In this episode presented by IQVIA, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the importance of target product profiles, particularly when navigating funding challenges, with Ian Fisher, head of development analytics.
Looking for a manufacturing job? Check out the BioSpace list of 11 companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
Nine states in the Southeast showed growth in bioscience employment and establishments from 2019 to 2023, according to 2024 data from BIO and TEConomy Partners. NCBiotech and Bexion executives discuss the area and the pros and cons of setting up shop far from major hubs.
Canada’s health agency says it has been “taking all necessary action safeguard the drug supply and ensure Canadians have access to the prescription drugs they need.”
The FDA’s independent advisors found Pfizer’s data lacked the precision needed to establish the efficacy of Talzenna in patients with prostate cancer who do not carry HRR mutations.
The FDA had given Pfizer and Moderna until May 17 to propose changes to the labels of their COVID-19 vaccines or challenge the agency’s directive. The products’ labels already include myocarditis warnings, albeit for different age groups.
FEATURED STORIES
When it comes to vaccination, the COVID-19 pandemic divided American society. President Donald Trump and his new Health and Human Services secretary are bringing down the hammer. What happens when there is no middle ground?
What a CEO makes can be staggering from the seat of a rank-and-file employee, whose pay is typically in the five-to-six digit range.
Policy uncertainties are impacting biopharma dealmaking from continent to continent, with companies being asked to walk a tightrope on their relations with China.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
In a year when eradicated diseases are on the uptick in America, how will American children survive RFK Jr.’s vaccine scrutiny and inconsistency? Two experts call on pharma and regulatory bodies to rebuild trust.
LATEST PODCASTS
Donald Trump continues to make waves in biopharma; Sage rejects Biogen’s unsolicited takeover offer; the obesity space sees more action with new company launches, IPOs and fresh data; and experts get ready for an important era in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy space.
Biopharma executives shared their thoughts on the potential impacts of the new administration; Annalee Armstrong recaps JPM and her talks with Biogen, Gilead, Novavax and more; Wegovy’s higher dose induces more weight loss; AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Dato-DXd scores its first FDA approval.
In this bonus episode, BioSpace’s vice president of marketing Chantal Dresner and careers editor Angela Gabriel take a look at Q4 job market performance and what we expect to see ahead.
Job Trends
For reasons including downsizing, avoiding retirement and a tight labor market, senior-level biopharma professionals are increasingly turning to fractional roles, according to two recruitment experts.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
A new generation of checkpoint inhibitors is emerging, with some showing more promise than others. From recent TIGIT failures to high-potential targets like VEGF, BioSpace explores what’s on the horizon in immuno-oncology.
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.
DEALS
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Protein degradation–focused Neomorph nabs its third Big Pharma deal of around $1.5 billion in less than a year. -
The deal follows a $1.06 billion U.S. contract in July 2024 and a $1.24 billion agreement with an Asia-based pharma a few months later. -
On the company’s Q4 earnings call where an eyepopping $88.8 billion in full-year sales were revealed, leaders shifted focus away from enormous takeovers to single-digit billion buy outs. -
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. -
Five years ago, Gilead signed a massive deal with Galapagos. After a restructuring, the pharma is still hunting for the potential it saw at the original signing.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Pfizer reacts to Donald Trump’s tariff threats on big pharma, another regulatory meeting is canceled under RFK Jr., AbbVie and Eli Lilly strike mid-sized deals in obesity and molecular glues, priority review vouchers set to take a hit and immuno-oncology matures. -
Merck’s Keytruda holds on to the top spot while AbbVie’s Humira—once the world’s top-selling drug—continues to cede its market share to biosimilar competitors. -
AbbVie is joining the amylin arena, though the pharma is still far behind leaders Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. -
Two recent documents—one from the FDA, the other from a commission organized by The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology—indicate an evolving mindset toward treating obesity as a chronic disease. -
While Kallyope’s drugs are mechanistically unique, the biotech is competing in a crowded space, with other therapies that appear to elicit superior weight-loss.
