Johnson & Johnson’s $23.7 billion in second-quarter earnings, driven by cancer and neuroscience drugs, exceeded analyst expectations, while CEO Joaquin Duato set a target of $50 billion in oncology sales by 2030.
In advance of this week’s adcomm, the FDA flags ocular toxicities associated with the antibody-drug conjugate, which received accelerated approval in August 2020 but was pulled from the market two years later after a confirmatory trial failed to improve progression-free survival.
Shanghai-based LaNova Medicines—which has captured the attention of some of the biggest Western pharmas—will be folded into fellow Chinese company Sino Biopharmaceutical in a deal worth up to $951 million.
In a July 9 memo, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research contended there was not enough evidence that the benefits of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax outweighed its risks in healthy children.
Around 3,500 FDA employees received termination emails; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary suggests lowering industry user fees and tying review times to drug prices; the regulator opens its trove of complete response letters in the name of transparency; and two companies receive rejections for rare disease therapies.
In this bonus episode, BioSpace’s Vice President of Marketing Chantal Dresner and Careers Editor Angela Gabriel take a look at Q2 job market performance, layoffs and wider employment trends and policies impacting the biopharma workforce.
FEATURED STORIES
Biopharma executives make their predictions for the year ahead, from a bold forecast for the return of the megadeal to a plea for the slow, healthy recovery of the industry at large.
As I ran from interview to interview across San Francisco, I was consistently warmed by the stories I was told by biotech and pharma executives—and the general comradery in the air throughout the chaotic event.
With incoming president Donald Trump threatening a trade war with China, experts told BioSpace that the new administration will likely understand why medicines should be treated differently.
Annemarie Hanekamp has overseen some of the most transformative changes in oncology over her years in Big Pharma. Now, she will oversee BioNTech’s transition from a COVID-19 vaccine maker to an “end-to-end organizational oncology powerhouse.”
While investors and analysts push for a deal, Biogen CEO Chris Viehbacher and Head of Development Priya Singhal refuse to make one out of desperation.
Amidst a “renaissance” of interest in neuropsychiatry, Seaport’s executive team is taking nothing for granted.
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
BioSpace’s Lori Ellis discusses the risks and challenges of cell and gene therapy combination products with DIA speakers James Wabby, AbbVie and Rob Schulz, Suttons Creek, Inc.
Mass layoffs represent a step for Bayer toward reducing managerial layers, while clinical results released in the last week could influence the parallel races between Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in the GLP-1 and insulin spaces.
Bayer joined BMS in announcing major overhaul; Takeda drops up to $2 billion for an anti-amyloid drug from AC Immune; and BioSpace reflects on last week’s ASGCT meeting—the good, the bad and the ugly.
Job Trends
The Phase IIa COURSE trial was a proof-of-concept study in people with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with a broad range of blood eosinophil counts and irrespective of emphysema, chronic bronchitis or smoking status.
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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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In 2023, the ADC market exceeded $10 billion, and this momentum is persisting into 2024, as evidenced by several strategic deals and a robust pipeline of candidate drugs. -
Alumis is debuting in an initial public offering Friday on the Nasdaq, though the $250 million IPO is less than its initial targeted raise of $274 million just days ago. -
AbbVie on Thursday announced it has acquired Celsius Therapeutics to expand its immunology portfolio with a first-in-class TREM1 inhibitor CEL383, following other big players looking to cash in on the hot immuno market. -
After being spun off of sequencing giant Illumina, Grail on Tuesday is set to start trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market following a years-long antitrust battle with regulators. -
The combined company began trading Friday under the Nasdaq symbol TECX. A $130 million private placement was also completed, with a cash runway into mid-2027.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks is confident his company and peer Novo Nordisk are years ahead in the weight loss space, as biotechs press on with compelling data. -
Alongside the settlement, Novo and Viatris have asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to terminate its review of the validity of the Danish drugmaker’s semaglutide patents. -
After psychological side effects doomed the first generation of cannabinoid receptor 1–targeting drugs for weight loss, Novo Nordisk, Corbus Pharmaceuticals and Skye Bioscience are betting that a new mechanism of action will improve the safety profile. -
Scaling GLP-1 manufacturing capacity remains a key priority for the pharma industry, to help supply catch up with the insatiable demand for weight loss drugs. -
BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman called it “another positive indication” for Eli Lilly, whose top-selling diabetes and weight loss drugs are gaining market share as manufacturing continues to expand, while noting the drugmaker could start to benefit heading into third quarter earnings.
