Following the recent discontinuations of assets in Alzheimer’s and migraine, AstraZeneca is stepping away from neuro altogether.
While Vaxart can proceed with its study, fellow COVID-19 vaccine developers GeoVax and Novavax continue to be hamstrung by various regulatory roadblocks.
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.
The company’s $3 billion in earnings for the first quarter missed on both top and bottom line, according to BMO Capital Markets. Adding insult to injury, the FDA declined to approve a prefilled syringe of its ophthalmology cornerstone.
Pfizer’s R&D organization has been in flux for almost two years now, since the $43 billion acquisition of ADC specialist Seagen. The new cuts were revealed in the company’s Q1 earnings report.
Spruce Biosciences is cutting over half of its employees as it looks to secure accelerated approval of a Sanfilippo syndrome therapy it recently acquired from BioMarin.
FEATURED STORIES
In the current legal and political landscape, it is all about survival for DEI initiatives.
More than a decade after Merck’s Keytruda and BMS’ Yervoy ushered in the immuno-oncology revolution, the space is at a crossroads, with experts highlighting novel targets, combinations and pre-emptive immunization as the next wave for IO.
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.
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
The biggest conferences of the year dominated news this week: the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting and the BIO International Convention.
In this second episode of our collaboration with DIA, we discuss the challenging, collaborative process of regulating advanced therapy product development with guests James Wabby, AbbVie and Rob Schulz, Suttons Creek, Inc.
AstraZeneca targets $80 billion in revenue by 2030, layoffs at Bayer, BMS and Pfizer continue to generate attention across the biopharma industry, Takeda takes a deep dive into the molecular glue space and conference season is in full swing.
Job Trends
Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Arcus Biosciences, Inc. announced longer-term efficacy and safety results from Arm A1 of the Phase 2 EDGE-Gastric study.
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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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Eli Lilly becomes the latest to make a major investment in immunology and inflammation, while antibody-drug conjugate biopharma Myricx Bio nets a large Series A round and new research highlights the potential and possible risks of GLP-1s. -
After pulling its ALS drug Relyvrio from the market, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals is looking to target the GLP-1 space with the purchase of Eiger BioPharmaceuticals’ avexitide, which has been studied for the treatment of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. -
The blood plasma pharma is considering a buyout offer from the founding family and asset manager Brookfield, which would delist the company from the Spanish and Nasdaq markets. -
Eli Lilly on Monday announced a $3.2 billion all-cash deal to purchase Morphic and its pipeline of oral integrin therapies in a move to expand the pharma’s presence in the autoimmune diseases space. -
GSK on Wednesday restructured its contract with CureVac to gain access to the biotech’s influenza and COVID-19 programs for $430 million upfront and up to $1.13 billion in future payments.
WEIGHT LOSS
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After psychological side effects doomed the first generation of cannabinoid receptor 1–targeting drugs for weight loss, Novo Nordisk, Corbus Pharmaceuticals and Skye Bioscience are betting that a new mechanism of action will improve the safety profile. -
Scaling GLP-1 manufacturing capacity remains a key priority for the pharma industry, to help supply catch up with the insatiable demand for weight loss drugs. -
BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman called it “another positive indication” for Eli Lilly, whose top-selling diabetes and weight loss drugs are gaining market share as manufacturing continues to expand, while noting the drugmaker could start to benefit heading into third quarter earnings. -
Venture Capital firms Atlas Venture, Bain Capital Life Sciences and RTW Investments have led a $400 million Series A for Kailera Therapeutics, the latest obesity biotech to hit the scene. -
A week after it released positive early-stage data, Metsera has partnered with Amneal Pharmaceuticals in an effort to secure the development and supply of its investigational weight loss therapy MET-097.
