Playing both sides of trade war, pharma companies are asking for certain compensations for scientific innovation and a smoother regulatory framework.
The hold, placed by the FDA on an early-stage clinical trial of an experimental BET inhibitor, stems from a recent observation of testicular toxicity in canines given the treatment.
Big compounders will have until May 22 to stop producing and dispensing compounded semaglutide, while smaller, state-run pharmacies must immediately stop making copies of the blockbuster drug.
Despite steep budget and staffing cuts at the FDA in recent weeks and other headwinds, Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day assured investors that the pharma’s plans and preparations for lenacapavir’s launch remain on track.
Despite a dip in sales and a recent schizophrenia stumble, the company drew an optimistic outlook for sales for the rest of the year, even as the specter of pharmaceutical tariffs looms.
Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi and Roche had little clarity on the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s pharmaceutical tariffs but many companies are already preparing for what’s to come.
Granite will focus on two antibody therapies, both targeting crucial players in the inflammatory cascade to address autoimmune diseases.
FEATURED STORIES
The explosion of GLP-1 weight loss drugs is reminiscent of the early days of PD-1 inhibitors, but key market differences suggest history may not repeat itself.
The ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, as well as Israel and Palestine, have sent ripples across various industries, including pharma. Medical science liaisons can help.
Mirador debuted last year with a massive $400 million and the goal of developing game-changing therapies for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. The company aims to enter the clinic this year.
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.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
Peter Marks, the venerable head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has been forced out. In this special edition of BioPharm Executive, BioSpace takes a deep dive into the instability of the HHS.
Year-over-year BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the first quarter of 2025.
In this deep dive, BioSpace explores the diverse therapeutic modalities now in development, as well as the opportunities and battles for market dominance in this emerging space.
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. Already established as cornerstone therapies in diabetes and obesity, GLP-1 receptor agonists also show potential in several other indications, including cancer, addiction and neurodegenerative diseases.
  2. Novo Nordisk executives set a high bar for itself when it projected CagriSema could achieve 25% weight loss. When the GLP-1 combo didn’t hit that mark, investors reeled.
  3. Investors appeared disappointed by CagriSema’s Phase III readout, which showed weight loss that fell short of Novo Nordisk’s prior projections for the therapy. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly’s stock rose on the news.
  4. After a couple months of uncertainty, the FDA has told compounding pharmacies that they have 60 to 90 days before the agency will enforce rules to stop their production of GLP-1s.
  5. In this episode of Denatured, BioSpace’s Head of Insights Lori Ellis, Miguel Forte and Ali Pashazadeh speculate on the impending Trump administration, discuss current challenges faced by CEOs and weigh investment in GLP-1s.
POLICY
  1. Recently appointed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2018 helped bring several cases against vaccine maker Merck, alleging injury linked to its HPV shot Gardasil.
  2. FDA
    The hammer came down on an unspecified number of FDA employees this weekend, days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as HHS Secretary.
  3. Continuing our SCOPE 2025 coverage, Rohit Nambisan, CEO at Lokavant addresses not only current challenges, but the life sciences industry’s responsibility to maintain scientific integrity.
  4. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—whose history of anti-vaccine rhetoric has had the healthcare and biopharma industries on edge—was confirmed as Health and Human Services Secretary in a Senate vote along party lines.
  5. Senator Bill Cassidy voted with fellow Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday morning to move forward the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for HHS secretary.
CAREER HUB
Discover the benefits and challenges of relocating to a biopharma hot spot and find out the most important factors to consider when making your decision.
Here are the top companies on BioSpace with internship opportunities for graduate students.
A minority of companies in the industry use personality tests in hiring. Here’s why—and how to approach the assessments.
If it feels like there has never been a tougher time to look for work, you’re not alone—and you’re likely not wrong.
Carina Clingman answers questions about forging professional connections in-person and on LinkedIn.
A resume should communicate to employers that a candidate has what they are looking for by highlighting technical and soft skills.
Here’s what to look for—and what to ask—before and during the interview process to find out whether an employer fosters an inclusive environment.
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
The FDA accepted Novo Nordisk’s NDA for an oral formulation of Wegovy. The agency is expected to release its verdict on the drug in the fourth quarter of this year.
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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Protein degradation–focused Neomorph nabs its third Big Pharma deal of around $1.5 billion in less than a year.
  5. 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
  1. This year saw lofty highs and devastating lows for neuroscience drug developers like Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and AbbVie, following the predictable pattern of successes and failures that characterizes this space.
  2. BioArctic received $100 million upfront with another $1.25 billion in potential milestone payments on the line for two pyroglutamate-amyloid-beta antibodies.
  3. The report comes just two days after Novartis announced its own Parkinson’s drug failure.
  4. Even as Biogen and Eisai’s Leqembi and Eli Lilly’s Kisunla slowly roll out onto the market, experts question the efficacy of these anti-amyloid antibodies and the amyloid hypothesis overall.
  5. Some 90% of investigational drugs fail—and success rates are even more dire in the neuro space. Here, BioSpace looks at five clinical trial flops that stole headlines over the past 12 months.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
  1. Investigational CAR T therapies stole the spotlight at the American College of Rheumatology Convergence as data presented by Bristol Myers Squibb, Kyverna Therapeutics and more highlighted their potential to effectively treat lupus.
  2. After failing to receive the RMAT designation from the FDA for its early-stage Batten disease gene therapy, Neurogene tells investors that it’s evaluating options for the program.
  3. Regenxbio is pushing its Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy into pivotal development, with a BLA planned for 2026—potentially posing a threat to Sarepta’s Elevidys.
  4. Neurogene’s shares fell by 36% as the market opened Monday morning following news that a patient experienced systemic hyperinflammatory syndrome in a Phase I/II clinical trial of Rett syndrome gene therapy NGN-401.
  5. Bluebird has just two quarters until it’s out of cash. Executives are looking for financing to extend that runway to a projected breakeven point before the end of 2025, with analysts worried they won’t make it.