While ALTO-203 missed its depression-related endpoints, improvements in EEG biomarkers, attention and wakefulness point to signals of drug activity, William Blair said, though the analysts pointed to other indications as potentially more promising for future development.
Susan Monarez, already acting director of the CDC, said during her confirmation hearing that she sees no causal link between vaccines and autism.
Jefferies analysts called the proxy filing, which is a standard disclosure after a merger agreement, “much more intriguing than normal” given the regulatory turmoil it revealed.
Minovia’s lead product is MNV-201, an autologous hematopoietic stem cell product that is enriched with allogeneic mitochondria.
Flagship Pioneering’s ProFound Therapeutics will use its proprietary technology to mine the expanded proteome for novel cardiovascular therapeutics. Novartis has promised to pay up to $750 million per target, though it has not specified how many targets it will go after.
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.”
FEATURED STORIES
Eli Lilly this week announced plans to sell single-dose vials of its weight loss drug Zepbound directly to consumers. Novo Nordisk could adopt a similar strategy for Wegovy as its CEO is set to testify Sept. 24 before the Senate health committee.
Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are all targeting Big Pharma’s practice of filing multiple, overlapping patents that stifle generic and biosimilar competition.
The vaccine maker is competing with well-established rivals in markets that have a mix of demand issues as well as commercial and structural headwinds, as the biotech looks to establish new growth drivers.
In this deep dive BioSpace dissects the global obesity and diabetes markets along with the growing pipelines that aim to serve them.
As the pharma industry awaits congressional action on the bill, gaping holes in the domestic drug manufacturing ecosystem have never been clearer.
Experts say Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 drugs are unlikely to reach more countries in the near term, but Sanofi’s diabetes treatment has gained ground globally.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
Listen now for a high-level discussion on overcoming pharmaceutical supply chain challenges through end-to-end integration.
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode of Denatured, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis and Colin Zick, partner at Foley Hoag LLP, spend time discussing some of the points brought up in the Bioprocessing Summit last month. They explore the connections between hammers, AI, The Planet of the Apes and monoliths.
The White House is clamping down on pharma’s ability to buy new molecules from Chinese biotechs; Sanofi, Merck and others abandon the U.K. after the introduction of a sizeable levy; Novo CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar lays off 9,000 while the company presents new data at EASD; Capsida loses a patient in a gene therapy trial; and CDER Director George Tidmarsh walks back comments on FDA adcomms.
This week’s release of the Make America Health Again report revealed continued emphasis on vaccine safety; Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s faceoff with senators last week amounted to political theater; the FDA promises complete response letters in real time and shares details on a new rare disease framework; and Summit disappoints at the World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
In this deep dive, BioSpace explores the next big thing in obesity.
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.
DEALS
  1. Armed with a pipeline of obesity and diabetes hopefuls, Carmot Therapeutics joins the small group of biotechs to attempt a Nasdaq debut this year.
  2. Successful drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are just the beginning of what one analyst says could be “the largest therapeutic class of drugs that the biopharma industry has ever seen.”
  3. The Japanese biotechnology and food company has bought into the gene therapy space with its $620 million acquisition of Ohio-based CDMO and clinical-stage biotech Forge Biologics.
  4. The cell therapy-focused biotech will use most of the net proceeds from its initial public offering to fund Phase II clinical trials for its lead program, a novel CAR T-cell candidate.
  5. The New York-based genetic medicine company, which expects gross proceeds of approximately $100 million, joins a small group of biotechs that have launched initial public offerings this year.
WEIGHT LOSS
  1. In an effort to improve diversity and accessibility in clinical trials, Boehringer Ingelheim is partnering with Walgreens to conduct a Phase III study in obesity and type 2 diabetes.
  2. It wasn’t calls from lawmakers but market competition with Eli Lilly’s Zepbound that prompted Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of its blockbuster weight-loss drug.
  3. Following strong Phase II data, Amgen is going all in on its next-generation obesity treatment MariTide, with plans to run a Phase III trial and a separate mid-stage study for diabetes.
  4. Novo Nordisk on Thursday reported a jump in first-quarter 2024 revenue, driven by a more than 100% increase in sales of weight-loss drug Wegovy and the strong performance of type 2 diabetes medication Ozempic.
  5. In a bid to improve competition in the industry, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is challenging the patents of 20 different pharmaceutical products, disputing the accuracy and relevance of their patents.
POLICY
  1. A senior senator has asked the CEOs of both companies to provide information about the limits they are putting on 340B drug pricing for hospitals.