POLICY
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President Donald Trump’s tariffs on pharmaceuticals “to come at some point,” per CNBC, as companies promise to build infrastructure in the U.S. -
If confirmed, Susan Monarez will have her work cut out for her, facing a measles outbreak that has already killed two people—the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. since 2015. -
After withdrawing its nomination for Dave Weldon last week, the Trump administration is now reportedly considering Texas Republican Michael Burgess to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. -
A group of medical experts expressed concern about growing “disinformation” and “misinformation,” calling for adherence to recommended vaccine schedules. -
Democratic senators from Georgia, Oregon, Maryland and New Mexico called the Trump administration’s decision to terminate hundreds of CDC staffers reckless and unfair.
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Before going for pharmaceutical jobs interviews, you should be prepared to give the best answers possible. Here are six questions you should be ready for.
Finding a job in the pharmaceutical industry can be challenging. Find out which skills can help you score your dream pharmaceutical company job.
How can you show employers that your skills are current, despite being out of work for months or years?
Trying to develop a career in pharma may be overwhelming when you think about it. However, this article can help!
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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On Thursday, Boehringer Ingelheim announced a partnership with Synaffix to advance antibody-drug conjugates and exercised its fourth license option under a 2013 collaboration with Oxford BioTherapeutics. -
In a deal expected to close in Q1 2025, Roche will gain access to Poseida’s off-the-shelf CAR T candidates. -
Among the FDA’s pending decisions for this quarter are Vertex’s non-opioid pain drug and Sanofi’s RNA interference therapy for hemophilia A and B. -
As market values increase for computational biology and data science, biopharma companies are looking to hire R&D professionals in those areas. A biotech talent acquisition expert shares his insights on these in-demand roles. -
Regulators squeezed in two final approvals before the calendar change with the UK approval of Merck’s Winrevair and the FDA’s greenlight for an injectable formulation of BMS’s cancer blockbuster.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Leqembi’s sales continue to be underwhelming, according to analysts, who contend the companies’ Alzheimer’s disease therapy is being held back by barriers such as coverage, infusion centers and time to diagnosis. -
This year has seen several biopharma companies drop Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease programs, but experts say plenty are still chasing these multi-billion-dollar markets. -
Bristol Myers Squibb’s third-quarter results benefited from sales of its legacy brands Eliquis and Revlimid, as well as growth portfolio products such as Abecma, Breyanzi and Reblozyl. -
In another delay for the psychedelic treatment space, Compass Pathways announced adjusted timelines for two Phase III trials of its psilocybin to address treatment-resistant depression. -
Biogen touted strong Q3 sales of its Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi a day after announcing a deal worth up to $1.45 billion with Neomorph to discover and develop molecular glue degraders.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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The intellectual property landscape for newer gene-editing technologies, like that for CRISPR-Cas9, remains unclear and hard to navigate. -
With promising early results, cell and gene therapies are making headway against both rare and common ocular and auditory diseases. -
With gene therapies by REGENXBIO and AbbVie, Adverum and others in mid- or late-stage trials, this therapeutic class could soon be an option for this common cause of blindness in the elderly. -
Quotient Therapeutics’ platform targets somatic mutations, which the startup contends can help identify a broader scope of genes potentially associated with disease phenotypes. Wednesday’s agreement is part of an existing partnership between Pfizer and Flagship Pioneering. -
As the biotech implements a more focused strategy for its Roctavian hemophilia A gene therapy, BioMarin has recruited two seasoned pharma executives to bolster its C-suite.
