At the heart of the deal is Relation’s Lab-in-the-Loop platform, which uses AI models to improve understanding of diseases and guide clinical development programs.
Structure’s aleniglipron elicited over 11% weight loss in a Phase II trial, sending the biotech’s stock up nearly 103% as markets closed on Monday.
A mid-stage study for ABI-5366 will begin mid next year, while Assembly continues to assess the Phase II potential of ABI-1179.
The agency’s sweeping rollout and staff challenge underscore rising momentum behind agentic AI: advanced, multiagent systems now fueling early pilots in medical writing, patient engagement and regulatory workflows across the industry.
Although still in Phase I, Wave Life Sciences’ injectable RNA weight loss treatment achieved results that impressed analysts, with 4% fat reduction after three months, beating Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide at a similar time point.
The 2025 meeting of the American Society of Hematology features some of the newest developments in blood cancers and rare diseases.
FEATURED STORIES
One of the FDA’s potential approvals this month could break an existing monopoly in the treatment space for a rare growth disorder.
With immunology and inflammation blockbusters like AbbVie’s Skyrizi and Rinvoq reeling in nearly $7 billion combined in the third quarter, the pipeline-in-a-product strategy has never been more attractive.
With pricing pressures climbing, Pfizer, Eli Lilly and other major drugmakers are looking to sell their products directly to patients. Analysts are skeptical that these efforts, including those announced to much fanfare from the White House, will result in meaningful reductions in drug spending.
Representatives from companies such as Sanofi and Forge Biologics point to the potential for PreCheck to drive activation of idle production capacity and help companies that are already building plants.
After a leading study caused the FDA to slap its most stringent warning on hormone replacement therapies for menopause more than two decades ago, the regulator is changing course in what FDA Commissioner Marty Makary called a “historic day for women in the United States.”
The cholesterol-lowering drug is part of a suite of medicines that also includes MariTide and that Amgen Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton hopes will make the company the “undisputed leader in the management of cardiometabolic risk for patients” by 2030.
LATEST PODCASTS
The FDA is hoping to repurpose GSK’s Wellcovorin for cerebral folate deficiency; Pfizer acquired fast-moving weight-loss startup Metsera for nearly $5 billion after suffering a hat trick of R&D failures; psychedelics are primed for M&A action and Eli Lilly may be next in line; RFK Jr.’s revamped CDC advisory committee met last week with confounding results; and Stealth secured its Barth approval.
In this episode of Denatured, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis and Colin Zick, partner at Foley Hoag LLP, spend time discussing some of the points brought up in the Bioprocessing Summit last month. They explore the connections between hammers, AI, The Planet of the Apes and monoliths.
The White House is clamping down on pharma’s ability to buy new molecules from Chinese biotechs; Sanofi, Merck and others abandon the U.K. after the introduction of a sizeable levy; Novo CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar lays off 9,000 while the company presents new data at EASD; Capsida loses a patient in a gene therapy trial; and CDER Director George Tidmarsh walks back comments on FDA adcomms.
Job Trends
Nearly a third of employed and almost half of unemployed BioSpace survey respondents are seriously considering leaving the U.S. to find biotech and pharma jobs. Concerns about how the political climate is affecting biopharma are a key driver for many.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
In this deep dive, BioSpace examines what’s next for Leqembi, the true cost of anti-amyloid antibodies, and what other Alzheimer’s treatments are coming down the pipeline.
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.
In this deep dive, BioSpace examines how small, medium and large companies are using artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance their drug discovery efforts.
DEALS
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Pfizer called Novo’s offer “reckless and unprecedented,” in a statement issued Thursday morning. -
Mergers and acquisitions are not just for Big Pharma. A new report from Leerink Partners takes a stab at identifying the small- to mid-cap pharmas best prepared to bolster their pipelines with a buyout. -
Vas Narasimhan confirmed that Novartis is having weekly discussions with the Trump administration on drug pricing, but a deal has not yet been reached. -
The deal, announced early Sunday afternoon, will see Novartis gain access to Avidity’s neuroscience assets, while the San Diego biotech spins out a new company to shepherd its early-stage precision cardiology programs. -
The $70 million upfront deal adds to a portfolio of drugs Biogen has been growing in various immunological conditions since 2024.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Both companies have submitted revised bids, with Novo’s coming in $1.9 billion higher than Pfizer’s. -
Novo Nordisk, under new CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar, has a new attitude. It’s making Pfizer livid. -
CEO David Ricks wants Eli Lilly’s upcoming obesity pill to be accessible to patients who need it, but the company still needs to pay for the next generation of obesity medicines to come after that. -
Mounjaro and Zepbound contributed more than $10 billion to the $11.98 billion in sales Lilly recorded for key products in the third quarter, despite price decreases for the GLP-1 medicines. -
The reprioritization initiative extends Aldeyra’s cash runway into the second half of 2027.
