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.
In the first six months of 2025, 385 employees resigned from the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, compared with under 130 staff during the same period last year.
FDA reviewers flag “discordant results” in a briefing document published ahead of Friday’s advisory committee meeting for the partners’ application for the antipsychotic in post-traumatic stress disorder.
Looking for a biopharma job in Illinois? Check out the BioSpace list of six companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
Following the death of two teenage patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy following Elevidys treatment, Sarepta Therapeutics adds a black box warning to the gene therapy for acute liver injury and failure and parts with more than a third of employees.
With venture funding tightening in the post-COVID landscape, efficiency has become more critical than ever. In this interactive webinar industry experts explored actionable strategies for maintaining quality under financial pressure. Watch now.
FEATURED STORIES
At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the Biotech CEO Sisterhood assembled in Union Square to showcase the large group of women and allies in biopharma as their authentic selves.
Faced with the encroaching threats of patent expirations and generics, biopharma companies in 2024 invested 33% more in licensing deals, on average, than in 2023 with an eye toward enriching their pipelines with novel and potentially more effective therapies.
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.
While the former Biden administration showcased the Inflation Reduction Act as a key victory in the fight over high drug prices in the U.S., Trump has so far been mum on how the controversial law could evolve in the coming years.
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
Eli Lilly becomes the latest to make a major investment in immunology and inflammation, while antibody-drug conjugate biopharma Myricx Bio nets a large Series A round and new research highlights the potential and possible risks of GLP-1s.
Two CRLs from the FDA last week cited concerns with third-party manufacturers, while Indian CDMOs may make a bid for U.S. business if there is a decoupling from Chinese companies under the BIOSECURE Act.
This week on Denatured, Head of Insights Lori Ellis and guests discuss the implications of not addressing the DE&I data gaps for the future.
Job Trends
FDA Grants Priority Review to Merck’s Application for KEYTRUDA ® (pembrolizumab) Plus Chemotherapy as First-Line Treatment of Patients With Unresectable Advanced or Metastatic Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.
Subscribe to Genepool
Subscribe to BioSpace’s flagship publication including top headlines, special editions and life sciences’ most important breaking news
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
-
With an upfront $800 million payment and $325 million in potential milestones, Otsuka Pharmaceutical is acquiring Jnana Therapeutics’ drug discovery platform and rare disease candidate, the companies announced Thursday. -
A report from J.P. Morgan shows an increase in biopharma activity so far this year and where some improvement can be made. -
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.
-
Under the deal announced Monday with the California biotech, German pharma Boehringer Ingelheim is gaining access to novel immune checkpoint inhibitors designed to activate the immune system to fight cancer cells. -
A longtime biopharma exec and Moderna shareholder argues in an anonymous email to the companies’ CFOs that they have a fiduciary responsibility to close the deal. Analysts say the proposal is interesting but “too simplistic.”
WEIGHT LOSS
-
Eli Lilly will provide the funding and expertise to advance Laekna’s LAE102, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting the activin type IIA receptor to induce weight loss and boost muscle mass. -
Wegovy is being made available to Chinese patients five months after its approval in the country. Novo will sell the medicine for about $193.27 for a one-month supply. -
Despite crowding in the next-gen weight loss space, Metsera has raised over $500 million since its April launch, indicating a continued appetite for these drugs. -
Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Olivia Brayer found supplementary bone mineral density data for Amgen’s obesity candidate MariTide that could point to a potentially greater fracture risk than previously revealed, but some other analysts view the findings as a nonissue. -
With Novo Holdings’ $16.5 billion buyout of Catalent being reviewed by regulators, what work the contract drug manufacturer may or may not be performing for Eli Lilly remains a point of contention.
POLICY
-
The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology recommends at least a $15 billion investment into biotech over the next five years. -
Jazz is being accused of anti-competitive practices regarding its narcolepsy drug, as generic competitors emerge on the market. -
Billions in market cap are being shed as the markets reel over President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war. Eli Lilly’s value has dropped more than $95 billion in just one month. -
Last week, The Trump administration reversed a Biden-era proposal for Medicare coverage of anti-obesity treatments. But on Monday, HHS suggested it is open to future policy considerations toward this end. -
Senators Bill Cassidy and Bernie Sanders asked HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to make good on a pledge to appear before the committee regularly. It is not clear if or when the hearing, which was scheduled for Thursday, will take place.
If you’re considering a career change from pharma to biotech, you’ll be happy to hear that according to industry experts, the transition is more common than you might think.
Keep reading to take a look at some of the best pharma jobs for travelers. These jobs will allow you to see different parts of the world while working in an exciting and fast-paced industry.
Thinking about starting a career in biotech? We’ve put together a guide to help you decide where to go within the biotech field and what steps you should take to get there.
The search for a biopharma job can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here is a complete guide to the biopharma job hunt, from researching job openings to writing resumes and cover letters.
Even if you aren’t looking for a new role in biopharma, nurturing relationships will only benefit you in the long run. To help, here is a complete guide to networking in the life science industry.
To help alleviate some of the stress related to finding a new job, we’ve created a comprehensive guide detailing how to prepare for your biopharma job search.
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
-
Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo plus Yervoy, as well as Pfizer’s Braftovi, have each shown strong Phase III performances that could position them as new standards of care in certain subtypes of metastatic colorectal cancer. -
The Japanese pharma had one asset rejected by the FDA and withdrew a regulatory application for another, but already this month the company has secured an approval for AstraZeneca-partnered Dato-DXd, to be marketed as Datroway. -
The unsuccessful Phase III results are the latest to suggest that the blockbuster cancer drug is finally bumping up against its limits after racking up around 50 approvals since getting its first FDA nod in September 2014. -
Protein degradation–focused Neomorph nabs its third Big Pharma deal of around $1.5 billion in less than a year. -
With an eye toward advancing a novel antibody-drug conjugate for gastrointestinal cancers, ArriVent is the latest biopharma player to ink a deal with a Chinese biotech.
NEUROSCIENCE
-
Intra-Cellular submitted its application to the FDA for Caplyta’s approval in major depressive disorder, potentially opening up an additional $1 billion in sales. Still, the stock remains “cheap,” according to Jefferies analysts. -
Monday’s agreement comes days after PTC discontinued the development of another asset, utreloxastat, due to disappointing Phase II data in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. -
Emboldened by technological advances and a deeper knowledge of glioblastoma, Merck, Kazia Therapeutics, CorriXR Therapeutics and others are targeting the often-fatal brain tumor. -
Despite hotly debated biomarkers and failed or delayed confirmatory trials, the accelerated approval program has a track record of propelling R&D for some of medicine’s most challenging illnesses. -
Despite the “unfortunate” failure, William Blair analysts do not believe that the utreloxastat readout will heavily affect PTC, instead postulating that the upcoming FDA decision on its phenylketonuria candidate sepiapterin will be a stronger driver of the biotech’s stock.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
-
With an upfront payment of $50 million from Roche, the partnership will leverage Dyno Therapeutics’ in vivo gene therapy delivery technology, which synthesizes virus capsids with better functionality and manufacturability. -
While ex vivo genome editing results in highly effective cell therapies, it can lead to off-target effects. Caribou Biosciences has come up with a novel approach for potentially more precise gene editing compared to all-RNA guides. -
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. -
Large pharmaceutical companies were out in force at this week’s 2024 Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa, as they look to expand their presence in the industry. -
Tim Hunt, CEO of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, said Monday at the 2024 Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa that investments reached $10.9 billion in the first half of this year—outpacing 2019’s $9.8 billion total—but far below the pandemic peak.
