Although Edgewise Therapeutics’ hypertrophic cardiomyopathy asset missed expectations, Truist Securities called the data “excellent,” leaning on a safety profile that could eliminate the need for risk evaluation and mitigation strategies.
Merck will use Protillion Biosciences’ tech to design biologic therapies for therapies across undisclosed indications.
Moderna appears to have aligned with the FDA ahead of an advisory committee meeting for its mRNA-based flu vaccine, which the regulator initially turned away in February; biotech IPOs are going gangbusters, including two new records raises in as many weeks; layoffs continue across biopharma; plus much more.
The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet June 18 to discuss Moderna’s seasonal flu vaccine mRNA-1010 after the FDA initially refused to accept the application in February.
Follow along as BioSpace tracks job cuts and restructuring initiatives.
While falling short of statistical significance, Incyte and Mirum Pharmaceuticals’ ALK2 inhibitor showed a “clear benefit” in reducing abnormal bone formation in a Phase 2 study of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.
FEATURED STORIES
Precision science is ruling the M&A scene as pharmas prepare for loss of exclusivity on key products, PwC says in a new report. Biotechs should be prepared with a dual-track process with the IPO window now open.
While biopharma’s overarching mission is to develop innovative medicines to improve patient outcomes, for these six people, the motivation came from much closer to home.
Intellia Therapeutics’s Senior Vice President Maria Natale discusses why the most successful launches are shaped long before approval, with strategy, structure and patient insight at the core.
DemeRx is launching the first U.S. clinical trial of an ibogaine-derived drug candidate, marking a pivotal moment for a controversial psychedelic long sidelined by safety concerns.
After suffering the market withdrawal of its only product, Amylyx is gearing up for a pivotal Phase 3 readout in post-bariatric hypoglycemia. But the company’s driving ethos is still to treat “debilitating, devastating” neurodegenerative diseases, co-CEO Justin Klee told BioSpace.
Ibogaine’s unconventional “matrix pharmacology” may underlie both its therapeutic promise and unpredictable cardiac risks. Unraveling this mechanism could help drug developers hoping to bring ibogaine analogs to market.
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode of Denatured, Jennifer Smith-Parker speaks to Kenneth Galbraith, CEO of Zymeworks and Josh Smiley, president and COO of Zai Lab, about how renewed confidence is driving biotech entering 2026.
Eli Lilly’s retatrutide exceeds expectations in Phase III, capping off a sparkling 2025 for the obesity titan; an internal FDA safety review finds no confirmed pediatric deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccines, and Commissioner Marty Makary says no black box warning will be attached to the shots; and BioSpace looks at six biotechs that could be pharma’s next buy.
In this episode of Denatured presented by AnaptysBio, Jennifer Smith-Parker speaks to Dr. Joe Murray, Mayo Clinic; Marilyn Geller, the Celiac Disease Foundation; and Dr. Paul Lizzul, AnaptysBio, about the challenges and opportunities facing celiac disease treatment.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
BioSpace examines how the FDA approval of Eli Lilly’s oral obesity drug Foundayo has ignited a key race with Novo Nordisk.
Opportunities increased by the end of the first quarter, according to BioSpace data.
BioSpace looks back at 2025 and where the FDA is going in 2026.
DEALS
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Biotechs are benefitting from the AI tech frenzy and inflation, but validated pipelines and careful planning are still key to the recent record-setting IPOs, experts say. -
It’s the latest Big Pharma deal for molecular glue technology and Novartis’ second with Orionis Biosciences, after first linking up in March 2020. The backloaded agreement will see Novartis pay $40 million upfront. -
Parabilis Medicines is joining the parade of biotechs going public, with one key difference—more money. -
The star of the licensing agreement, a small-molecule gamma-secretase modulator, will help buff Eli Lilly’s position in Alzheimer’s disease, currently headlined by its anti-amyloid antibody Kisunla.
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Eli Lilly and obesity rival Novo Nordisk stole the show at the American Diabetes Association conference, though plenty of other companies also had data to show for their own weight loss assets; GSK strikes the biggest traditional pharma buyout of 2026; and FDA initiatives still lack clarity.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Rhythm Pharmaceuticals’ Imcivree reduced fat—while boosting muscle—in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome. -
Novo Nordisk said that the information affected by the breach shouldn’t allow third parties to “identify participants in our clinical trials” despite “unauthorized access” to patients’ personal data. -
AstraZeneca is pushing its small molecule GLP-1 drug to Phase 3 development for weight control, diabetes and other cardiometabolic conditions despite the asset failing to best one from Structure Therapeutics. -
Newly approved weight loss pill Foundayo reduced blood sugar more than Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide and other comparators in multiple Phase 3 type 2 diabetes trials. Eli Lilly will seek approval in this indication. -
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly presented data extolling the benefits of their relative weight loss therapies in obesity-linked indications, while analysts at BMO Capital Markets were “encouraged” by the strategy communicated by Novo management.
