FDA
Just a few days after FDA Commissioner Makary resigned, ally Tracy Beth Høeg is also leaving the agency. Her departure comes amid reports of tension over a commissioner’s voucher for Sanofi’s diabetes drug.
Follow along as BioSpace tracks job cuts and restructuring initiatives.
A batch of a chemotherapy product made at a Sun facility with a history of quality and compliance issues is being withdrawn from the U.S. market.
If Biogen has shown that tau can impact cognition, Denali’s technology—validated with an FDA approval in Hunter syndrome—could ensure the medicine gets where it needs to be for the greatest therapeutic impact, analysts said.
Aardvark Therapeutics had previously voluntarily suspended studies of ARD-101—and a related asset called ARD-201—after detecting anomalous echocardiographic readings in healthy volunteers that could indicate reduced heart efficiency.
CREATE Medicines is working on a clinical-stage pipeline for cancer, while its autoimmune programs are still in preclinical testing.
Renewed pharma interest in GPCR biology and radioligand therapies is drawing attention to functional peptide screening platforms.
FEATURED STORIES
European pharma companies splashed billions of dollars into the U.S. biopharma sector in a matter of days, but there are differing views on whether the activity represents the rise of a new buyer class or a quirk of timing.
Three pharma CEOs joined the $30 million compensation club in 2025 but Eli Lilly’s David Ricks exceeded his nearest peer by more than $4 million.
Epidemiology, Next-Generation Vaccine Platforms, and the Critical Role of Prefusion F Antigens in RSV Research
IPO
After years of suffering from a bear market and more than 14 months of geopolitical turmoil shaking the macroenvironment, biotech appears to be moving on.
New guidelines from two leading medical associations suggest that efforts to reduce bad cholesterol should focus on maintaining low levels of two key lipoproteins. Big pharma is all in, looking to improve on the standard statins to help vanquish America’s number one killer: heart disease.
The FDA’s decision last year to make complete response letters public provides new insight into why therapies sometimes fail to get the regulatory greenlight. Analysts say the information could help sponsors refine their regulatory strategies.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
Novel targets aim to stop lung scarring—where current drugs only slow it—while improving tolerability and unlocking fibrosis in other organs next
UPCOMING EVENTS
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode of Denatured, you’ll be hearing from Miguel Forte, president of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT), and Jon Ellis, co-founder & CEO of Trenchant Bios, speaking live from the ISCT annual meeting. We dive into mesenchymal stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, exploring the science behind them, the manufacturing challenges, and the potential for scalable, engineered next-generation therapies.
FDA
It’s official: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary is out at the FDA after reports of his ouster emerged late last week; Sanofi is reportedly having challenges with one of the FDA’s new signature programs; and biopharma CEOs’ multimillion-dollar salaries ticked up again this year. Who made the most in 2025?
In this episode of Denatured, you’ll be hearing from Georg Vo Beiske, CEO of Tribune Therapeutics and Jonas Hallén, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Calluna Pharma. We dive into IPF and fibrosis challenges, unpacking treatment hurdles, emerging targets, unmet needs and expansion paths beyond the lung.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
Year-over-year BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the first quarter of 2025.
In this deep dive, BioSpace explores the diverse therapeutic modalities now in development, as well as the opportunities and battles for market dominance in this emerging space.
Year-over-year BioSpace data show there were fewer job postings live on the website in the fourth quarter of 2024, and the decrease was higher than the third quarter’s drop.
DEALS
  1. Degron Therapeutics will have stiff competition in immunology, as Novartis inked a $5.7 billion agreement with Monte Rosa Therapeutics last year to develop molecular glues for undisclosed immune-mediated conditions.
  2. MacroGenics is selling the manufacturing plant to Bora, a Taiwan-based CDMO, to raise cash to support the progress of its drug development pipeline.
  3. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals comes with a trio of approved drugs as Angelini Pharma expands its neuroscience offerings.
  4. With Siran Biotechnology under its fold, GSK will have access to a long-acting siRNA therapy that could induce weight loss while preserving lean mass, in addition to addressing other weight-related comorbidities.
  5. Sanofi’s investment will support a Canadian site’s efforts to apply AI to drug production, while Amgen has unveiled the second expansion of its Puerto Rico plant in quick succession.
WEIGHT LOSS
  1. Despite seeing some regain, patients in two trials maintained most of their weight loss after switching to either Foundayo or lower-dose Zepbound from other injectable incretin therapies.
  2. Analysts and investors alike had been eagerly awaiting sales figures for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill. The answer blew past expectations by 86%.
