After the FDA rejection of Zurzuvae in one type of depression and the triple failure of neuro asset dalzanemdor, Sage was searching for a path forward at the end of December 2024. Biogen CEO Chris Viehbacher spied a possible deal, but the smaller company wasn’t interested.
Bioinformatics is on the rise, forecasted to grow by about $16 billion from 2024 to 2029 given its value to managing mass datasets critical to modern drug discovery and development. Two talent acquisition experts share how the field has evolved in the past few years and which skills are most in demand.
Novartis is falling farther behind AbbVie, which expanded its JAK inhibitor Rinvoq into giant cell arteritis in April.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed the expanded use of RSV vaccines for people 50 through 59 years old who are at risk of severe disease.
While it trails Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli, Regeneron still hopes Lynozyfic can differentiate in terms of dosing convenience and efficacy.
An open letter signed by more than 50 industry executives blasts a “fundamentally, fatally flawed” report that urges greater restrictions on the abortion pill.
FEATURED STORIES
BioSpace has been compiling a list of the most innovative and exciting biotechs for a decade. Here we take a look back at noteworthy companies from each of those lists.
While some analysts say Donald Trump is a wild card when it comes to drug pricing, many argue his presidency would be more positive for the industry overall, as Kamala Harris has her price-cutting sights squarely on Big Pharma.
As therapies for rare and neurological diseases earn accelerated approval, experts laud the program’s intent while remaining concerned about confirmatory trials and clinical efficacy, especially as products greenlit under this pathway are pulled from the market.
With Sarepta’s gene therapy Elevidys now available to a majority of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients, experts express cautious optimism while emphasizing the need for further data.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla is in a tough spot as activist investor Starboard Value continues to call for a change in the company’s leadership. However, analysts are supportive of the embattled executive.
The group of like-named companies that include Novo Holdings and Novo Nordisk—the two tied to a multibillion-dollar buyout of Catalent currently under FTC review—ultimately send proceeds to the Novo Nordisk Foundation, one of the world’s largest charitable foundations.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
Establishing trust through thought leadership is no longer optional in today’s cautious biopharma market. This webinar will show leaders how strategic insights and targeted outreach can turn awareness into high-converting leads. Watch now.
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This week we discuss ups and downs in the weight loss and ADC markets - including Altimmune, Pfizer setbacks, AbbVie’s ImmunoGen buy and more.
Job Trends
Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) today announced a contract with the Ministry of Health in Brazil to supply its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine as an integral part of Brazil’s 2024 national vaccination campaign against COVID-19.
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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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The neuroscience space saw a late push in merger and acquisition activity, while oncology start-ups reeled in the most venture capital funds. Industry leaders expect these trends to continue. -
Analysts say Novo Holdings made the right decision last week in scooping up the CDMO to increase manufacturing capacity for Novo Nordisk’s diabetes and weight-loss drugs. -
Gilead Sciences announced Monday it will purchase CymaBay Therapeutics and its investigational treatment seladelpar for primary biliary cholangitis, a type of liver disease that causes bile-duct damage. -
Shares of preclinical genetic medicines company Metagenomi tanked more than 30% on Friday afternoon in a disappointing debut for its initial public offering, bucking the trend of positive IPOs so far this year. -
Despite not having a single candidate in the clinical stage, the Moderna-backed biotech is offering 6.25 million shares for $15 apiece in an initial public offering. Shares are expected to begin trading Friday.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, which has previously been approved in China for diabetes, can now also be used for chronic weight management in the world’s second most populated country. -
With GLP-1 receptor agonists expected to dominate the weight loss market in the near term, several young companies are building on this mechanism, while others are taking a completely different approach. -
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.
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After nixing a twice-daily version of its oral GLP-1 agonist, Pfizer is hoping to break into the weight-loss space with a once-daily version, but experts question its outlook. -
Roche’s oral GLP-1 receptor agonist CT-996—obtained in the $2.7 billion acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics—reduced body weight by more than 6% at four weeks versus placebo in a Phase I trial.
POLICY
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AbbVie’s blockbuster Humira held 105 patents, shielding the anti-inflammatory drug from biosimilar competition for more than 20 years. Proposed reforms could help prevent companies from extending exclusivity with such patent thickets. -
Now that they’ve received the go-signal from both U.S. and EU anti-trust regulators, Novo Holdings and Catalent expect to wrap up their deal in the coming days. -
A week after dining with Trump and his team at Mar-a-Lago, leaders at Pfizer and Eli Lilly have publicly stated that they intend to collaborate with the incoming administration on key issues affecting the pharma industry. -
Former president and CEO of CytoDyn Nader Pourhassan along with Kazem Kazempour, former CEO of the CRO running CytoDyn’s trials, are awaiting sentencing but could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of securities and wire fraud and insider trading. -
The EPIC Act has been proposed with bipartisan and industry support to give small molecule drugs the same protection against price negotiation as biologics, but concerns over how to balance the federal budget could prevent a short-term fix to the IRA.
Depending on your master’s program of interest and your personal qualifications, you might need to take months (or years) to develop into the type of candidate that is admitted.
If you are certain that attending graduate school is the right move for you, it’s time to look into the specifics of various programs.
While continued learning opportunities are easy to access and many are quite affordable, the real question is, can you list these courses on your resume? And if you do so, what will recruiters in the biotech field think of them?
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.
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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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. -
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.
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The overall survival data from the late-stage trial will help Pfizer in its bid to expand the label for Talzenna and Xtandi, potentially covering all patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer regardless of biomarker status. -
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.
NEUROSCIENCE
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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. -
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.
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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.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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BioSpace will be in attendance at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy’s 27th annual meeting, along with thousands of others. Stay with us for updates throughout the week. -
Cell and gene therapy company Cellectis announced Monday it has completed a $140 million investment from AstraZeneca that extends the biotech’s cash runway into 2026. -
Jeffrey Chamberlain, president of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy, spoke with BioSpace about what we can expect to learn about in Baltimore this week.
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Adeno-associated viruses have long been go-to vectors for gene therapies. How AAVs are improving will be among the cell and gene therapy topics to be covered in Baltimore this week. -
Follow News Editor Greg Slabodkin and Managing Editor Jef Akst as they travel with some 8,000 others for discussions of cell and gene therapy advances, challenges, regulations and more.
