Travere Therapeutics will gain an exclusive license to the oral BTK inhibitor civorebrutinib, which analysts at Guggenheim Securities said could be “complementary” to the biotech’s IgA nephropathy drug Filspari.
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.
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.
For an investment of up to $1.9 billion, Eli Lilly will be able to use Ascidian Therapeutics’ platform that removes mutated exons from mRNA molecules, avoiding the expression of disease-causing proteins.
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.
The forecast makes pharma one of the fastest-growing manufacturing industries in the U.S.
FEATURED STORIES
From Chinese innovation to AI, biotech CEOs are being hit with challenges at a breakneck pace. Three leaders from BioSpace’s NextGen Class of 2026 told us about the issues keeping them up at night.
Deal dynamics between Chinese biotechs and global pharma companies are changing fast, with the biotechs seeking higher upfront payments and the Big Pharmas seeking more expansive platform deals.
Pfizer showcased multiple late-breakers at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual conference but its biggest data are expected later this year.
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.
The American Diabetes Association’s annual congress will feature a superstar lineup, including weight loss giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. But several scrappy biotechs will also present obesity candidates with the potential to match—if not outperform—their deep-pocketed competitors.
After trial flops in spinal muscular atrophy, depression and bipolar disorder—and a costly rare disease drug rejection—Biohaven is undergoing a reset, recasting its former SMA candidate for obesity.
LATEST PODCASTS
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.
In this episode of Denatured, as part of our series on the European life sciences investment ecosystem, you’ll be hearing from Ksenija Pavletic, partner and chief commercial officer at Jeito Capital and Thierry Laugel, managing partner at Kurma Partners. We dive into France’s biotech ecosystem and what still needs to happen for more early innovation to translate into investable, scalable biotech.
Eli Lilly continues to spend its GLP-1 landfall with four new deals in the past week, including three in the vaccine space; the obesity leader also touted surgery-like results for its next-gen weight loss drug; Moderna’s stock climbs on the hantavirus “fear trade”; and in oncology, all eyes are on Revolution at ASCO this week.
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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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Eli Lilly and the Haisco Pharmaceutical Group have yet to disclose what specific indications they plan to prioritize. -
Recent deals from Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb hint at Big Pharma’s more collaborative approach to partnering with Chinese companies. -
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. -
Swiss service provider CordenPharma is acquiring AmbioPharm, gaining facilities such as a plant in South Carolina to provide a fully U.S.-based supply. -
Riding a newfound surge of interest on infectious disease concerns, Moderna is linking up with a global vaccine foundation in hopes of developing a vaccine to slow the new surge in Ebola underway in the Congo and Uganda.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Kailera Therapeutics is advancing a pipeline of weight loss medicines that mirrors Eli Lilly’s: an injectable GLP-1/GIP dual agonist like Zepbound, an oral GLP-1 like Foundayo and a triple-G therapy like retatrutide. -
Eli Lilly continues to spend its GLP-1 landfall with four new deals in the past week, including three in the vaccine space; the obesity leader also touted surgery-like results for its next-gen weight loss drug; Moderna’s stock climbs on the hantavirus “fear trade”; and in oncology, all eyes are on Revolution at ASCO this week. -
Lilly met analysts’ sky-high expectations with 28.3% weight loss over 80 weeks for the triple hormone receptor agonist retatrutide in a highly anticipated readout on Thursday. -
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. -
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.
POLICY
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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. -
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. -
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. -
A new executive order could usher in psychedelics as the “key next wave” of mental health therapies, according to analysts at RBC Capital Markets.
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.
Looking for a biopharma job? Check out the BioSpace list of 12 top companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
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.
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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When used alongside Merck’s Keytruda, Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine halved the risk of death or disease recurrence in a mid-stage trial of advanced melanoma—a result analysts said could help “instill confidence” in the regimen. -
Practice-changing data in lung cancer, prostate cancer and more were on display over the weekend at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. Plus, early readouts on assets that could reshape the cancer landscape. -
“King Keytruda’s reign continues,” analysts at BMO Capital Markets declared after Chinese data for Summit Therapeutics’ ivonescimab were revealed at the American Society for Clinical Oncology in Chicago. -
In addition to eliciting 17.3 months median overall survival vs. 8.5 months for patients given standard of care treatment in a prior study, Immuneering’s atebimetinib demonstrated a robust tolerability profile—something CEO Ben Zeskind said equates highly with survival. -
Interim overall survival data on a TROP2 ADC from Merck and Chinese partner Kelun-Biotech provide support for the pharma’s big bet on its potential to help navigate Keytruda’s impending loss of exclusivity.
NEUROSCIENCE
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The tragic tale of TIGIT is well known. However, RIPK1, myc, STING and alpha-synuclein have also left a trail of failed clinical trials, canceled partnerships and sunk investments in their wake. -
Biogen and Denali’s Parkinson’s disease drug failed to significantly slow disease progression in a Phase 2b study, missing both primary and secondary endpoints. -
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. -
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. -
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.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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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. -
CREATE Medicines is working on a clinical-stage pipeline for cancer, while its autoimmune programs are still in preclinical testing. -
Shares of REGENXBIO declined 37% on a mixed data readout and other updates from the company’s first quarter earnings call Thursday. -
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.
