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.
Belrestotug showed underwhelming efficacy outcomes in mid-stage studies of non-small cell lung cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Arcturus is extending its cash runway into 2028 by discontinuing its early-stage vaccine candidates.
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.
FEATURED STORIES
As the Trump administration slashes funding for HIV-related research and infrastructure, Gilead, Immunocore and more are targeting the next goalpost: a cure.
To more effectively treat neurodegenerative conditions, we first need diagnostic tools that lend a more complete picture of protein aggregates in the brain.
With President Donald Trump expected to deliver a drug pricing order on Monday that Big Pharma and patient groups alike have railed against, the industry’s tumultuous ride is far from over.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
Konstantina Katcheves, Senior VP of Innovative Global Business Development at Teva Pharmaceuticals brings insights from the World Economic Forum to SCOPE 2025.
LATEST PODCASTS
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 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.
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.
Job Trends
Following challenges with its drug candidate bexotegrast and announcement of a limited-duration stockholder rights program, Pliant is paring back its workforce.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
Year-over-year BioSpace data show there were fewer job postings live on the website in the fourth quarter of 2024, and the decrease was higher than the third quarter’s drop.
The J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference started off with a flurry of deals that reinvigorated excitement across the biopharma industry. Johnson & Johnson moved to acquire Intra-Cellular Therapies for $14.6 billion, breaking a dealmaking barrier that kept Big Pharma’s 2024 biotech buyouts to under $5 billion.
In this deep dive BioSpace explores the opportunities and challenges presented by the FDA’s accelerated approval program.
DEALS
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Policy uncertainties are impacting biopharma dealmaking from continent to continent, with companies being asked to walk a tightrope on their relations with China. -
The deal is a blast from the not-too-distant past, when special purpose acquisition companies were an easy way for companies to list on the public market with a bundle of cash to operate on. -
Roche’s Genentech is betting on the Flagship Pioneering–founded company’s discovery platform called DECODE to find new targets for an undisclosed autoimmune disorder. -
Alis Biosciences’ plan is a familiar tactic in the private equity world, but the firm will instead be listed on the public markets “in due course.” -
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.
WEIGHT LOSS
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In an internal memo, the World Health Organization signaled its support for anti-obesity drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound, which the agency decided against listing in 2023, the last time the Essential Medicines list was updated. -
Like fellow Big Pharmas Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson, Amgen is urging the Trump administration to consider tax policy instead of tariffs to promote domestic pharma manufacturing. -
Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks is confident that weight loss med Zepbound is gaining market share at the expense of Wegovy, even as its rival strikes deals with CVS and Hims & Hers pharmacies. -
To say, as CEO David Ricks did, that this was a good quarter, is an understatement. Mounjaro in diabetes brought in $3.84 billion for the quarter while Zepbound in weight loss booked $2.31 billion. -
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.?
POLICY
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The FDA and CDC have also recommended pausing the use of Ixchiq in seniors 60 years and older while safety investigations are ongoing. -
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. -
Yes, according to leading vaccine physician Paul Offit, who denounced the new placebo-controlled trial requirements for vaccines and sought greater clarity: “I don’t know what they’re talking about.” -
A new executive order from President Donald Trump aims to cut down the 5-to-10-year timeline to build new facilities while stepping up the rigor of inspections on foreign plants. -
Twenty attorneys general allege that the recent workforce reduction at the Department of Health and Human Services is unlawful and could have potentially irreversible consequences.
A BioSpace LinkedIn poll found that job ghosting and ghost jobs are the biggest pet peeves for applicants now. Recruitment Manager Greg Clouse offers advice on dealing with them.
M&As are stressful for multiple reasons, including role changes and getting laid off when staffs combine. Two talent experts share tips for navigating the transition period of your company’s merger or acquisition.
Looking for a biopharma job in New Jersey? Check out the BioSpace list of eight companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
Turn your career aspirations into reality with this step-by-step guide to creating and implementing a strategic professional development plan for 2025.
Being laid off is bad enough. When companies mishandle the layoff process, it can make the situation even worse. Four biopharma professionals share how some employers are getting it wrong.
Job postings in California took a dip in December during the holiday period, but activity is expected to pick up in January.
HOTBEDS
REPORTS
Year-over-year BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the first quarter of 2025.
The 9% average salary increase from 2023 to 2024 was the largest for life sciences professionals since 2021. Several factors could be behind the spike, including companies providing higher pay because bonuses and stock compensation went down.
Landing a job remains challenging for life sciences professionals, according to a new BioSpace report. While 59% of surveyed organizations are actively recruiting, nearly half of unemployed survey respondents had been out of work for at least six months, and 20% of surveyed employers expect to lay off employees this year.
CANCER
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BNT327, a PD-L1/VEGF therapy, is still currently being manufactured in China, but BioNTech is working to establish a diversified supply chain, executives said during the company’s Q1 investor call. -
On the FDA’s docket this month are two expansion bids, one for GSK’s asthma drug Nucala into COPD and another for Merck’s oral cancer drug for a pair of rare tumors. -
Jefferies analysts said Moderna’s first quarter was “in line,” with a miss on revenue offset by a beat on earnings per share. -
The American Association for Cancer Research’s annual conference featured updates from several companies on key candidates and assets, including Merck’s Keytruda and GSK’s Jemperli. -
The drug, a small molecule protein inhibitor, brought in $132 million in the first quarter, missing consensus estimates by 17%.
NEUROSCIENCE
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According to CEO Daniel Vitt, clinical and disability-related outcomes are more relevant than brain volume change for drug development in multiple sclerosis. -
Following the recent discontinuations of assets in Alzheimer’s and migraine, AstraZeneca is stepping away from neuro altogether. -
Biohaven will use the money to bankroll commercial preparations for the spinocerebellar ataxia drug candidate troriluzole, which is currently under FDA review with a decision expected in the third quarter. -
Despite a dip in sales and a recent schizophrenia stumble, the company drew an optimistic outlook for sales for the rest of the year, even as the specter of pharmaceutical tariffs looms. -
With a new raise provided by Flagship Pioneering, the new company is aiming to find “the silent window” before disease symptoms set in.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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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. -
Stifel analysts said that Lexeo’s data showing reduced size and thickness of the heart’s left ventricle are “supportive of a drug effect” for the company’s gene therapy in Friedreich’s ataxia cardiomyopathy. -
One day after the European Medicines Agency requested that three clinical trials of Elevidys be placed on hold after the death of a U.S. teenager, a data monitoring committee concluded that they should continue unchanged.
