The deal, which involves a $700 million upfront payment, gives AbbVie access to ISB 2001, a clinical-stage first-in-class trispecific antibody currently being tested for certain kinds of multiple myeloma as well as autoimmune indications.
Partners Ultragenyx and Mereo BioPharma saw their stocks drop by 21% and 30%, respectively, after announcing that the Phase II/III study of their osteogenesis imperfecta candidate will proceed to final analysis, implying it did not show sufficiently strong results at an interim analysis.
The move has sparked concern that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force could soon be dismissed after a decision by the high court affirmed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s power to remove its members at will.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will work with Gilead and other private backers to ensure the HIV preventive Yeztugo, approved last month by the FDA, is available in low- and middle-income countries, concurrent with high-income nations.
The number of employees laid off and companies letting people go increased year over year during the first half of 2025. BioSpace recaps the five largest layoff rounds, including cuts at Bayer, BMS and Teva.
Nuclidium’s radiopharmaceutical platform is unique in its use of copper-based payloads, which the biotech claims can deliver higher doses while also being safer.
FEATURED STORIES
A tale of two multi-billion schizophrenia deals, AstraZeneca touts strong sales while deflecting questions about an investigation into China exec, the Huntington’s pipeline builds momentum and layoffs continue with Sana Biotechnology and 23andMe.
Novo Holdings’ acquisition of Catalent has ignited concerns from industry stakeholders, who fear that the consolidation could limit competition, but there is also the possibility that the deal could represent an opportunity for smaller-scale CDMOs to find new partners.
Suggestions that the U.S. should emulate other countries on drug price controls or patents obscure how our present policies have allowed drug development to flourish.
BioSpace takes a look at the headlines across a heavy earnings week for biotechs, checking in on Allogene, Rapport and more.
CEO Roberto Iacone admitted in an interview that the market remains tough, even for a biotech in the red-hot ADC world. But Alentis is targeting an IPO as early as 2025.
Digitization enables each drug to have a software-enhanced version optimized for individual patients.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
Establishing trust through thought leadership is no longer optional in today’s cautious biopharma market. This webinar will show leaders how strategic insights and targeted outreach can turn awareness into high-converting leads. Watch now.
LATEST PODCASTS
BioSpace and guests from Halia Therapeutics, Triumvira Immunologics and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation discuss alternative financing strategies to consider for 2024. Listen now.
Greg Slabodkin, Heather McKenzie and Tyler Patchen discuss BioSpace’s tenth annual NextGen list of the hottest new life sciences companies.
On this episode of the Weekly: Biden administration puts pressure on the biopharma industry; renewed interest in psychedelics after MindMed announces LSD-based candidate meets primary endpoint; bluebird changes its tune.
Job Trends
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) announced today its first quarter 2024 results of operations.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
BioSpace did a deep dive into biopharma female executives who navigated difficult markets to lead their companies to high-value exits.
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.
DEALS
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Contineum Therapeutics joined the 2024 initial public offering class on Friday with an SEC filing. The biotech will use the IPO proceeds to complete a Phase II trial for its most mature candidate targeting multiple sclerosis. -
At the center of the deal is Amolyt Pharma’s late-stage candidate eneboparatide for the rare disease hypoparathyroidism. AstraZeneca also gains ownership of AZP-3813, which is being assessed for acromegaly in a Phase I trial. -
IFM Therapeutics announced Wednesday its subsidiary IFM Due has been acquired by Novartis. The acquisition provides the Swiss pharma with full rights to IFM Due’s portfolio of STING antagonists targeting inflammation-driven diseases. -
The early-stage oncology startup filed for an initial public offering on Wednesday, seeking funds to help develop its novel cancer therapies targeting extrachromosomal DNA. -
Follow along as BioSpace keeps you up to date on the latest pharma and biotech M&As, from announcements to closings.
