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.
The deal gives AstraZeneca’s rare disease unit Alexion access to specialized capsids developed by the Japanese biotech JCR Pharmaceuticals for use in up to five of Alexion’s gene therapies.
In the second biggest acquisition of the year, Merck gains the commercial COPD drug Ohtuvayre, which could help offset the loss of revenue when Keytruda’s patent expires later this decade.
The high court’s order blocks a May decision by a California court that temporarily blocked the efforts of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to drastically reduce the size of his agency’s workforce.
Leerink Partners called the announcement a ‘positive’ given the delayed timeframe and the uncertainty that the administration will implement tariffs at all.
The FDA will allow a new dosing schedule for Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla that could lessen a known side effect of the monoclonal antibody drug class that has led to several deaths.
FEATURED STORIES
BioSpace Senior Editor Annalee Armstrong headed to the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference with a months-long story idea brewing. Unfortunately, it was one she’s written before.
Of the 102 company launches or series A financings since October 2023, just nine had a woman at the helm, according to a BioSpace analysis. This is happening in an era of biotech where new company founders are searching for CEOs with a track record.
At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the Biotech CEO Sisterhood assembled in Union Square to showcase the large group of women and allies in biopharma as their authentic selves.
Faced with the encroaching threats of patent expirations and generics, biopharma companies in 2024 invested 33% more in licensing deals, on average, than in 2023 with an eye toward enriching their pipelines with novel and potentially more effective therapies.
AbbVie launched a revamped version of its Allē loyalty program, which ultimately was not adopted by providers. The marketing misstep comes as the company’s aesthetics franchise faces broader pressures.
Several companies—including JCR Pharmaceuticals, Denali Therapeutics and Regenxbio—have products in the pipeline that could improve treatment options for this rare disease.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
Establishing trust through thought leadership is no longer optional in today’s cautious biopharma market. Learn how strategic insights and targeted outreach can turn awareness into high-converting leads.
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode, Lori and guests discuss the pursuit of adequate representation and how clinical trials are being shaped by the legal environment they operate within.
Second-quarter earnings season continues with Big Pharma beating Wall Street expectations, the author of an encrypted email sent to BioSpace has a proposal for Moderna and Merck, Roche and Viking seek quicker entry to the obesity market, and AAIC is in full swing.
Despite early 2024 optimism, BioSpace’s Job Market Trends report outlines a still sluggish situation in the biopharma industry, Novartis and J&J announce Q2 earnings, GLP-1 market leaders expand into China and the Cassava Sciences saga continues.
Job Trends
Detailed positive results from the DESTINY-Breast06 Phase III trial showed that ENHERTU® demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival compared to standard-of-care chemotherapy in patients with HR-positive, HER2-low metastatic breast cancer and the overall trial population following one or more lines of endocrine therapy.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
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.
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.
DEALS
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Not all licensing deals are successful. Here, BioSpace examines a few noteworthy assets that Big Pharma returned in the last 12 months. -
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. -
Venture capital in the sector hit $9.2 billion in the second quarter of 2024, up from $7.4 billion in Q1, while exits fell on a slower M&A cycle and picky IPO market. -
M&A activity surges and IPOs return as the biotech industry navigates a changing business landscape marked by strategic consolidation and renewed investor focus on innovation. -
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.
WEIGHT LOSS
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The Danish startup, whose lead candidate has parallels to Amgen’s MariTide, launches on the heels of Amgen’s Phase II data release for the drug last week. -
SURMOUNT-5’s results reflect those of multiple real-world studies, which have found that tirzepatide treatment results in stronger weight loss than semaglutide. -
Amylin analogs present a strong alternative or complement to GLP-1 receptor agonists, potentially eliciting higher-quality weight loss with a cleaner tolerability profile. -
With Amgen’s MariTide results at the lower end of investors’ expectation of 20% to 25% weight loss, the much-anticipated readout sent the company’s shares tumbling. -
While taldefgrobep alfa failed to show improved motor function in spinal muscular atrophy, treated patients saw a marked reduction in body fat. Biohaven plans to launch a Phase II trial in obesity by the end of the year.