  3. The selloff in Eli Lilly’s shares was “overdone,” according to RBC Capital Markets, which noted that the overall safety profile of Foundayo remains favorable.
  4. As Q1 earnings arrive, three biotechs have big quarters ahead, with two—Amylyx and Neumora Therapeutics—betting at least partly on novel assets for obesity.
  5. In its latest biopharma pipeline report, Deloitte warned that the growing importance of a small pool of potential mega-blockbusters raises the risk of “significant value destruction from a single program failure.”
POLICY
  1. FDA
    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.
  2. 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.
  3. The FDA in July 2025 made publicly available over 200 complete response letters—an initiative that the investment community sees as “unanimously positive,” analysts told BioSpace.
  4. Two of the biggest insurance providers have expressed reluctance to participate in the government’s BALANCE program that would have made GLP-1 drugs more affordable to patients.
  5. 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.
CAREER HUB
Scientists who focus only on generating data risk missing their role in shaping strategy and driving innovation.
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.
Some bosses stretch you. Others make work more bearable. Both can earn your loyalty. Only one is building your future. Leadership coach Angela Justice explains how to tell the difference.
As AI reshapes deeply specialized scientific work, R&D professionals must learn to navigate the shift to a skills-centered market. The key is knowing which skills to develop and how to leverage AI as scientific modalities evolve, technologies advance and regulatory complexity increases.
Recruiters can play a significant role in biopharma professionals getting hired, especially in an employer-driven job market. However, when working with them, candidates need to avoid making six key mistakes, from waiting too long to ask for help to prematurely contacting hiring companies.
While you should never rely solely on AI tools when applying for jobs, they can greatly benefit the application process. Recruiting expert Bryan Blair discusses how using large language models can set you apart from the competition and includes a prompt framework to get you started.

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
FDA
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary intends to resign on Tuesday, according to several sources. This report follows a tumultuous 13-month tenure in which Makary oversaw the controversial rejections of several rare disease drugs and “predictable volatility” within the agency.
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. Beqalzi is the first BCL2 inhibitor approved for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma.
  2. Partner Therapeutics announced last week that the FDA had granted Bizengri a Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher to accelerate drug review.
  3. Before discontinuing the asset, Ascendis Pharma was studying onvapegleukin alfa in advanced or metastatic solid tumors, demonstrating a three- to four-month overall survival advantage over historical controls.
  4. Pfizer-backed cancer company CellCentric will use the cash to support the launch of a pivotal myeloma trial testing its potentially first-in-class oral treatment this year.
  5. The action affects BioNTech sites in Germany and Singapore, where the company expects to have excess capacity.
NEUROSCIENCE
  1. While Biogen’s tau-targeting therapy didn’t demonstrate improvement on a dementia severity scale, the company touted biomarker and cognitive improvements from the Phase 2 study, leaving analysts eager for more data.
  2. The FDA’s extension will give reviewers more time to review a major amendment to Biogen and Eisai’s application for a subcutaneous induction formulation of Alzheimer’s therapy Leqembi. The new target action date is on Aug. 24.
  3. ALS
    Biogen’s Qalsody won FDA approval in 2023 to treat a rare, genetic form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. On Tuesday, QurAlis presented interim Phase 2 data showing the potential of a similar drug to more broadly treat the neurodegenerative disease.
  4. Passage Bio, which has been working toward a registrational trial for a drug candidate whose indications include frontotemporal dementia, is exploring strategic alternatives in addition to cutting staff.
  5. The FDA is looking at a slew of label expansions this month, including one that could open up home-based treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
  1. Shares of REGENXBIO declined 37% on a mixed data readout and other updates from the company’s first quarter earnings call Thursday.
  2. In this episode of Denatured, you’ll be hearing from Miguel Forte, president of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT), and Jon Ellis, co-founder & CEO of Trenchant Bios, speaking live from the ISCT annual meeting. We dive into mesenchymal stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, exploring the science behind them, the manufacturing challenges, and the potential for scalable, engineered next-generation therapies.
  3. FDA
    The FDA turned away Ebvallo in January, taking issue with the design of the registrational trial. In a recent meeting, however, the agency agreed that the study could in fact support the cell therapy’s approval. The news comes a week after the departure of controversial biologics Director Vinay Prasad.
  4. Sarepta Therapeutics has put in place several initiatives to help its gene therapy Elevidys return to growth, but recovery will take a long time, according to company executives.
  5. Comprehending the spate of recent rejections in the cell and gene therapy space may require looking no further than early-stage clinical trials of candidates from REGENXBIO, Excision BioTherapeutics and Intellia Therapeutics.