
Several companies—including JCR Pharmaceuticals, Denali Therapeutics and Regenxbio—have products in the pipeline that could improve treatment options for this rare disease.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—Trump’s pick for HHS secretary who endured confirmation hearings last week—has repeatedly criticized industry ties to the FDA, particularly financial links between the two, which could indicate trouble for the user-fee model.
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, 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.
This week Lori, Greg and Tyler discuss drug pricing reforms. CMS sent offers to manufacturers of the 10 drugs that have been selected for Medicare price negotiations. What’s the best way forward that benefits patients while still supporting the innovation that makes these drugs possible? How will the election impact negotia
Lori, Greg and Tyler discuss last week’s call for a class-wide box warning on all commercial CAR T therapies, while investigations are ongoing into cases of secondary malignancies. How do we approach this balancing act of treatment and side effects?
Job Trends
ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GlaxoSmithKline plc, with Pfizer Inc. and Shionogi as shareholders, announced that Health Canada has granted approval for APRETUDE for pre-exposure prophylaxis to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection in at risk individuals who are HIV-1 negative.
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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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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. -
Genmab announced Wednesday it is buying ProfoundBio and its pipeline of next-generation antibody-drug conjugates being developed for gynecologic cancers and other solid tumors. -
Following a series of rejections and clinical failures, Eiger BioPharmaceuticals has declared bankruptcy and will sell all its assets as the company winds down operations.
WEIGHT LOSS
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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. -
The company is projecting that future growth will be driven by geographic and label expansions for its rare disease assets, as well as potential approvals in obesity.
POLICY
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The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan bill, which targets WuXi AppTec, WuXi Biologics and other Chinese biotech companies as potential national security risks. -
As Congress considers a bill that aims to distance U.S. biopharma from five Chinese companies, the industry must emphasize the importance of prioritizing patient care over power plays. -
Eli Lilly this week announced plans to sell single-dose vials of its weight loss drug Zepbound directly to consumers. Novo Nordisk could adopt a similar strategy for Wegovy as its CEO is set to testify Sept. 24 before the Senate health committee.
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Siding With Novo and Lilly, Court Agrees to First Tackle ‘Cross Cutting Issues’ in GLP-1 LitigationsIn agreeing with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, Pennsylvania judge Karen Spencer Marston said the court should first settle questions of gastroparesis diagnosis and sufficient warnings for side effects. -
The chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability wants the CEOs of CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx to fix statements they made in a hearing last month that contradicted the committee’s and Federal Trade Commission’s findings.
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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The pediatric patients, with a rare neurodegenerative disease, were treated with bluebird bio’s Skysona to slow the progression of neurologic dysfunction. Six patients developed myelodysplastic syndrome and one patient developed acute myeloid leukemia. -
After several high-profile failures, including BMS’ $1.5B breakup with Agenus, anti-TIGIT therapies are generating cautious optimism. -
Opdivo’s approval for patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer comes as the regulator recently raised concerns of overtreatment with this type of therapeutic regimen with platinum-doublet chemotherapy. -
The acquisition was featured Monday in Roche’s Pharma Day presentation, which also included projections of more than $3 billion in annual sales from three early-stage obesity and diabetes drugs. -
Six months after treatment with the radiopharmaceutical therapy, 77.8% of patients with meningioma were alive and had not experienced further disease progression, beating the 26% benchmark established in earlier studies.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Cognitive function in the liraglutide cohort declined 18% slower than in the placebo arm over one year of treatment, researchers announced Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. -
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use found that Leqembi’s benefits do not outweigh the risks of severe side effects associated with the treatment. -
Biogen and Sage Therapeutics’ investigational neuroactive steroid did not significantly improve upper limb tremors in patients with essential tremor, the companies announced Wednesday. -
While supportive of Amylyx’s acquisition of a GLP-1 drug, analysts say the company’s future hinges on key upcoming readouts from multiple products in its pipeline. -
While type 2 diabetes and obesity are the primary conditions currently treated with blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly aim to enter additional markets.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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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. -
An autologous and personalized regulatory T cell therapy is safe in patients with type 1 diabetes, but does not help preserve β-cell function. -
Launched in 2021, the public-private consortium on Wednesday updated ASGCT attendees on its efforts to bring adeno-associated virus gene therapies to more rare disease patients. -
We are in an unprecedented time in neurotherapeutics. Medicines that address the causative disease biology underlying central nervous system -
In a fireside chat at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy conference, CBER Director Peter Marks spoke with Takeda’s Kristin Van Goor about how the regulator is approaching the exploding gene therapy space.