WEIGHT LOSS
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By the end of the year, Novo Nordisk intends to make a regulatory filing for the combination of its icodec and semaglutide, keeping its once-weekly insulin program afloat. -
Hundreds of companies are currently running clinical trials in the increasingly lucrative obesity space. BioSpace looks at five candidates with data expected before the end of the year. -
This week, Q2 earnings from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly revealed that the competition between the pharma giants’ weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound is getting closer. -
Eli Lilly comfortably cleared analyst estimates in the second quarter after improving supply of its blockbuster tirzepatide brands Mounjaro and Zepbound, which together generated more than $4 billion in sales. -
Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide brands Ozempic and Wegovy fell short of analyst expectations in the second quarter, mainly held back by supply headwinds. The company’s shares dropped more than 7% in Wednesday morning trading.
POLICY
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Less than a day into his second term, President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on communications at major public health agencies, among other moves that have sent waves through the biopharma industry. -
The settlement is the largest deal to date with the people primarily who played an “instrumental role” in driving the opioid crisis, according to the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. -
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s recent disclosures have revealed several potential conflicts of interest, including investments in two biopharma companies. -
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled that Vanda cannot claim a breach of confidentiality for specifications that it did not develop itself. -
At J.P. Morgan, most biopharma executives expressed a neutral stance on the incoming administration, but just days later, President Trump issued multiple executive orders that concern the industry.
Here are four questions to think about when considering a career change during the pandemic.
A career in regulatory affairs combines knowledge of law, science, economics and more. Those who follow this biotech career path aren’t necessarily scientists, but they do need to understand the science behind the products that they need to regulate.
Are you currently working full time and in school earning a master’s degree? If so, do learn these time management skills to balance your personal and professional life.
Establishing boundaries between your personal and professional lives is the key to maintaining fulfilling versions of each.
Is your job is slowly starting to make you feel unmotivated or unproductive? Are you unable to work properly? Use these motivation tips to rejuvenate yourself.
As we leave the winter of 2020-21 behind, let’s learn more about the strategies to help college graduates secure employment during COVID-19.
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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Scemblix was granted accelerated approval by the FDA for the treatment of certain patients newly diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. The expanded indication increases the eligible patient population by approximately four times, according to Novartis.
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Jefferies analyst Kelly Shi in a Sunday note to investors said that both data drops for Revolution Medicines’ experimental RAS inhibitors are positive and could be “synergistic” in the first-line setting for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. -
Bank of America analysts said prior to Thursday’s readout that Tyra Biosciences’ TYRA-300 could rival Johnson & Johnson’s kinase inhibitor Balversa, which has suffered from safety concerns and poor tolerability. -
The regulator’s approval on Friday of Vyloy for gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer makes it the first and only claudin 18.2–targeted therapy approved in the U.S. for these indications, according to Astellas. -
Pharmaceutical companies are combining antibodies with radioisotopes in a bid to more precisely deliver radiation to cancers and tumors.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Psychedelic drug developers are undeterred by the FDA’s Complete Response Letter for the company’s MDMA therapy for PTSD, and experts expect Lykos will ultimately obtain approval. -
On the heels of last week’s FDA rejection of Lykos’ MDMA-assisted PTSD therapy, Atai announced Tuesday positive preliminary results for its DMT-based treatment for depression from a Phase Ib study. -
Crexont was previously rejected by the regulator in June 2023, citing insufficient safety data. However, Amneal Pharmaceuticals’ resubmission included findings from a healthy volunteer study. -
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. -
Sangamo Therapeutics announced Tuesday it secured an exclusive licensing agreement with Roche’s Genentech, which is paying $50 million in near-term upfront fees and milestone payments to develop novel genomic medicines for neurodegenerative diseases.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Launched in 2021, the public-private consortium on Wednesday updated ASGCT attendees on its efforts to bring adeno-associated virus gene therapies to more rare disease patients. -
We are in an unprecedented time in neurotherapeutics. Medicines that address the causative disease biology underlying central nervous system -
In a fireside chat at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy conference, CBER Director Peter Marks spoke with Takeda’s Kristin Van Goor about how the regulator is approaching the exploding gene therapy space. -
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday revealed that its investigational gene therapy DB-OTO restored hearing in two young children, according to an oral presentation at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy annual meeting. -
Pfizer’s investigational Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy fordadistrogene movaparvovec has been hit with another patient death, forcing the pharma to pause dosing in its Phase III study.