POLICY
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Other notable greenlights this year include Bristol Myers Squibb’s Cobenfy, the first novel therapeutic for schizophrenia in 35 years, and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ Rezdiffra, the first-ever treatment for MASH. -
AbbVie’s blockbuster Humira held 105 patents, shielding the anti-inflammatory drug from biosimilar competition for more than 20 years. Proposed reforms could help prevent companies from extending exclusivity with such patent thickets. -
Now that they’ve received the go-signal from both U.S. and EU anti-trust regulators, Novo Holdings and Catalent expect to wrap up their deal in the coming days. -
A week after dining with Trump and his team at Mar-a-Lago, leaders at Pfizer and Eli Lilly have publicly stated that they intend to collaborate with the incoming administration on key issues affecting the pharma industry. -
Former president and CEO of CytoDyn Nader Pourhassan along with Kazem Kazempour, former CEO of the CRO running CytoDyn’s trials, are awaiting sentencing but could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of securities and wire fraud and insider trading.
Known as the Lone Star Bio Hotbed, Texas is home to multiple major players in the biopharma and biotech space and is currently a fast-growing hub for the life science industry.
You know it’s important to nail the interview with a potential employer, but it’s what you do after an interview that might really influence your chances of getting the job. Find out how in our guide.
Being laid off from a job is stressful. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to curb some of that stress, relieve financial worries and make finding your next position as smooth a process as possible.
Read on to learn about the different nursing positions available in the biopharmaceutical industry, as well as the skills and qualifications you need to be a successful biopharma nurse.
Finding a new job can be a daunting task. From updating your resume to preparing for interviews, there are a lot of moving parts. To help, here are five interview techniques that actually work.
BioSpace spoke with three CEOs: Alto Neuroscience’s Dr. Amit Etkin, Omega Therapeutics’ Mahesh Karande and Rain Therapeutics’ Avanish Vellanki about their companies’ employment growth.
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 aims to generate around $1.5 billion in savings through 2025—a goal that it hopes to reach by lowering third-party expenditures, focusing only on key growth brands and cutting some 2,200 jobs by year-end. -
Some 90% of investigational drugs fail—and success rates are even more dire in the neuro space. Here, BioSpace looks at five clinical trial flops that stole headlines over the past 12 months. -
Incyte is abandoning its ALK2 blocker zilurgisertib, which it was trialing for myelofibrosis-associated anemia, while iTeos will deprioritize the development of inupadenant after it failed to meet the biotech’s clinical bar in a Phase II study of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. -
Pfizer, facing increasing pressure from Novartis, is touting a Phase III win for Ibrance as the first clinical evidence supporting the CDK4/6 inhibitor class’ use in patients with a specific type of breast cancer. -
Candel’s trial was conducted under the FDA’s Special Protocol Assessment program, meaning that its data could be used as a basis for a regulatory application.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Alto Neuroscience’s depression treatment failed to beat placebo just nine months after the biotech went public. The stunning failure called to mind Acelyrin, which faced a similar fate last year. -
Roche drops a third Alzheimer’s candidate this year, terminating a partnership with UCB just four years after agreeing to work together on new treatments for the neurological disease. -
Seaport Therapeutics, kick started by the former leaders of Karuna Therapeutics, has raised $225 million in an oversubscribed Series B to fund a pipeline of neuropsychiatric medicines. -
BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman in a note to investors said the late-stage data for Vertex’s experimental non-opioid pain medication “reaffirms our confidence in the strength of suzetrigine’s profile.” However, William Blair analysts view these data as “an incremental positive” as the company faces challenges in targeting the acute pain market. -
Wave Life Sciences in a Tuesday filing with the SEC said Takeda has elected to terminate its option to continue work on Wave’s WVE-003 clinical-stage Huntington’s disease program—a potential $5 billion commercial opportunity, according to the biotech.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Regeneron, Akouos and Mass Eye and Ear are testing therapies that can reverse genetic protein deficiency to restore hearing, with promising early results. -
Likely to miss its initiation target, bluebird bio has renegotiated the loan deals of its agreement with Hercules Capital, giving it until June 30 next year—at the latest. -
Eli Lilly’s new research and development facility in Boston’s Seaport district will focus on DNA- and RNA-based therapies, as well as other priority areas such as diabetes and obesity. -
Patients in the U.K. with transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia will have access to Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ gene editing therapy Casgevy, thanks to an agreement with the National Health Service on the price.
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Experts say the time is now to develop and provide widespread access to genetic medicines for the rarest diseases. What’s more, they say it is a moral imperative.
