The German giant has already trimmed more than 10,000 employees since initiating a massive restructuring initiative in July 2023. Bayer said even more cuts are coming as it weathers up-and-down sales across its portfolio.
Terns, once a rising star in obesity and the MASH space, will refocus on cancer and partner out a handful of obesity assets.
Maziar Mike Doustdar, who was named as Novo Nordisk’s new CEO last week, spoke on a second quarter earnings call of reallocating resources to the company’s “main core” of metabolic disease.
President Donald Trump plans to start with a “small tariff” on pharmaceutical imports before ramping duties up to 250% within a year and a half.
BioNTech also laid off 63 employees in June in conjunction with the discontinuation of its cell therapy manufacturing operations in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
The Department of Health and Human Services is terminating around $500 million in BARDA contracts associated with mRNA vaccine development, a move that will affect several pharma companies, including Moderna, Pfizer, Sanofi and AstraZeneca.
FEATURED STORIES
Gene therapies have ridden investor mania to huge valuations but commercialization challenges have pushed market caps to the floor. At a roundtable last week, FDA leaders promised faster approvals and broad support to the industry.
As multiple companies vie to expand on Alnylam’s success in commercializing RNAi therapeutics, the pioneering company has set a goal of targeting small interfering RNA to any tissue by 2030.
Vaccine skepticism is at an all-time high in the U.S., and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making some drastic moves in the name of reversing that trend. But misinformation and inconsistencies within the country’s healthcare agencies highlight problems with his approach.
Analysts reacted positively to the news that uniQure is in alignment with the FDA on an accelerated approval pathway and on target for a Q1 2026 submission for its one-time gene therapy for Huntington’s disease—but patients have been here before.
J&J has a multi-year head start, but Gilead believes it can win market share by delivering a drug with better safety and at least as good efficacy.
Jefferies has predicted more small tuck-in deals to come, as biotechs struggle to access capital despite key clinical milestones on the horizon.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
Establishing trust through thought leadership is no longer optional in today’s cautious biopharma market. Learn how strategic insights and targeted outreach can turn awareness into high-converting leads.
LATEST PODCASTS
A consumer-driven weight loss market could put pharma at greater risk if a recession hits; the continued turmoil at FDA and other HHS agencies magnifies the uncertainty facing the industry; Lilly files a lawsuit against a med spa selling its drugs; and more.
Biopharma leaders react to the forced resignation of CBER Head Peter Marks as RFK Jr.’s promised job cuts begin at the FDA; Novo Nordisk presents mixed results from oral semaglutide in cardiovascular disease; the EU’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use declines to recommend Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug; and pharma R&D returns grew in 2024.
In this episode presented by DIA, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the evolution of women’s inclusion in clinical trials with Martin Hodosi, partner at Kearney and Melissa Laitner, director of strategic initiatives at the National Academy of Medicine.
Job Trends
As part of a strategic reorganization intended in part to support the ongoing launch of its postpartum depression drug, Sage Therapeutics is cutting more than 165 employees.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the second quarter of 2025, with increased pressure from further layoffs.
BioSpace did a deep dive into executive pay, examining the highest compensation packages, pay ratios and golden parachutes—what a CEO would get paid to leave.
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.
DEALS
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Despite making an unsolicited bid for gene therapy maker bluebird bio, Ayrmid failed to deliver a binding offer after weeks of due diligence. Bluebird’s board recommended that it go with Carlyle and SK Capital Partner’s original offer to take the company private for $30 million. -
Merck has not disclosed which of its peptide therapies it plans to develop oral formulations for. -
The French pharma is getting Black Diamond’s de-prioritized molecule for non-small cell lung cancers with specific mutations whose development had been paused to save money. -
Roche’s up to $1 billion investment will provide access to Oxford BioTherapeutics’ antibody-drug conjugate platform for undisclosed cancer targets. -
In this episode of Denatured, BioSpace’s Head of Insights Lori Ellis and Miruna Sasu, CEO of COTA, discuss the challenges of inclusion and exclusion criteria of clinical trial patients, and reflect on current investment approaches around women’s health.
