In a detail-thin announcement, Amgen said that adding bemarituzumab to chemotherapy improved overall survival, though analysts pledged to wait for more data on safety and tolerability before assessing the drug.
The all-cash buyout, which gives AbbVie access to Capstan Therapeutics’ in vivo edited CAR T therapy for B cell–mediated autoimmune diseases, adds to a growing sense of momentum in M&A, according to BMO Capital Markets.
BMS is letting go of 68 employees in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The pharma has now cut over 1,000 employees there since April 2024 as part of its cost-cutting measures.
The rise of monoclonal antibodies brought back hope for stalling or reversing the devastating neurodegenerative disease. Big Pharma has taken notice with a handful of high-value deals, GlobalData reports.
Digging into a prespecified analysis for the mid-stage study, INmune Bio identified some clinical and biological benefits of its TNF inhibitor in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease who have at least two biomarkers of inflammation.
In an open letter addressing the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts to HHS, the executives urged Congress to continue “robust federal funding” for scientific research, which they say will help maintain U.S. biotech leadership globally.
FEATURED STORIES
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.
After several high-profile failures, including BMS’ $1.5B breakup with Agenus, anti-TIGIT therapies are generating cautious optimism.
Stephen Majors from the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, which hosts the conference, spoke with BioSpace about what the more than 2,000 attendees can expect to learn next week in Phoenix about the pressing issues confronting the industry.
To say that 2seventy bio’s short two years of existence have been dramatic is an understatement. CEO Chip Baird told BioSpace transparency and a committed staff have kept the biotech going through thick and thin.
From Eli Lilly to Karuna Therapeutics to current owner Bristol Myers Squibb, the newly approved schizophrenia drug had quite the journey to market. Former Karuna and Lilly executives discuss the “accidental” and “serendipitous” discovery.
After the FDA declined to approve Lykos Therapeutics’ MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, companies are pivoting away from or delaying similar therapeutics targeting the psychiatric disease.
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.
LATEST PODCASTS
This week’s release of the Make America Health Again report revealed continued emphasis on vaccine safety; Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s faceoff with senators last week amounted to political theater; the FDA promises complete response letters in real time and shares details on a new rare disease framework; and Summit disappoints at the World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona.
In this episode presented by Taconic Biosciences, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses how preclinical research companies are helping drug developers navigate the current challenging funding environment with Mike Garrett, CEO.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before the Senate Finance Committee Thursday, ahead of a vaccine advisory committee meeting later in September. Meanwhile, deal-making appetite appears healthy, and the weight loss space continues generating clinical data and other news.
Job Trends
Positive high-level results of the ADRIATIC Phase III trial showed AstraZeneca’s IMFINZI® demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the dual primary endpoints of overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer who had not progressed following concurrent chemoradiotherapy compared to placebo after cCRT.
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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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This week, Lori, Greg and Tyler discuss the first surge of IPO activity this year plus gene therapy pricing, -
The French drugmaker is buying California-based biotech Inhibrx to gain access to its clinical-stage drug candidate for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, as it tries winning over investors with potential blockbusters. -
As with any new year, 2024 presents new possibilities; though new and existing challenges are also poised to shape its trajectory. BioSpace reflects on the recent JP Morgan Healthcare Conference and future outlook with key opinion leaders who share their thoughts on the economic climate. -
With initial public offering activity continuing to gain momentum in early 2024, ArriVent Biopharma in a Monday SEC filing laid out the company’s plans to go public. -
The blank check company Thursday filed with the SEC for the initial public offering. While a specific business for Helix Acquisition Corp. II has not yet been identified, the fund will target biotech.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Altimmune’s obesity candidate pemvidutide strongly preserved lean muscle mass, with fat accounting for more than 78% of weight lost by participants in a Phase II study. -
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy elicited greater weight loss in women than in men with heart failure, according to data presented Sunday at the American Diabetes Association’s 2024 Scientific Sessions. -
Zealand Pharma’s petrelintide cut body weight by more than 8% on average, with a good overall safety and tolerability profile. -
Eli Lilly on Thursday said it is again suing spas and clinics over compounded and counterfeit forms of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in blockbusters Mounjaro and Zepbound, which the pharma says can cause harmful side effects. -
Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jørgensen has agreed to appear before the Senate health committee in a hearing on the prices of its blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
POLICY
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The selection of controversial TV personality Mehmet Oz to run the agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid follows Trump’s pick of RFK Jr. to run its parent department, HHS. -
While the full impact of the Supreme Court decision remains unknown, the new regulatory landscape could be a net positive for drug developers. -
Trump’s HHS pick, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is an anti-vaccine campaigner who has previously said that he plans to gut the FDA on allegations of corruption and reduce the NIH’s headcount. -
Suggestions that the U.S. should emulate other countries on drug price controls or patents obscure how our present policies have allowed drug development to flourish.
