In this episode presented by DIA, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses how collaboration and investment shape the the future of women’s health with Martin Hodosi, partner at Kearney and Melissa Laitner, director of strategic initiatives at the National Academy of Medicine.
With a new raise provided by Flagship Pioneering, the new company is aiming to find “the silent window” before disease symptoms set in.
The FDA is asking Novavax for a non-mandatory postmarketing commitment to produce additional clinical data for its investigational COVID-19 vaccine.
The tradipitant saga stretches back to September 2024, when the FDA declined to approve Vanda’s drug in gastroparesis, a stomach condition characterized by delayed gastric emptying.
Proquad is rarely a newsmaker from Merck’s earnings, but this time around, the U.S. has had a series of measles outbreaks. Sales of the vaccine were $539 million for the quarter, a 5% decline from the same period in 2024.
Where thousands of former Health and Human Services employees will work next is unknown, but biopharma companies likely aren’t the main destination. Two biopharma executives discuss potential landing spots.
FEATURED STORIES
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.
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.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
While Quantum computing has been reported to be five years away for many years now, companies are preparing for it by setting foundations with AI in development.
LATEST PODCASTS
In the third episode of our mini series on artificial intelligence, Lori and guests continue their exploratory discussion on AI and the opportunity in patient lives.
Cell and gene therapy investment rebounds; WuXi Biologics and other companies named in BIOSECURE Act mull options; Bayer, J&J and Pfizer’s recent layoffs; updates from the weight loss space.
Bristol Myers Squibb wins approval for the first novel schizophrenia drug in decades; Pfizer pulls Oxbryta from the market; new IVF and abortion laws could derail women’s health research; Roche touts CDK inhibitor deal and obesity pipeline and BioSpace heads to Meeting on the Mesa.
Job Trends
Ascentage Pharma, a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in developing novel therapies for cancer, chronic hepatitis B, and age-related diseases, announced that the agreed equity investment by Takeda has been closed on June 20, 2024, with all proceeds already received.
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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
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With Novo Holdings’ $16.5 billion buyout of Catalent being reviewed by regulators, what work the contract drug manufacturer may or may not be performing for Eli Lilly remains a point of contention.
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In a deal worth up to $285 million initially for the lead program, Novo Nordisk will gain access to Ascendis’ TransCon technology platform in an effort to find novel GLP-1 candidates with reduced dosing frequency.
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Biogen touted strong Q3 sales of its Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi a day after announcing a deal worth up to $1.45 billion with Neomorph to discover and develop molecular glue degraders.
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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.
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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.
WEIGHT LOSS
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From ADCs and radiopharmaceuticals to cell and gene therapies, eager young startups are betting on advances in biopharma’s most competitive therapeutic spaces—and attracting dollars from Big Pharma.
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Seeking Alpha analyst Terry Chrisomalis regards Viking Therapeutics as the most attractive M&A candidate in 2025, bolstered by its strong obesity candidate VK2735 and largely de-risked MASH therapy VK2809.
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Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1s outsell Eli Lilly’s thanks to its superior marketing. Here’s how.
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Eli Lilly’s request to intervene in a suit filed by compounding pharmacies against the FDA reflects a belief the outcome could affect its business and that the FDA does not adequately represent its interests.
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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.
POLICY
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The Outsourcing Facilities Association, a trade group representing compounders, filed a similar lawsuit in October last year after the FDA formally ended the tirzepaptide shortage.
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Samsung Bioepis allegedly entered into an agreement with a third-party health company, allowing it to market its own private label of a Stelara biosimilar.
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President Trump also refused to promise pharma execs that he would hamstring the IRA’s drug negotiation program.
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Around 300 FDA staffers laid off last week are being asked to return. So far, the Trump administration has terminated some 1,000 employees from the agency.
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The postponed ACIP meeting comes barely a week after Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, despite controversy regarding his anti-vaccine history.
Presentations are standard requirements in the hiring process for some biopharma positions. Here’s how to approach them.
Depending on their needs, candidates can choose among tools such as AI-powered resume generators, professional coaches and university career services to hone their applications.
Companies are relying on artificial intelligence–powered applicant tracking systems to keep up the evolving recruitment demands. Here is how.
Artificial intelligence and a flood of data in the pharmaceutical industry will likely change some of the current functions of its data scientists, experts say, but the ability to learn and adapt to new technologies will remain key in this role.
Plus, tips for finding biophama job opportunities, and when and how to follow up after a job interview.
Academic and industry jobs are distinguished by their approaches to collaboration and exploratory research, among other factors.
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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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.
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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.
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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.
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Protein degradation–focused Neomorph nabs its third Big Pharma deal of around $1.5 billion in less than a year.
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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
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Effectively treating and preventing this common form of dementia will require a cocktail of drugs and a combination of approaches, as well as a drive toward early detection.
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With two earlier trials meeting their primary endpoints, Axsome claimed it has the data to support a filing for FDA approval in the second half of 2025.
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In a highly anticipated readout for the kappa opioid receptor class in major depressive disorder, Neumora’s navacaprant failed to meet the primary and key secondary endpoint in the first of three identical Phase III studies.
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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.
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BioArctic received $100 million upfront with another $1.25 billion in potential milestone payments on the line for two pyroglutamate-amyloid-beta antibodies.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Novartis’ up to $1.1 billion acquisition of gene therapy specialist Kate Therapeutics fits with the pharma’s plan to expand its new modality pipeline to ensure long-term business sustainability.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.