The FDA greenlit multiple new drugs this month and issued some notable label expansions, including for Eli Lilly’s Kisunla. Meanwhile, the regulator turned away a cell therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and a gene therapy for the rare disease Sanfilippo syndrome.
Jefferies analysts said these detailed safety outcomes confirm the gene therapy’s positive risk/benefit profile in ambulatory patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Alastair Thomson, chief data officer at the HHS sub-agency, announced his resignation in opposition to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s “stupid” decision to cancel $500 million worth of contracts focused on mRNA technology.
For $1.3 billion in aggregate—including upfront and milestone payments—Bayer will get exclusive global access to Kumquat Biosciences’ small-molecule KRAS G12D blocker.
The stop order came on Aug. 5, the same day Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated 22 mRNA vaccine projects under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, though Vaxart’s candidate is protein-based.
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.”
Phase Ib data show Hernexeos can elicit a confirmed objective response rate of 44% in patients with HER2-mutated NSCLC who had previously been treated with a directed antibody-drug conjugate.
FEATURED STORIES
While it’s not unusual for certain positions to turn over with a new administration, the number of senior-level FDA staffers who have recently left the agency is unprecedented. The lack of communication, transparency and human decency is as well.
Bo Wang is a renowned AI scientist at the University of Toronto. He’s bringing his open-source culture and computational biology to Xaira Therapeutics in June.
FDA
With the recently announced layoffs of 3,500 FDA staffers and exits of branch directors Patrizia Cavazzoni and Peter Marks, there could be a wealth of talent available to biopharma companies. Does this pose an ethical quandary? It depends on who you ask.
While Novartis and Bayer got there first, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly are all vying to bring their radiopharmaceutical assets to a market projected to be worth over $13 billion by 2033.
Several companies will head to the FDA seeking approval of new Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatments next year but the death of a patient taking Sarepta’s Elevidys raises important safety questions.
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.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
Building and scaling biopharma workforces can go beyond recruiting permanent employees to include fractional workers and consultants. A Slone Partners executive discusses how these blended workforces operate, highlighting the strategic benefits.
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode, Lori and guests continue their exploratory discussion on AI and focus on the challenges of globalization and return on investment.
New revelations from the showdown between Novo Nordisk’s CEO and Bernie Sanders’ Senate health committee Tuesday; PhRMA’s legal victory in IRA case; the federal interest rate cut and anticipated approval for schizophrenia.
Infusions of Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics’ Casgevy and bluebird bio’s Lyfgenia have begun; Moderna targets 10 approvals through 2027; more oral obesity drug data; the latest from ESMO and more.
Job Trends
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pfizer Gulf FZ LLC, a global pharmaceutical company during BIO 2024 International Convention.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
In this deep dive, BioSpace explores the next big thing in obesity.
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.
DEALS
  1. Pfizer, Sanofi and others report Q3 beats; AbbVie, Roche and Novartis strike big deals; the 2024 presidential election looms; and BioSpace takes a look back at 10 years of NextGen, our annual pick of young biotechs to watch.
  2. 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.
  3. Sanofi will sell a 50% controlling stake in consumer healthcare unit Opella to private equity firm CD&R, with the French government taking a stake as well to ensure the business remains in the county.
  4. European CDMO Ardena will buy Catalent’s oral solids manufacturing facility in Somerset, N.J.
  5. Senator Elizabeth Warren told the Federal Trade Commission that the acquisition of contract manufacturer Catalent could increase Novo’s dominance over the hot GLP-1 market, reducing competition and increasing prices.
WEIGHT LOSS
  1. Computational research conducted by scientists from Washington University in St. Louis shows that GLP-1 agonists can have mental and cognitive health benefits but may also harm the kidneys and pancreas.
  2. As the year gets underway, analysts and biotech executives highlight cell therapy’s pivot from oncology to autoimmune diseases, a continued appetite for next-generation obesity drugs and an increased focus on neuromuscular, kidney and cardiovascular diseases.
  3. The data suggest the high dose nearly closes the efficacy gap with Zepbound.
  4. JPM25 is in full swing as several pharma powerhouses—including Merck, Lilly and Amgen—detail their strategies for growth in the coming year.
  5. The updated guidance, which was largely driven by lower-than-anticipated sales of GLP-1 blockbusters Mounjaro and Zepbound, sent Eli Lilly’s shares cratering by as much as 8% Tuesday, even as the company forecasted robust 2025 revenue.
