As major pharmas pull away from the U.K. and the U.S. risks ceding its lead through a national brain drain, the U.K. must create a new, more robust model for innovation.
Ivonescimab’s progression-free survival data in non-small cell lung cancer bode well for an upcoming overall survival readout, according to Truist analysts, who noted that “OS is likely to be statistically significant” in favor of the PD-1/VEGF bispecific.
Several sources are speculating that the potential buyer could be Eli Lilly, despite the breakdown of the pharma’s partnership with Nektar over atopic dermatitis therapy rezpeg.
Rybelsus can now be used as a primary or secondary prevention pill to lower the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in at-risk patients with type 2 diabetes.
Glaukos’ Epioxa allows cross-linking therapy for keratoconus without requiring an incision. The biotech expects to launch the drug early next year.
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz clarified that a deal has not yet been sealed with the manufacturer of semaglutide, Novo Nordisk, or any other GLP-1 drugmaker.
Roche will gain worldwide rights outside of the Greater China region to Hansoh’s HS-20110, an antibody-drug conjugate in early-stage development for colorectal cancer.
FEATURED STORIES
AI is enabling the development of a next generation of drugs that can more precisely target cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues.
FDA
After the gutting of the Department of Health and Human Services, fears mount about the future direction of the FDA—with regulatory experts predicting delays in drug approvals and greater influence of political appointees.
FDA
Lined up for the FDA in the coming weeks are a cell-based gene therapy for a rare skin disease and two product expansions for Regeneron, one with partner Sanofi.
As the biopharma industry grapples with the uncertain macro environment brought on by the new administration, CEOs, regulators and many others speak out.
Pharma stocks went on a wild ride Wednesday amid whiplashing tariff threats from the U.S. president.
FDA
Experts express concern that last week’s unprecedented FDA layoffs will trigger a little-known mechanism that could result in a “disaster” the Trump administration doesn’t see coming.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
The agency’s sweeping rollout and staff challenge underscore rising momentum behind agentic AI: advanced, multiagent systems now fueling early pilots in medical writing, patient engagement and regulatory workflows across the industry.
UPCOMING EVENTS
LATEST PODCASTS
Two CRLs from the FDA last week cited concerns with third-party manufacturers, while Indian CDMOs may make a bid for U.S. business if there is a decoupling from Chinese companies under the BIOSECURE Act.
DEI
This week on Denatured, Head of Insights Lori Ellis and guests discuss the implications of not addressing the DE&I data gaps for the future.
This week, we discuss the expanded approval of Sarepta’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys, Alnylam’s high stakes ATTR-CM win and highlights from ADA.
Job Trends
Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval for Breyanzi® (lisocabtagene maraleucel; liso-cel), a CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) who have received two or more prior lines of systemic therapy.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
In this deep dive, BioSpace investigates China’s rise as a biotech powerhouse.
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.
DEALS
  1. IPO
    Bicara Therapeutics, Zenas BioPharma and MBX Biosciences are seeking a combined $700 million-plus in IPO filings this week.
  2. Sanofi will join Big Pharma peers Novartis, BMS and Eli Lilly in radioligands, striking a $110 million licensing deal with RadioMedix and Orano Med to develop AlphaMedix for neuroendocrine tumors.
  3. Under a multi-year agreement announced Wednesday, Eli Lilly will leverage Haya Therapeutics’ proprietary RNA-guided genome platform to identify drug targets to address the chronic conditions.
  4. Not all licensing deals are successful. Here, BioSpace examines a few noteworthy assets that Big Pharma returned in the last 12 months.
  5. Belgium-based biopharma UCB is selling its Chinese neurology and allergy business to Singapore asset management firm CBC Group and Abu Dhabi investment company Mubadala.
WEIGHT LOSS
  1. From ADCs and radiopharmaceuticals to cell and gene therapies, eager young startups are betting on advances in biopharma’s most competitive therapeutic spaces—and attracting dollars from Big Pharma.
  2. Seeking Alpha analyst Terry Chrisomalis regards Viking Therapeutics as the most attractive M&A candidate in 2025, bolstered by its strong obesity candidate VK2735 and largely de-risked MASH therapy VK2809.
  3. Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1s outsell Eli Lilly’s thanks to its superior marketing. Here’s how.
  4. Eli Lilly’s request to intervene in a suit filed by compounding pharmacies against the FDA reflects a belief the outcome could affect its business and that the FDA does not adequately represent its interests.