POLICY
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Weeks after Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly retracted billions of dollar in German commitments, the nation’s government is reportedly changing a contentious element of its planned healthcare reforms. -
The FDA must provide consistent and predictable regulatory frameworks if the U.S. is to maintain its leadership in gene therapy, one of the most consequential therapeutic fields of our generation. -
A year of significant policy change at the FDA brought momentum and scrutiny into the new year. As 2026 gets underway, biopharma companies are responding to sweeping vaccine changes while concerns surface about the politicization of the agency. -
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health department has consistently touted radical transparency as being key to its mission. Recent instances—the FDA’s decision not to disclose the recipients of three Commissioner’s National Priority Vouchers and FDA and CDC choices not to publish vaccine-related papers—call this intent into question. -
Of the 17 companies that were implored by the White House last July to apply Most Favored Nation pricing to their drugs, Regeneron is the last to agree—the same day the FDA greenlit its gene therapy for hearing loss in kids.
Three experts discuss whether biotech and pharma professionals should try to convince employers to adjust employment offers, mistakes people make during the process and tips for getting it right.
The people most trusted to deliver are not always the ones invited to shape direction. Executive coach Angela Justice examines why the habits that build a career can eventually limit advancement.
Scientists who focus only on generating data risk missing their role in shaping strategy and driving innovation.
Panel interviews can play a major role in getting jobs. Two career coaches discuss what to do before and during the interview, including identifying how to differentiate yourself, engaging in true conversations and not overlooking a key panel member.
Over one-third of BioSpace LinkedIn poll respondents have done free work while interviewing for jobs. A recruiting expert and career coach discuss why employers make work requests and how biopharma professionals should evaluate and respond to them.
Finding the right people for critical open roles can be difficult even for biopharma leaders. In this column, Kaye/Bassman’s Michael Pietrack discusses four pitfalls executives face during the hiring process, starting with confusing scientific brilliance with leadership ability.
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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Elicio Therapeutics’ investigational cancer immunotherapy failed to meet the primary endpoint of disease-free survival in a Phase 2 trial—a result the company attributed mostly to a disproportionate number of patients with higher residual disease. -
Eli Lilly’s new JAK2 inhibitor—which it obtained from the recent acquisition of Ajax Therapeutics—reduced spleen volume by more than a third in 70% of patients with myelofibrosis. -
While Merck and Gilead Sciences reported back-to-back late-stage victories for their weekly HIV pill, the partners also discontinued a Phase 3 program for their cancer combo after disappointing lung cancer survival data. -
Nuvalent Bio is GSK’s third big-ticket purchase this year, after the pharma dropped $2.2 billion in January for RAPT Therapeutics and $950 million in February for 35Pharma. -
The acquisition gives Johnson & Johnson access to Firefly Bio’s next-gen platform designed to create degrader antibody conjugates that can crack the tricky KRAS cancer target.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Alto Neuroscience is advancing a depression drug based on the dopamine agonist pramipexole, which an independent study has found to help boost feelings of pleasure in patients with mood disorders. -
Neumora Therapeutics is laying off 35% of workers after its most advanced asset failed a pair of Phase 3 studies, sending the biotech’s stock spiraling early Monday. -
Improved survival on display at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago; Pfizer’s unusual pact with China’s Innovent highlights a new type of collaboration; Eli Lilly continues its nonstop deal streak, including with Chinese biotechs; and looking ahead to this weekend’s American Diabetes Association meeting.
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For Peter Pitts, a former associate commissioner at the FDA, the appointment to the board of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics is an opportunity to fulfill a promise he made long ago to a patient with ALS. -
Edgewise Therapeutics will now focus on a handful of cardiovascular programs including EDG-7500 for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy thanks to the non-dilutive capital from France’s Servier.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Instead of using viral vectors, SonoThera’s genetic medicines are delivered through an ultrasound-mediated technology that could help sidestep key safety issues with conventional delivery methods. -
All six non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients on Legend Biotech’s CAR T therapy responded to treatment—findings that could make the biotech an attractive takeover target, according to analysts at Oppenheimer. -
Analysts homed in on Duchenne muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy type 1 assets during first quarter earnings as major players like REGENXBIO and Novartis as well as Dyne, Wave, Solid and Sarepta near the regulatory finish line. -
Eli Lilly joins hands with Engage Bio, acquiring the DNA delivery platform developer in hopes of bolstering its genetic medicines portfolio. -
The recent approval of Regeneron’s Otarmeni underscores the maturation of gene therapies across a range of diseases. Here, BioSpace reviews genetic medicines in development for the central nervous system, retinal, cardiac and neuromuscular diseases.