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Analyst reactions to Donald Trump’s election victory were mixed Wednesday, with potential positives including an FTC that is likely to be more friendly to M&A, and negatives including concerns about what role Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. might play in healthcare.
CAREER HUB
In this graceless age where people look at their phones when you are talking to them, only communicate via text or email, scroll head down on their phone while a speaker is presenting, post inappropriate pictures and commentary on Facebook, it’s no wonder many people do not send thank you notes.
Writing a interview follow up email that expresses your enthusiasm and competence for the available role can help you stand out. Let’s check how to write one.
Whether you’re an experienced professional in the field or just embarking on your new career, it’s time to look at your qualifications and career plans from an entirely different perspective.
Maryland has become a key part of the strategy for Kite, a Gilead company, and its mission to find a cure for cancer.
As your organization continues with hiring efforts, interviewers will face new questions from candidates that they’ve never been asked before.
If you are looking for a new job, it is crucial to have an ATS friendly resume. Let’s discuss how to do this and why they’re so popular with hiring managers.
Do you have soft skills but don’t know how to show them on your resume? Here are 6 of the most popular soft skills for resume and tips on how to make sure they get noticed.
HOTBEDS
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
After two patients who received the investigational CDC7 blocker died, pushing forward with SGR-2921’s development would be “difficult,” according to Schrödinger, whose stock dropped 17.5% before the opening bell on Thursday.
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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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. -
Despite meeting the primary endpoint in a Phase III study, two patients treated with Merck and Daiichi Sankyo’s experimental antibody-drug conjugate died in a Phase III non-small cell lung cancer study, though the deaths have not been linked to patritumab deruxtecan. -
Bristol Myers Squibb presented the positive Phase III results on its already approved Opdivo-Yervoy combo at ESMO over the weekend, while separately announcing that it was returning Immatics’ bispecific T cell engager. -
The result comes months after an FDA advisory committee flagged the risk of potential overtreatment with perioperative regimens.
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High response rates reported by GSK and iTeos at the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress offer a ray of light for anti-TIGIT therapies after a string of failures.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Accurately diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease pathologies is becoming increasingly important, but the U.S. is facing imaging resource constraints. -
While Sage Therapeutics’ drug candidate showed a slight difference compared to placebo in a mid-stage Huntington’s disease trial, William Blair analysts in a Tuesday note to investors said they “remain cautious” on dalzanemdor and “do not view the small numerical changes as definitive.” -
Despite concerns raised in FDA briefing documents about Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s treatment, donanemab, the committee concluded that the benefits outweighed the risks. -
In advance of an advisory committee meeting on Monday, the FDA’s internal reviewers have raised issues regarding Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s disease candidate donanemab, flagging problems with its study design and safety outcomes. -
In this deep dive BioSpace analyzes the neuropsychedelic therapeutics pipeline, which grabbed headlines in February when the FDA accepted the New Drug Application for Lykos Therapeutics’ MDMA capsules for PTSD.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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The approvals, third line for BMS and 2seventy Bio’s Abecma and second line for J&J and Legend Biotech’s Carvykti, represent a new class of therapy for these blood cancer patients. -
Gamida Cell, whose cell therapy for blood cancer was approved last year by the FDA, is being taken private and restructuring due to liquidity constraints. -
Nanoscope Therapeutics nabbed a victory on the changed primary endpoint of its Phase IIb vision loss gene therapy trial Tuesday, teeing the biotech up to file for FDA approval of the candidate this year. -
With several recent approvals in the space and more on the horizon, BioSpace looks at some of the key decisions and their larger significance both for patients and science. -
Brazil’s Ministry of Health and nonprofit Caring Cross announced a collaboration Tuesday aimed at local manufacturing of CAR-T cell and stem cell gene therapies at a much lower cost than Europe and the U.S.
