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
While some analysts say Donald Trump is a wild card when it comes to drug pricing, many argue his presidency would be more positive for the industry overall, as Kamala Harris has her price-cutting sights squarely on Big Pharma.
As therapies for rare and neurological diseases earn accelerated approval, experts laud the program’s intent while remaining concerned about confirmatory trials and clinical efficacy, especially as products greenlit under this pathway are pulled from the market.
With Sarepta’s gene therapy Elevidys now available to a majority of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients, experts express cautious optimism while emphasizing the need for further data.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla is in a tough spot as activist investor Starboard Value continues to call for a change in the company’s leadership. However, analysts are supportive of the embattled executive.
The group of like-named companies that include Novo Holdings and Novo Nordisk—the two tied to a multibillion-dollar buyout of Catalent currently under FTC review—ultimately send proceeds to the Novo Nordisk Foundation, one of the world’s largest charitable foundations.
Pharmaceutical companies are combining antibodies with radioisotopes in a bid to more precisely deliver radiation to cancers and tumors.
LATEST PODCASTS
Listen to this in-depth discussion on how AI can help identify end-to-end data weaknesses, as well as broader implications regarding the inevitability of human interaction, with guests from GSK, IQVIA, Exelixis and DataHow.
This week on The Weekly we talk struggles with GLP-1 drug shortages and what that might mean for Novo and Lilly competitors; Regeneron and Sanofi positive results for Dupixent in COPD. Plus, Merck buys Caraway, Beigene’s deal with Ensem, ups and downs for Flagship.
CRISPR gene-editing has had its first ever approval in the UK. Will the FDA follow suit? What can patients expect the price tag to be?
Job Trends
The job response rate has risen year over year, according to BioSpace data, indicating competition for roles posted on our website has increased.
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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
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The Swiss pharma’s dealmaking momentum continues in early 2024 with the acquisition of German biotech MorphoSys in an effort to strengthen its oncology portfolio. -
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. -
The investment arm of the Novo Nordisk Foundation is acquiring contract development and manufacturing organization Catalent to help meet high demand for Ozempic and Wegovy. -
Alto Neuroscience and Fractyl Health provided further momentum to the recent spate of biotech initial public offerings, with both companies going public on Friday morning in respective $128 million and $110 million IPOs.
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Kyverna Therapeutics, the fifth biotech with plans for an initial public offering this year, will use the proceeds to support the development of its anti-CD19 CAR-T therapies for autoimmune diseases.
WEIGHT LOSS
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After nixing a twice-daily version of its oral GLP-1 agonist, Pfizer is hoping to break into the weight-loss space with a once-daily version, but experts question its outlook. -
Roche’s oral GLP-1 receptor agonist CT-996—obtained in the $2.7 billion acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics—reduced body weight by more than 6% at four weeks versus placebo in a Phase I trial. -
Pfizer selects its candidate for the oral GLP-1 race as Eli Lilly strives to overtake Novo Nordisk in the injectable weight-loss drug space. Meanwhile, pressure builds to reduce drug prices in the U.S. -
To help keep pace with the demand for GLP-1 therapies, CordenPharma has announced a sizeable $980 million investment in its U.S. and European sites. -
Some analysts say so, and a recent study suggested Lilly’s tirzepatide beat Novo’s semaglutide at inducing weight loss, but there are other factors in the market race.
POLICY
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Concurrently, a preprint from the industry-backed Vital Transformation found a 50% drop in company investments into small-molecule drug development. -
According to BMO Capital Markets, Medicare coverage of Lilly’s Zepbound opens the door to using secondary indications to secure CMS coverage for obesity drugs. -
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. -
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.
Whose contact information do you provide? What if they ask for multiple people? Below we answer common questions when it comes to selecting references for a job.
BioSpace interviewed Marianne Stanford, Ph.D., who shared her thoughts on the immunology field and the career path of an immunologist.
While it’s only a few hundred words, writing a good follow-up email accomplishes a few important things. Here’s how you can write an impressive interview follow up email.
Often times, you can fall into a trap of seeing a particular title, skimming a listing, and firing off an application.
Are you interested in the practical application of life sciences research? If so, an understanding of translational research is useful to see the vast opportunities to help patients and cure diseases.
The life science industry produces a complex, high-stress and intricate work environment, so it’s no surprise that workaholics pop up in this industry all the time.
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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The acquisition was featured Monday in Roche’s Pharma Day presentation, which also included projections of more than $3 billion in annual sales from three early-stage obesity and diabetes drugs.
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Six months after treatment with the radiopharmaceutical therapy, 77.8% of patients with meningioma were alive and had not experienced further disease progression, beating the 26% benchmark established in earlier studies. -
Johnson & Johnson linked Carvykti to a 45% reduction in risk of death and Darzalex to a 61% improvement in minimal residual disease-negativity, boosting the prospects of two key growth drivers for the company. -
One upcoming decision—on a perioperative PD-1 regimen for lung cancer—comes as the FDA considers an overhaul of trial designs in this treatment setting. -
The FDA’s Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee voted near-unanimously that the benefits of PD-1 inhibitors like Keytruda and Opdivo in PD-L1 low patients do not outweigh the risks.
NEUROSCIENCE
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As the DOJ and SEC look into two of its senior employees, Cassava Sciences’ CEO and one senior vice president have departed the company. -
Asceneuron, which develops small molecules targeting tau protein aggregation, plans to use the funds to advance its Alzheimer’s disease asset into Phase II.
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Despite recent concerns about suicidality and other neuropsychiatric issues, a recent study has found that Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide) is associated with lower risks of dementia, cognitive deficit and nicotine misuse. -
After a busy first half of 2024, several companies are expecting key data readouts in the neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disease spaces during the next six months.
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Halia Therapeutics, NodThera and Gain Therapeutics target neuroinflammatory processes in hopes of modifying the course of Parkinson’s progression.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Astellas Pharma and Poseida Therapeutics have entered into a second CAR-T contract to develop novel and flexible allogeneic cell therapies in oncology. -
Q&A: Development Scientist at AGC Biologics Sara Morlacchi analyzes the growth of the cell therapy industry and barriers for cost and accessibility. -
Pfizer will go toe-to-toe with CSL Behring following the FDA’s Friday approval of its hemophilia B gene therapy Beqvez and will launch a warranty program based on the durability of response. -
The Celularity CEO and founder tells BioSpace he believes that placenta-derived cells are the future of stem cell therapies to fight autoimmune disease, cancer, even aging. -
While Sanofi restructures and parts with employees from U.S. and Belgian sites, a new company in the GLP-1 space emerges from stealth.