POLICY
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Playing both sides of trade war, pharma companies are asking for certain compensations for scientific innovation and a smoother regulatory framework. -
Analysts are “cautiously optimistic” about Trump’s executive order, noting that changes to the IRA drug price negotiation program will still require Congressional action before being implemented. -
Trump could use the findings of the probe to impose certain trade restrictions on pharma products, including tariffs. -
After the gutting of the Department of Health and Human Services, fears mount about the future direction of the FDA—with regulatory experts predicting delays in drug approvals and greater influence of political appointees. -
As the biopharma industry grapples with the uncertain macro environment brought on by the new administration, CEOs, regulators and many others speak out.
Looking for a biotech job in San Diego? Check out these seven top companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
Learn five ways to answer difficult interview questions so you can leave the best impression possible on your potential employer.
Three executives whose combined careers include working at companies including Amgen, AstraZeneca, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Takeda share their career journeys.
This week, Carina discusses how to transition into a career in biotech when you don’t have lab experience. Plus, handling difficult interviews and getting a “dry” promotion.
A recent legal decision could signal the ultimate demise of the FTC’s final rule banning most noncompete clauses. A biotech talent expert discusses how that affects biopharma job searches.
For the second quarter of 2024, there were 25% fewer jobs posted live on BioSpace compared to the same quarter of 2023. The year-over-year job response rate rose from 14.6% to 15.3%.
HOTBEDS
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The overturning of the FDA’s lab-developed tests rule is just the tip of the iceberg. With the loss of Chevron deference, power has shifted from federal agencies to the courts, with potential implications for everything from the FDA shortage list to CMS drug price negotiations.
REPORTS
BioSpace’s annual Salary Report explores the average salaries and salary trends of life sciences professionals.
BioSpace is exploring PTO trends and federal holidays granted to life sciences professionals.
CANCER
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The latest data from Johnson and Johnson’s Rybrevant and Lazcluze lung cancer combo was better than standard of care Tagrisso on overall survival. But analysts say the next step is getting a subcutaneous formula approved. -
The German conglomerate announced a licensing agreement with Puhe BioPharma for a PRMT5 inhibitor used in a variety of cancers. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. -
AbbVie claims that Genmab turned a blind eye to trade secret theft allegedly used to support the development of ProfoundBio’s investigational antibody-drug conjugates. Genmab acquired ProfoundBio in May 2024. -
Adaptimmune is rolling out its T cell therapy Tecelra for synovial sarcoma, recording $1.2 million in sales since its approval in August 2024. Nevertheless, it is pausing development of two oncology assets to save money. -
With Keytruda, the best-selling drug in the world, facing the end of exclusivity in 2028, BioSpace looks at five drugs that have taken the leap off the patent cliff.
NEUROSCIENCE
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After SPN-820’s failure, Supernus is relying on its non-stimulant ADHD drug Qelbree and the recently approved Parkinson’s therapy Onapgo to sustain the company. -
The partnership splits the rights to Stoke’s epilepsy antisense oligonucleotide, with up to $385 million in potential payments due to Stoke. -
Helmed by Roche alums, Newleos Therapeutics is taking over four drugs dropped from the Swiss pharma’s pipeline in early 2024. -
Biogen and Eisai have spent much of Leqembi’s launch convincing physicians and patients that it’s safe to treat Alzheimer’s disease. With patients now hitting the 18-month mark of treatment, the conversation is finally shifting to efficacy. -
The approval comes days after Germany’s Merck KGaA confirmed it was in advanced talks to acquire SpringWorks.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Vertex expects to make the newly approved non-opioid pain medicine Journavx available by the end of February. -
Adding a new indication for the CAR T cell therapy could help BMS offset the loss-of-exclusivity headwinds it faces in the coming years.
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Faced with the encroaching threats of patent expirations and generics, biopharma companies in 2024 invested 33% more in licensing deals, on average, than in 2023 with an eye toward enriching their pipelines with novel and potentially more effective therapies. -
Several companies—including JCR Pharmaceuticals, Denali Therapeutics and Regenxbio—have products in the pipeline that could improve treatment options for this rare disease. -
CAR T–focused biotech Cargo Therapeutics surprised and disappointed analysts when it announced that it would discontinue a mid-stage trial of its lead program, firi-cel.
