Of the three highest bidders, Pfizer’s purchase proposal for Metsera was the lowest, regulatory documents reveal. The New York pharma, however, offered the smoothest transaction with the greatest likelihood of success.
Skye Bioscience’s nimacimab fell short of investor and company expectations, but showed encouraging weight-loss results when combined with Wegovy, according to analysts at William Blair.
Amgen will offer its lipid-lowering drug Repatha directly to patients for $239 per month, representing a nearly 60% reduction from the current wholesale acquisition cost of $527.70.
A new survey from CRB showed that most manufacturing initiatives in the U.S. made in response to tariffs are coming from Big Pharma companies, while smaller biotechs are left to hope “the situation doesn’t get worse.”
The inaugural 40 Under 40 cohort includes CEOs, leaders who have founded or co-founded their company and executives from a range of disciplines. Winners’ accomplishments include shaping drug development, achieving key FDA milestones and launching a new field of study.
A new group of CDC advisors voted last month to separate the chickenpox vaccine from the measles, mumps, rubella components of the MMRV shot due to concerns over febrile seizures, while recommending a more risk-based approach to COVID-19 immunizations that mirrors recent FDA approvals.
FEATURED STORIES
Novo Nordisk has plummeted back to Earth after a stunning rise driven by Ozempic and Wegovy. Can the storied Danish pharma recover?
After a slow 2024, the biotech shell company Concentra Biosciences is back, offering to buy four biotechs in the past month and seven so far this year.
Sarepta’s troubles had nothing to do with Arrowhead’s assets, and yet both companies have seen their stock prices decline this past month. BioSpace caught up with Arrowhead’s Chris Anzalone to talk about the biotech’s role as an RNAi pipeline savior.
Leaders at Eli Lilly believe heavy investment in the company’s manufacturing footprint “sets a high standard that newcomers may find challenging to match.” At least one of those newcomers disagrees.
In the wake of multiple patient deaths from liver injuries related to Sarepta Therapeutics’ AAV gene therapy platform, some in the sector are looking for ways to improve the current technology, while others are eager to move on.
The recent announcement of RFK Jr.’s termination of mRNA vaccine contracts is the latest effort to undermine this promising technology at the federal level. Pharmaceutical companies and private investors must fill the gap and ensure that research into this critical resource continues.
LATEST PODCASTS
China continues to be a source of innovation as Pfizer strikes biggest pact yet; HHS provides more info on Trump’s Most Favored Nation executive order; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and CBER director Vinay Prasad reveal new COVID-19 vaccine strategy following Novavax approval; ODAC underway after chaotic planning; more.
President Donald Trump unwrapped a massive drug pricing policy as CMS prepares for the next round of Medicare drug price negotiations; Vinay Prasad to take the helm at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; Bayer cuts 2,000 more employees; Eli Lilly’s Zepbound scores again; and the Galapagos story turns again.
In this episode of Denatured BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the public health consequences of vaccine hesitancy and the critical distinction between skepticism and cynicism with Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Job Trends
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.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
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.
BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the second quarter of 2025, with increased pressure from further layoffs.
DEALS
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Currently trailing Eli Lilly and Structure Therapeutics in the oral weight loss space, Novo Nordisk strikes a deal with Septerna to put new discovery-stage programs into play. -
The ADARx Pharmaceuticals partnership, which could be worth “several billion dollars” in the end, adds to AbbVie’s existing work in the space after the $1.4 billion acquisition of Aliada Therapeutics in October 2024. -
GSK secures rights to Boston Pharmaceuticals’ efimosfermin alfa, which the pharma plans to develop for fatty liver diseases such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and alcohol-related liver disease. -
It’s another wild twist in the story of Galapagos, a company that has been around for more than 25 years but has yet to get a therapy approved. -
M&A and IPOs got off to a quick start in 2025 only to crash into a wall of policy challenges. Upfront payment for licensing transactions, however, grew as pharmas looked for less-risky deals.
WEIGHT LOSS
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The deal is Lilly’s second obesity tie-up in a week, after sinking up to $870 million into an agreement with Camurus to develop long-acting versions of molecules against GLP-1 and other incretins. -
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made waves this week, firing the remaining members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; Metsera’s amylin drug produced weight loss of 8.4% at 36 days; and FDA leaders gathered last week to discuss the future of cell and gene therapy, a sector that has been in turmoil since the ousting of CBER Chief Peter Marks. -
In what Guggenheim Partners called one of Metsera’s “critical program milestones” this year, its ultra-long-acting amylin injection MET-233i showed promising weight-loss after a little more than a month of treatment. -
Given the evidence, the committee has recommended that the labels for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic be updated to include the “very rare” risk of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. -
Eli Lilly joins up with Camurus to make long-acting versions of the pharma’s obesity and diabetes drugs, joining the industry’s growing pipeline of programs that are differentiated by the frequency of dosing.
