The FDA found that data from a single Phase II study were “insufficient” to justify an accelerated approval review for sevasemten in Becker muscular dystrophy.
Employed biopharma professionals are highly likely to look for new jobs in the next 12 months, although not quite as likely as their unemployed counterparts, according to a BioSpace LinkedIn poll. Three recruitment experts discuss the findings and what’s driving job searches.
In this episode presented by IQVIA, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the concerns and opportunities of patient data driving AI tasks with Louise Molloy, associate director medical information and pharmacovigilance.
Rinvoq’s efficacy in alopecia areata is “impressive,” according to Guggenheim analysts, who said the drug could have a competitive edge over other JAK inhibitors in the space.
Long-term extension data presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference showed amyloid plaque reaccumulation remained slow at up to 2.5 years of follow-up in patients who were taken off of treatment with Eli Lilly’s anti-amyloid antibody.
Looking for a biopharma job in North Carolina? Check out the BioSpace list of seven companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
A new report found that 85% of pharma respondents are increasing their artificial intelligence investments, and 70% see AI as an immediate priority. Two experts discuss how biopharmas are implementing and adopting AI, including their increased use of external help with the process.
FEATURED STORIES
Halia Therapeutics, NodThera and Gain Therapeutics target neuroinflammatory processes in hopes of modifying the course of Parkinson’s progression.
The Federal Trade Commission criticized the business practices of pharmacy benefit managers this week, but drugmakers are also at fault for the high costs of medicines.
Artificial intelligence is making it faster to get drug candidates to the clinic, but to gain a competitive advantage, companies must have a strong foundation of data.
Investment in the development of new antimicrobials is falling rapidly, even as the global public health threat of antimicrobial resistance is growing increasingly severe worldwide.
FDA
The groundwork being done in 2024 is building the foundation for global collaboration in the future.
With the antibody drug conjugate market projected to hit $28 billion by 2028, some companies are looking to harness the drugs for immunotherapy.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
In 2025, landmark obesity drug deals, China’s biotech surge, and AI’s deeper integration into pharma operations drove a year of transformation and renewed momentum for life sciences.
UPCOMING EVENTS
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode presented by Slone Partners, Leslie Loveless, Co-CEO and Managing Partner discusses how hiring and the building of executive teams has responded to the current biotech environment.
Pfizer seals the deal with Metsera for $10 billion after Novo Nordisk bowed out; President Donald Trump welcomes executives from Novo and Eli Lilly to the White House to announce that the companies’ GLP-1 medicines would be sold at a reduced cost; and the FDA grants the second round of priority review vouchers—primarily to already marketed drugs.
In this episode presented by PII, BioSpace’s head of insights discusses how to relieve clinical trial patients of technological burden to improve compliance with guests Oliver Eden and Travis Webb.
Subscribe to GenePool
Subscribe to BioSpace’s flagship publication including top headlines, special editions and life sciences’ most important breaking news
SPECIAL EDITIONS
In this deep dive, BioSpace investigates China’s rise as a biotech powerhouse.
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.
DEALS
  1. Following difficult recent months for EQRx, the biotech is being bought by Revolution Medicines in an all-stock transaction that secures $1 billion in additional capital for the oncology company.
  2. Biogen’s $7.3 billion Reata acquisition and layoffs dominated this week’s news, while BMS and Roche reported second-quarter earnings and BioSpace looked at 12 late-stage neuro companies.
  3. Following a sweeping cost-cutting plan announced earlier this week, including an 11% workforce reduction, Biogen is acquiring Reata Pharmaceuticals to bolster its neurological and rare disease pipeline.
  4. The British drugmaker’s rare disease subsidiary Alexion will take on a number of Pfizer’s preclinical gene therapy programs and technologies to advance its genomic medicines pipeline.
  5. The Federal Trade Commission’s increased scrutiny of mergers has now hit IQVIA, whose proposed acquisition of Propel Media has been challenged by the watchdog agency.
WEIGHT LOSS
  1. Eli Lilly has partnered with Amazon Pharmacy to help fill online orders of its obesity drug Zepbound—as well as migraine and diabetes medicines—placed through the pharma’s online portal LillyDirect.
  2. FDA
    Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy was approved on Friday by the FDA to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke in adults who have cardiovascular disease and are obese or overweight.
  3. Novo Nordisk’s early-stage amylin and GLP-1 co-agonist elicited a 13.1% reduction in body weight, with an overall favorable safety profile, the Danish drugmaker reported Thursday at an investor event.
  4. After stopping the study early due to strong efficacy, Novo Nordisk released data from the FLOW study showing significant benefits of semaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
  5. Eli Lilly is planning to launch its blockbuster diabetes drug Mounjaro next year in India, the world’s most populous nation, ahead of its main competitor Novo Nordisk which is eyeing an Indian launch of Wegovy in 2026.