  5. Already established as cornerstone therapies in diabetes and obesity, GLP-1 receptor agonists also show potential in several other indications, including cancer, addiction and neurodegenerative diseases.
POLICY
  1. Such a change would put the U.S. more in line with guidance in other countries and with the World Health Organization, which recommends one dose for children and adolescents only if they have comorbidities.
  2. 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.
  3. FDA
    FDA Commissioner Marty Makary last week announced a directive that would limit industry participation in the agency’s advisory committees. But not only do company reps serve only as non-voting members, a 1997 law actually requires industry involvement.
  4. Disruptive conditions are typical in non-Western markets. The U.S. industry, thrown into a period of significant change as the Trump administration overhauls HHS and considers implementing tariffs, could learn a thing or two by looking overseas.
  5. FDA
    In an interview with former Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary introduced a new mechanism-driven pathway that could be leveraged by rare disease therapies while saying that autism could potentially be driven by certain environmental factors.
CAREER HUB
What factors do you think affect burnout? Do you think some industries are more prone to burnout than others?
Workplace issues can arise anytime so it is always better to be prepared to seek out the problems directly in a mannered way to avoid any kind of personal rivalry.
Let’s talk about some common mistakes job candidates make during interviews, so you can steer clear of them for your next interview! Here’s how to nail a job interview.
Here are some effective career development tips that can help you stay ahead and accomplish milestones. Don;t miss any of it if you want a successful career.
Project leadership is not an easy task to handle. You become responsible for every action. Therefore, learn some tips to perform your duty effectively.
Here are tips for introverts who are trying to land their dream job.
According to Bloomberg, the Work Trend Index showed that 41% of the survey’s 30,000 respondents planned on leaving their current job.
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
The FDA approval of the siRNA drug Redemplo caps off a tumultuous 12 months for Arrowhead, whose partnership with Sarepta caused its own stock to drop during the gene therapy maker’s safety troubles this summer.
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 partnership dates back to 2015, when Incyte paid $60 million upfront for access to four checkpoint programs, including TIM-3, LAG-3, OX40 and GITR.
  2. Gilead beat consensus estimates in Q4 with $7.6 billion in revenue, driven largely by its HIV drug Biktarvy and CAR T therapies Trodelvy and Yescarta.
  3. A paper inadvertently published on the website of an ASCO conference revealed good results for mevrometostat in treating castration-resistant prostate cancer.
  4. Following an initial report from Reuters, Merck KGaA confirmed that it is in talks with SpringWorks for a potential acquisition, though details of its offer have yet to be revealed.
  5. Eli Lilly inked two collaborations on Monday, one focused on cardiometabolic diseases with South Korea’s OliX Pharmaceuticals and another for cancer therapies with Australia’s AdvanCell.
NEUROSCIENCE
  1. An OIG report zeroed in on what it said were three particularly problematic accelerated approvals: Biogen’s Aduhelm, Sarepta’s Exondys and Covis’ Makena.
  2. JPM25 is in full swing as several pharma powerhouses—including Merck, Lilly and Amgen—detail their strategies for growth in the coming year.
  3. The FDA accepted Biogen and Eisai’s BLA for a subcutaneous administration of the anti-amyloid antibody Monday as the partners await the regulator’s decision on a new intravenous regimen following an underwhelming launch riddled with coverage and accessibility barriers.
  4. Biogen’s proposed acquisition comes after two difficult years of regulatory and clinical challenges, during which shares of Sage Therapeutics have fallen by more than 90%.
  5. Among Intra-Cellular’s neuropsychiatric assets is Caplyta, a pill approved for schizophrenia and bipolar depression and proposed for major depressive disorder.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
  1. Allogene is ceasing enrollment in a Phase I trial of cema-cel for patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia after Bristol Myers Squibb’s Breyanzi was approved in the indication earlier this year.
  2. Following strong treatment response data for Adaptimmune’s lete-cel, the biotech is planning to initiate a rolling BLA submission to the FDA, set to start by the end of 2025.
  3. The FDA has followed in the footsteps of its European counterparts and granted accelerated approval to PTC Therapeutics’ gene therapy Kebilidi for AADC deficiency. It is the first approved gene therapy to be delivered directly to the brain.
  4. BioSpace takes a look at the headlines across a heavy earnings week for biotechs, checking in on Allogene, Rapport and more.
  5. Analysts did not seem very concerned by the treatment-related serious adverse event, noting that NGN-401 was well-tolerated at a lower dose and showed promising efficacy outcomes.