POLICY
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Last week, The Trump administration reversed a Biden-era proposal for Medicare coverage of anti-obesity treatments. But on Monday, HHS suggested it is open to future policy considerations toward this end. -
Senators Bill Cassidy and Bernie Sanders asked HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to make good on a pledge to appear before the committee regularly. It is not clear if or when the hearing, which was scheduled for Thursday, will take place. -
Under Friday’s final ruling anti-obesity medications for weight-loss will remain ineligible for Medicare coverage. -
Kennedy, a long-time opponent of vaccines, stated that the MMR vaccine is “the most effective way” to combat the measles outbreak, which has already claimed the lives of two children in the U.S. -
Pharma’s reprieve from Donald Trump’s tariffs is expected to be temporary, with Leerink analysts anticipating possible sector-specific duties “in the next month or so.”
The life science industry is growing rapidly, and many companies have announced expansions and job creation. Still, others have been forced to cut costs and slash jobs. For that and more, continue reading.
BioSpace spoke with Jay Johnson, the Director of Talent Acquisition for Orthopedics at Stryker, to find out what it takes to land a job in medical sales.
Since 2020, the life sciences industry has worked to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. But one sector’s growth has far outpaced the others–the biotech industry.
Location is everything when it comes to compensation in the life sciences. We’ve compiled data from BioSpace’s 2023 Life Sciences Salary Report to help you choose the best place to live and work.
Sales and marketing roles in the life sciences field are in high demand. To help with your job search, we’ve compiled a guide to sales and marketing jobs in the life sciences industry.
With a swirl of rumors around the changes in ownership in the pharma industry, this invariably triggers reviews of business strategies. Because of this, wider skillsets from related sectors are needed.
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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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. -
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. -
Adding a new indication for the CAR T cell therapy could help BMS offset the loss-of-exclusivity headwinds it faces in the coming years.
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Kuro Oncology and partner Kyowa Kirin are on track for an NDA submission for ziftomenib in the second quarter of this year. -
Despite significant dips in its vaccines sales, the British pharma narrowly beat consensus estimates for Q4 2024 and raised 2031 sales projections to just over $50 billion.
NEUROSCIENCE
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In a Type B meeting, the FDA signified that it will allow uniQure to use a natural history control, the composite Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale, and neurofilament light chain levels to support the accelerated approval of its gene therapy AMT-130. -
Relmada Therapeutics will halt two Phase III trials of a major depressive disorder drug after a futility assessment and explore strategic alternatives including a potential sale to maximize shareholder value. -
Tavapadon improved motor and daily living complications at week 26. The news comes nearly one month to the day after AbbVie announced the Phase II failure of another key Cerevel asset, emraclidine. -
The darlings of the weight loss and diabetes spaces, GLP-1 receptor agonists have shown promise against Alzheimer’s in recent studies—with Phase III results expected next year from Novo Nordisk. -
By speeding lifesaving drugs’ way to market and focusing on the underlying causes of disease, the pathway has helped save many lives.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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BioSpace takes a look at the headlines across a heavy earnings week for biotechs, checking in on Allogene, Rapport and more. -
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. -
The investigational therapy, vesleteplirsen, had been positioned as an updated version of Sarepta’s original exon 51-skipping Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug Exondys 51. -
Truist Securities analyst Asthika Goonewardene in an investor note said data for anito-cel—particularly its safety profile—will help differentiate the CAR T therapy from Legend Biotech and J&J’s entrenched Carvykti in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. -
In our anniversary episode, we discuss a rare earnings miss for Eli Lilly, a pivotal metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis victory for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, growing excitement about CAR Ts for autoimmune disease and the ongoing controversy over HeLa cells.