WEIGHT LOSS
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As Q1 2025 earnings season continues, tariffs remain top of mind for pharma CEOs and investors. Meanwhile, the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual event kicks off this year’s oncology conference season. Plus, will the FDA become politicized under HHS Secretary RFK Jr.? -
In December 2024, the FDA affirmed that the shortage of tirzepatide, marketed as Zepbound for weight loss, had ended, formally barring compounders from producing their knockoff versions of the drug. -
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary talks about his plans to revamp drug development and reduce ‘conflicts of interest’ between the agency and pharma industry; Roche and Regeneron jump on the U.S. manufacturing train as Trump’s tariffs loom; and Eli Lilly scores a big win for orforglipron while Novo Nordisk reveals it has applied for FDA approval of its oral semaglutide.
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Novo Nordisk filed for approval of an oral, 25-mg formulation of its weight loss blockbuster “earlier this year,” according to a company spokesperson. -
President Donald Trump in February threatened top pharma leaders, including Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks, with tariffs unless they reshore their manufacturing operations.
POLICY
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Susan Monarez, already acting director of the CDC, said during her confirmation hearing that she sees no causal link between vaccines and autism. -
Without providing further context, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says that Gavi needs to “start taking vaccine safety seriously” by considering “the best science available.” -
The newly appointed members of the CDC’s influential vaccine committee meet Wednesday and Thursday under an unusually rapid timeline, with unexpected topics on the agenda. -
With much to cover, Democrats tackled Kennedy’s MAHA report; the firing of all members of the CDC’s ACIP committee; and much more. Little was accomplished, as Kennedy demurred and members of Congress accused him of risking American lives. -
Drug pricing, budget cuts, tariffs and other shifts under the Trump administration undermine the biopharma and healthcare ecosystem.
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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.
HOTBEDS
REPORTS
BioSpace has created guidelines on how biopharma organizations, large and small, can effectively support employee resource groups (ERGs), encouraging both their creation and ongoing participation.
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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Arguably the most notable of the FDA’s upcoming decisions is that regarding Gilead’s twice-yearly HIV prophylaxis lenacapavir. -
Here’s how companies can ensure they’re in compliance with new requirements that go into effect in August. -
The medium-sized biopharma is showing off new results from dordaviprone and Zepzelca, both of which were acquired through Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ dealmaking over the last five years. -
Despite mixed results, analysts maintained faith in ivonescimab’s ability to cross over between Eastern and Western patient populations. -
At the heart of the deal is an anti-Claudin18.2 antibody-drug conjugate being developed for solid tumors, including gastric cancer and pancreatic cancer.
NEUROSCIENCE
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To more effectively treat neurodegenerative conditions, we first need diagnostic tools that lend a more complete picture of protein aggregates in the brain. -
The Alchemab deal will further strengthen Lilly’s early-stage pipeline for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, coming less than a year after the pharma licensed QurAlis’ antisense oligonucleotide to correct a specific protein alteration in ALS. -
The biotech’s Huntingtin-targeting molecule lowered blood levels of the protein and elicited functional improvements in earlier-stage patients, but results were not as robust in other biomarkers or with patients at later stages of the disease. -
Announcing first-quarter results, Biogen CEO Chris Viehbacher admitted that tariffs are “a new topic for us,” but said he does not expect major impacts—at least for 2025. -
According to CEO Daniel Vitt, clinical and disability-related outcomes are more relevant than brain volume change for drug development in multiple sclerosis.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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The cell and gene therapy space in recent months has hit several speedbumps, including layoffs, dropped drugs and discontinued partnerships. -
The condition, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, causes chronic wounds and has an 84% mortality rate by age 40. -
As tariffs, HHS workforce cuts and the ouster of CBER Director Peter Marks threaten the “lifeblood” of the cell and gene therapy space, experts express wariness over the unknowns and optimism that Marks’ legacy will carry on. -
The cell and gene therapy company is cutting 47 employees and its entire lupus program to focus resources on two CAR Ts. The move follows a reconfiguration last year to move into immunology. -
Paul Stoffels left his perch as J&J’s chief scientific officer in 2022 to replace Galapagos’ founding CEO Onno van de Stolpe, inheriting a company that had suffered a series of clinical failures since its 1999 creation.