  2. Regeneron’s lawsuit, filed earlier this year, alleged more than 30 counts of patent infringement against Amgen and its biosimilar to the blockbuster eye therapy Eylea.
  3. As technology continues to evolve, companies should have strategies that incorporate an understand of where they are now, where they want to be, and do they have the talent to get there.
  4. In a high-profile showdown Tuesday with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Senate health committee, Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen will be asked to defend the drugs’ U.S. monthly list prices of $969 and $1,349, respectively.
  5. Regulators, policymakers and others can more effectively battle the disease by creating incentives to make mpox a more attractive investment opportunity.
CAREER HUB
Check out these 10 inspiring, motivating Ted Talks when you’re on the job market. They’ll make you think, look your goals and fears squarely in the face, and give you some much-needed perspective during a time of great change and opportunity.
Ask yourself these questions to get an idea of whether a new job should be in your near future.
Establishing rapport with someone you’ve just met who also may hold your future in their hands is not easy. Continue reading to discover how to establish rapport with your interviewer.
The first few minutes of your job interview are critical, as studies show hiring managers form strong impressions to make their hiring decisions based on these early minutes of the interview.
Here are three tips to help you land a management position when you’ve never been a manager.
It has been said that qualifications are more of a “wish list” for employers, who do not expect to find someone who meets all the requirements.
Simply staying organized will help you make sure you never miss a beat. Here are a few small steps that’ll make a big difference.
HOTBEDS
Where are the Best Places to Work in life sciences? BioSpace’s annual Best Places to Work list demonstrates a company’s desirability in the recruitment marketplace - find out who made the list this year.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claims that through an alleged kickback scheme Eli Lilly “fraudulently sought to maximize profits at taxpayer expense.”
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
  1. The Connecticut-based biotech, which emerged from stealth last year, has secured $202 million to date as it looks to move two assets targeting prostate and breast cancer into the clinic.
  2. Gilead Sciences’ liver disease portfolio delivered surprisingly robust performance in the second quarter, jumping 17% as the company awaits next week’s potential FDA approval of seladelpar in primary biliary cholangitis.
  3. Citius Pharmaceuticals’ Lymphir is a reformulated version of denileukin diftitox—an FDA-approved cancer therapy—and the only treatment for cutaneous T cell lymphoma that targets the IL-2 receptor located on malignant T cells and Tregs.
  4. The pharma said Thursday it is stopping a late-stage study of its blockbuster Keytruda plus the anti-TIGIT antibody vibostolimab and chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, following a recommendation from an independent data monitoring committee.
  5. Servier Pharmaceuticals’ vorasidenib on Tuesday secured the FDA’s green light for the treatment of patients with grade 2 gliomas carrying mutations in the IDH gene.
NEUROSCIENCE
  1. Sage Therapeutics announced Wednesday it is scrapping its Parkinson’s disease program after the company’s investigational drug showed no benefit over placebo. Phase II studies of the oral treatment will continue in Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
  2. After withdrawing ALS drug Relyvrio from the U.S. and Canadian markets and laying off 70% of its workforce, the Cambridge, Mass.–based biopharma got a much-needed win in Wolfram syndrome.
  3. At this week’s American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, Amylyx provided additional data from its Phase III amyotrophic lateral sclerosis study showing the full extent of Relyvrio’s failure.
  4. Amylyx looks to the future after Relyvrio withdrawal, ADCs continue to attract investment and the drug shortage persists in the U.S.
  5. Already approved in schizophrenia and bipolar depression, Intra-Cellular Therapies reported strong late-stage data Tuesday for its antipsychotic Caplyta in major depressive disorder.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
  1. On Thursday, Kyverna Therapeutics is debuting on the Nasdaq with an upsized initial public offering which the biotech will use to support its pipeline of anti-CD19 CAR T therapy candidates.
  2. Under the FDA’s compassionate use program, an eyedrop formulation of Krystal Biotech’s Vyjuvek restored the vision of a teenager with the rare genetic disease dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.
  3. Metagenomi could potentially raise over $100 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, assuming an initial public offering price of $16 per share.
  4. Topline results from a mid-stage study show that 4D Molecular Therapeutics’ investigational gene therapy cut annual rates of Eylea injections by 85% and 89% for the low and high doses, respectively.
  5. The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will meet on March 15 to discuss BMS and J&J applications for their CAR T-cell therapies Abecma and Carvykti, respectively.