POLICY
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In this episode of Denatured, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the ‘enormous implications’ of patent policy changes with Aaron Cummings and Anne Li of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. -
Alastair Thomson, chief data officer at the HHS sub-agency, announced his resignation in opposition to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s “stupid” decision to cancel $500 million worth of contracts focused on mRNA technology. -
The stop order came on Aug. 5, the same day Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated 22 mRNA vaccine projects under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, though Vaxart’s candidate is protein-based. -
The Annals of Internal Medicine ran a large-scale study in July, pointing to the lack of an association between childhood aluminum exposure through vaccination and chronic conditions. The Health Secretary, in an opinion piece earlier this month, called the paper a “ballyhooed study.” -
Gray Delany’s ouster comes days after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. controversially axed 22 mRNA vaccine contracts under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
It’s important to maintain anonymity when seeking your next executive role, as your departure could impact other employees and the organization.
Four executives with collective decades spent at BMS, Roche, Astellas, Eli Lilly and more gave their insights on navigating a biopharma career during a Monday DIA panel in San Diego.
Interviews can be difficult in any field, but especially in a competitive industry like the life sciences. Read on to discover the best way to answer salary interview questions in our guide.
Plus, what to do if your offer is paused and how to manage work anxiety.
If you overidentify with your job, there are ways to find self-worth outside of work, starting with using your transferable skills somewhere else.
Transitioning from team member to manager has its challenges, including managing ex-peers. There are a few ways you can make the change easier.
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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Only with the adoption of digital imaging and AI-powered analysis will next-generation precision oncology therapies reach their full potential and ensure no eligible patient is overlooked. -
In this episode presented by Eclipsebio, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses mRNA and srRNA with Andy Geall of Replicate Bioscience and Alliance for mRNA Medicines, and Pad Chivukula of Arcturus Therapeutics. -
The deal, which involves a $700 million upfront payment, gives AbbVie access to ISB 2001, a clinical-stage first-in-class trispecific antibody currently being tested for certain kinds of multiple myeloma as well as autoimmune indications. -
The deal marks an end for CAR T company Cargo Therapeutics, which has been slashing its workforce and cutting programs since the January decision to halt its lead candidate for a certain type of aggressive large B cell lymphoma. -
TIGIT-targeting therapies have largely disappointed in recent months, with failed studies, terminated partnerships and shuttered businesses. Here are five biopharma players staying alive with differentiated candidates against the once promising immuno-oncology target.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Armed with the latest biological knowledge and cutting-edge computational techniques—and, of course, investor dollars—these six biotechs are playing in the largely underappreciated longevity space, developing therapies that may improve the quality of aging. -
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics issued a statement Tuesday supporting a Citizens’ Petition submitted to the FDA requesting the approval of its cell therapy NurOwn, whose BLA was withdrawn in 2023. A Phase IIIb trial was scheduled to begin last month. -
After a season of regulatory upheaval, obesity and rare genetic diseases will likely remain major themes for biopharma in 2025, according to Jefferies. -
The high court sides with HHS on HIV PrEP drugs; Health Secretary RFK Jr.’s newly appointed CDC vaccine advisors discuss thimerosal in flu vaccines, skip vote on Moderna’s mRNA-based RSV vaccine; FDA removes CAR T guardrails; AbbVie snaps up Capstan for $1.2B to end first half; and psychedelics take off again with data from Compass and Beckley.
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BPL-003 showed “robust” efficacy data in treatment-resistant depression, according to analysts from Jefferies, who noted that the asset could hit peak market sales of $1 billion. The results clear the way for the asset’s late-stage development and for the completion of a proposed merger with atai Life Sciences.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified in front of largely combative congresspeople on vaccine policy, his MAHA report and more; the mass leadership exodus at the FDA continues as CDER and CBER shed key staff; Kennedy’s revamped CDC vaccine advisors convene for their first meeting; Novo and Lilly present new data at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting; and BioSpace recaps BIO2025.
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Isaralgagene civaparvovec is a “potential best-in-class gene therapy for Fabry disease,” according to analysts at H.C. Wainwright. Sangamo plans to use pivotal Phase I/II data to build an accelerated approval case for the asset. -
While BMO Capital Markets said that zimislecel is “highly encouraging” for type 1 diabetes, questions regarding its target population and Vertex’s execution hang over the cell therapy’s commercial potential. -
The well-respected director of the FDA’s cell and gene therapy office was seen as a stabilizing and trustworthy voice inside the quickly reshaping FDA, especially since the late-March exit of CBER Director Peter Marks. -
Another patient has died from acute liver failure after receiving Sarepta’s gene therapy for DMD ; After a quiet start to the year, M&A is back with one deal for a gene editing biotech reinvigorating that sector; and RFK Jr. installs a suite of new vaccine board members who share his skeptical views on vaccines.