POLICY
  1. With the BIOSECURE Act likely to be voted on in Congress this year, WuXi AppTec’s U.S. revenue dropped 1.2% in the first half of 2024 while the Chinese company increased its lobbying efforts.
  2. The combination therapy is one step closer to becoming a potential new first-line standard of care for patients with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in Europe.
  3. Despite their initial kicking and screaming, drugmakers seem confident the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program will not greatly impact their bottom lines.
  4. Executives from the three largest pharmacy benefit manager companies testified Tuesday before Congress that rising drug prices in the U.S. are due to pharma companies taking advantage of market exclusivities and excessive charges.
  5. Allarity Therapeutics announced Monday that the Securities and Exchange Commission has made a preliminary determination recommending an enforcement action against the company for alleged violations of federal securities laws.
Have you ever wondered why some life science professionals seem very happy at work, and appear to love their jobs? At the same time, their co-workers in an identical position are miserable.
Arguments in the workplace are often unavoidable. There will be differences in opinion, strategy and planning efforts. To help, here are some tips on how to avoid arguments at work.
A recent BioSpace survey found that health insurance is one of the top considerations of life science professionals willing to relocate for a job. To learn more, we interviewed Carrie Richards Leary, a health insurance benefits professional.
According to a BioSpace poll, over half (56%) of respondents are not happy with their current life sciences position. Are you one of the 56%? You deserve to be happy! Start working towards your happiness and check out job opportunities at these top companies!
You want to take every opportunity you can find to incorporate resume action verbs. The main way to do that is to replace any weak verbs you’ve written.
As a valued member of our BioSpace community, we are eager to hear more from you and other readers in 2019. We want to know your if you have ‘work-life balance’ with your job.
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
M&A headlined for a second straight week as Genmab acquired Merus for $8 billion; Pfizer strikes most-favored-nation deal with White House; CDER Director George Tidmarsh caused a stir with a now-deleted LinkedIn post; GSK CEO Emma Walmsley will step down from her role; and uniQure’s gene therapy offers new hope for patients with Huntington’s disease.
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. The hold on BioNTech and MediLink’s antibody-drug conjugate candidate BNT326/YL202 has halted enrollment in a Phase I U.S. trial in patients with non-small cell lung cancer or breast cancer, following multiple deaths.
  2. Coherus BioSciences and Junshi Biosciences’ PD-1 inhibitor Loqtorzi significantly boosted progression-free and overall survival in a late-stage study of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
  3. The use of artificial intelligence in the development of cancer vaccines allows for individualized therapy, but the prospect of an ever-changing product poses new challenges for drug developers and regulators.
  4. AbbVie’s antibody-drug conjugate Elahere, developed by ImmunoGen, elicited a nearly 52% objective response rate in heavily pretreated patients with folate receptor-alpha-positive, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.
  5. BMS presented late-stage results on Tuesday at the ASCO annual meeting which showed the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy lowered the risk of death by 21% in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, compared to two kinase inhibitors.
NEUROSCIENCE
  1. A third-party audit found no integrity and reliability problems with data from BioXcel Therapeutics’ Phase III trial. The company intends to file a supplemental New Drug Application for its candidate BXCL501.
  2. Subcutaneous injections of Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi led to numerically greater amyloid removal than the intravenous version of the Alzheimer’s disease therapy, though risks of brain swelling and bleeding remained.
  3. While the trial was designed to test safety and not efficacy, patients treated with Araclon Biotech’s experimental ABvac40 vaccine saw a 38% drop in disease progression compared to placebo.
  4. While sensitive and specific biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease have recently taken a leap forward, the Parkinson’s space has lagged behind. Neurofilament Light Chain could change that.
  5. The biopharma’s data manipulation controversy continues with a recently leaked City University of New York report, which found signs of “egregious” and “deliberate” misconduct by a company advisor.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
  1. MeiraGTx Holdings is licensing a genetic eye disease medicine to Eli Lilly in a deal worth up to $475 million.
  2. The FDA previously placed two clinical studies on hold, including the Phase III trial in which the liver toxicity occurred. Intellia is working with experts to create a risk management program for nex-z.
  3. Pfizer and Novo Nordisk continue to fight for ownership of obesity startup Metsera; CDER Director George Tidmarsh leaves his position amid an ongoing probe into his “personal conduct”; FDA reverses course on approval requirements for uniQure’s Huntington’s gene therapy; Sarepta’s exon-skipping Duchenne muscular dystrophy drugs fail confirmatory study.
  4. The potential approval of Vertex’s IgAN therapy povetacicept in 2026 comes amid launch headwinds for the company’s non-opioid pain medicine Journavx and gene therapy Casgevy.
  5. With a 100% response rate in a Phase II study, KYV-101 sets a new efficacy bar in generalized myasthenia gravis, according to analysts at William Blair.