POLICY
  1. While the Trump administration has painted the jettisoning of staff and regulations as good for business, there are multiple reasons it’s unlikely to work out that way.
  2. At a sometimes-contentious U.S. Senate hearing, the Health and Human Services secretary was evasive on the rationale behind cuts being made to the department and his endorsement of the measles vaccine amid a rapidly growing outbreak.
  3. The third cycle of the drug price negotiations will involve drugs under Medicare Part B. New prices are set to take effect in 2028.
  4. The Most Favored Nation directive would allow drugmakers to directly sell their products to patients at a lower cost, cutting out what President Donald Trump called “the middlemen.”
  5. While industry groups decried the Trump administration’s new drug pricing order, analysts say it lacked details and the teeth to make a major impact without an act of Congress.
CAREER HUB
Conducting some research before your job interview can help ease your mind. You will feel less stressed once you know what to look forward to during the meeting and which skills will allow you to shine.
When vetting the qualities of potential candidates at a career fair, listen to and take interest in the unique lived experiences of each job seeker you meet, as well as their skills and qualifications.
Job descriptions are the candidate’s first impression of a company. And if that introduction includes exclusionary language, they’re less likely to apply even if they are the perfect fit for the job.
Known as the Lone Star Bio Hotbed, Texas is home to multiple major players in the biopharma and biotech space and is currently a fast-growing hub for the life science industry.
You know it’s important to nail the interview with a potential employer, but it’s what you do after an interview that might really influence your chances of getting the job. Find out how in our guide.
Being laid off from a job is stressful. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to curb some of that stress, relieve financial worries and make finding your next position as smooth a process as possible.
Read on to learn about the different nursing positions available in the biopharmaceutical industry, as well as the skills and qualifications you need to be a successful biopharma nurse.
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
HIV
In coordination with the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Gilead will make its twice-yearly HIV prophylactic Yeztugo available to resource-limited countries “at no profit.”
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. More than a decade after Merck’s Keytruda and BMS’ Yervoy ushered in the immuno-oncology revolution, the space is at a crossroads, with experts highlighting novel targets, combinations and pre-emptive immunization as the next wave for IO.
  2. The company will push through with an accelerated approval application for odronextamab in follicular lymphoma, leaving diffuse large B cell lymphoma behind.
  3. In the Phase III SERENA-6 trial, camizestrant—in combination with CDK-inhibitors—beat out current standard-of-care treatments in terms of progression-free survival, according to AstraZeneca.
  4. Eikon’s lead candidate, EIK1001, is being tested for advanced melanoma. The candidate is currently in late-stage development, which the biotech will fund using Wednesday’s series D raise.
  5. At the 2025 National Biotechnology Conference, gene therapies, bispecific antibodies and other novel modalities—relative newcomers to medicine—will be much discussed. In this curtain raiser, BioSpace speaks with conference chair Prathap Nagaraja Shastri of J&J about these highly anticipated topics.
NEUROSCIENCE
  1. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled that Vanda cannot claim a breach of confidentiality for specifications that it did not develop itself.
  2. Cebranopadol, a dual-NMR agonist, reached the primary endpoint in a Phase III trial and matched placebo for safety, a significant concern in the analgesic field.
  3. Spravato’s monotherapy nod on Tuesday comes after a series of setbacks in the depression space.
  4. The FDA is putting Atara’s active Investigational New Drug applications on hold due to manufacturing concerns at a third-party provider while releasing Amylyx’s investigational ALS therapy from a previous pause.
  5. Biogen’s effort to buy Sage reveals its “desire to expand its pipeline at a discount,” according to analysts from BMO Capital Markets.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
  1. Not developing potency assays and gaining knowledge about MOAs early in the drug development process not only can break ATMP success but can cause costs and delays that lead to company closures.
  2. The payment scheme will tie gene therapy payments to improvements in health outcomes—and could potentially boost the uptake of these sickle cell disease treatments.
  3. In this episode of Denatured, BioSpace’s Head of Insights Lori Ellis, Miguel Forte and Ali Pashazadeh discuss how a slow and steady pace is a continuation of the pattern we have seen throughout the last three years.
  4. Not exactly known for its dealmaking, Sarepta Therapeutics has thrown down a massive wad of cash to work with Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals on RNAi-based medicines.
  5. The cancers were diagnosed 19 to 92 months after Skysona treatment.