POLICY
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Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla directly credited the threat of tariffs with leading to the deal, in which the company will offer drugs on a soon-to-be-launched website called TrumpRx. -
Reshoring generic pharmaceutical production is essential in today’s era of geopolitical instability and heightened awareness surrounding national health security. And it is possible—if done right. -
In one of the first demonstrations of the impact of last year’s Loper Supreme Court decision on challenges to agency authority, a judge ruled that the FDA does not have authority to regulate tests developed by clinical laboratories. -
Companies that have broken ground on or are actively constructing manufacturing facilities in the U.S. are exempted from the tariffs, according to President Donald Trump’s social media post on Thursday. -
Though details remain scant, the pending order is expected to be the latest effort in President Donald Trump’s campaign to bring drug prices down to the same level as economically similar countries.
Candidates looking to enter biotech should focus on cultivating key skills, thoughtfully crafting their resumes and putting their best, most authentic foot forward in interviews. An internship, co-op or fellowship won’t hurt, either.
This webinar will help you discover effective strategies for launching your career in biotechnology. You will gain valuable insights from industry experts and leave with the essential tools you need to thrive in this dynamic field.
A clinical research associate is a professional who oversees clinical trials. Here are our top tips on how to become one.
For biopharma executives who are between roles, navigating the transitionary time can be challenging. However, they can remain visible and valuable so they’re ready to seize their next big opportunity.
In a tough labor market where layoffs continue, some are considering—or even moving—from industry to academia, according to a BioSpace poll. A career coach, scientist and general practitioner turned research coordinator share their thoughts.
Learn how to craft a resume that stands out by exploring 10 common resume mistakes and how to avoid them.
HOTBEDS
REPORTS
As competition for life sciences talent peaks, BioSpace has undertaken research to determine what employers can do to ensure they don’t lose out on talent they actually want to hire and retain.
If people are your greatest asset, it is imperative that your organization maintains a positive employer brand presence and talent pipeline. This report covers how you can build a strong employer brand with prospective employees, current employees - and former employees.
In challenging conditions, how can employers optimize the employee experience to retain their top talent and make the most of their current teams?
CANCER
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Recent headlines proclaim a ‘potential’ or ‘functional’ cure for multiple myeloma, but the fight against the disease must continue. -
Roche will gain worldwide rights outside of the Greater China region to Hansoh’s HS-20110, an antibody-drug conjugate in early-stage development for colorectal cancer. -
2025 has been a busy year for Boehringer Ingelheim, which has so far inked at least five hefty partnerships—including its latest one with South Korea’s AimedBio for an antibody-drug conjugate therapy for cancer. -
The startup, launched out of CEO Kevin Parker’s grad school idyll during the COVID lockdowns, is primed to find new targets where Big Pharmas won’t dare. -
Moderna’s mRNA-4359, when used with Keytruda, achieves a 24% overall objective response rate in patients with melanoma, with efficacy increasing to 67% in those positive for PD-L1.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Last month, “historic positive results” from uniQure’s gene therapy snapped the Huntington’s community out of years of failure. As the biotech prepares to submit for FDA approval, BioSpace looks at four more candidates on the near horizon. -
Pivotal results from uniQure’s gene therapy for Huntington’s disease have brought new light to patients who have known only disappointment in recent years—but one expert worries that communication of the results is creating “false expectations.” -
This represents Alector’s second failed neurodegenerative asset in a year, after an AbbVie-partnered asset missed in Alzheimer’s last November. On latozinemab for frontotemporal dementia, Alector was working with GSK, which fronted $700 million in 2021 to collaborate on two programs. -
The company is dropping its social anxiety disorder program but will still test the molecule in post-traumatic stress disorder. -
Bristol Myers Squibb and insitro first partnered in 2020 to develop induced pluripotent stem cell models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Last December, BMS exercised its option for an ALS target.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Investor reaction to the deal was muted, with BMO Capital Markets analysts saying they “continue to look for more” from Bristol Myers Squibb before they can “get excited about the near term turnaround story.” -
AviadoBio will have the option to exclusively license UGX-202, a vision-restoring gene therapy for the rare eye condition retinitis pigmentosa. -
The $48 million award, granted through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, will help Kernal take its in vivo mRNA-encoded CAR T therapy forward. -
The U.S. government remains shut down, with the FDA closed for new drug applications until further notice; cell and gene therapy leaders gather for the annual meeting in Phoenix with the field in a state of flux; Pfizer and Amgen will make drugs available at a discount as President Donald Trump’s tariffs still loom; and new regulatory documents show how Pfizer beat out the competition for Metsera. -
Takeda wanted to create something new in the cell therapy world by combining the technology with T cell engagers. A series of acquisitions in 2021 started the process.
