While hiring activity has not yet picked up, it should do so soon, according to BioSpace Recruitment Manager Greg Clouse. Meanwhile, another year-over-year decrease in layoffs means less competition for jobs.
The new formulation of Keytruda, currently under FDA review, is sparking conflict with Halozyme, which makes enzymes that convert intravenous drugs into injectable versions.
Novo Nordisk’s NovoCare will now provide uninsured or underinsured patients access to Wegovy for just $499 per month—less than half of its list price.
At the heart of the deal is the drug candidate dordaviprone, which is months away from a regulatory verdict for its use in H3 K27M-mutated diffuse glioma.
The vaccine space has been battered by strong headwinds in recent weeks, including high-level disruptions to FDA and CDC advisory committee meetings.
Acelyrin and Alumis plan to close their merger in the second quarter of 2025, pending clearances and shareholder approval.
FEATURED STORIES
Big Pharma had plenty of drama to keep journalists busy this quarter, which painted an accurate portrait of the wild and wonderful world of biopharma.
A tale of two multi-billion schizophrenia deals, AstraZeneca touts strong sales while deflecting questions about an investigation into China exec, the Huntington’s pipeline builds momentum and layoffs continue with Sana Biotechnology and 23andMe.
Suggestions that the U.S. should emulate other countries on drug price controls or patents obscure how our present policies have allowed drug development to flourish.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
In a year when eradicated diseases are on the uptick in America, how will American children survive RFK Jr.’s vaccine scrutiny and inconsistency? Two experts call on pharma and regulatory bodies to rebuild trust.
LATEST PODCASTS
President Donald Trump unwrapped a massive drug pricing policy as CMS prepares for the next round of Medicare drug price negotiations; Vinay Prasad to take the helm at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; Bayer cuts 2,000 more employees; Eli Lilly’s Zepbound scores again; and the Galapagos story turns again.
In this episode of Denatured BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the public health consequences of vaccine hesitancy and the critical distinction between skepticism and cynicism with Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
A new executive order aims to smooth the path for getting U.S. manufacturing facilities up and running; HHS says it will require placebo-controlled trials for all vaccine approvals; tariff threats hit BioNTech; Novo Nordisk’s FDA application for an oral version of Wegovy is accepted; and more.
Job Trends
Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage oncology company focused on developing next-generation radioconjugates as precision medicines, announced the Company has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by AstraZeneca.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
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.
Peter Marks, the venerable head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has been forced out. In this special edition of BioPharm Executive, BioSpace takes a deep dive into the instability of the HHS.
Year-over-year BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the first quarter of 2025.
DEALS
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$27.8B Amgen-Horizon deal gets FTC clearance with restrictions; the White House names first 10 drugs subject to Medicare price negotiations; Sage Therapeutics axes 40% of staff. -
This is the Danish company’s second obesity-focused acquisition in three weeks. Under the deal, Novo Nordisk receives the full rights to develop and commercialize Embark’s lead metabolic platform. -
Warning signs that preceded the current economic squeeze in the biopharma sector were not heeded by investors seeking rapid profits. Now, biotechs interested in making the leap to the public markets must get creative. -
Following a countersuit by Amgen and Horizon Therapeutics, the Federal Trade Commission has temporarily suspended its challenge to the multi-billion dollar merger between the two companies. -
Following its Scorpion Capital controversy in March, Harmony Biosciences is seeking to deepen its pipeline with an acquisition of Zynerba Pharmaceuticals’ cannabinoid therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Seeking a slice of the lucrative obesity market, Indian pharma companies are developing their own versions of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, Reuters reports. -
Two surprise companies, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, made GlobalData’s list with 41.4% and 21.8% market capitalization growth, respectively. -
A week after Britain’s debut of the four-week Kwikpen, a European Medicines Agency panel is slated to review Eli Lilly’s multi-dose, pre-filled pen injector for diabetes drug Mounjaro. -
Novo Nordisk seems to believe it can do a better job managing troubled Catalent than the contract manufacturer. However, the Danish drugmaker has its work cut out for it. -
Studies presented Monday at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting show semaglutide has positive impact on outcomes for total hip arthroplasty patients.
POLICY
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Illumina on Monday announced that its board of directors is spinning off Grail and has applied to list the cancer diagnostics company on the Nasdaq. -
A Delaware state court ruled that expert witnesses can present scientific evidence in 69,000 cases involving the discontinued heartburn drug Zantac. News of the court ruling Monday wiped roughly $8.9 billion from GSK’s market value. -
Regeneron and Sanofi will have to wait until September 2024 for the FDA to decide whether to expand Dupixent’s label to include uncontrolled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. -
As evidenced by this week’s buyouts by J&J and Merck, Big Pharma appears to have found a sweet spot favoring smaller deals over megabillion-dollar acquisitions. -
Tris Pharma on Wednesday secured the FDA’s green light for Onyda XR, the first liquid non-stimulant nighttime treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in pediatric patients.
What change can you make to stay positive during these uncertain times?
Working from home has its perks, like no commute time and a more flexible schedule. But work from home can help you in keeping connections with co-workers difficult.
If you’re on the job market now, here are a few key questions you should ask your potential new employer on how you can succeed in a work-from-home environment, whether for just a few weeks or months or even indefinitely
Here’s how smart prospective interviewees can optimally prepare for success in online interviews.
This article offers suggestions for how to be camera-ready for a virtual interview.
Many people are wondering how they can make meaningful connections and grow their professional network in a time when large group meetings are discouraged.
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 race is on to develop therapeutic cancer vaccines that could give immunotherapies an edge, and late-stage trials could soon provide more-robust data about candidates’ efficacy and safety. -
The new company, BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics, is looking to advance two KRAS inhibitors and a blocker of the interaction between the RAS and PI3K pathways. -
Based on strong overall and progression-free survival data in its Phase III confirmatory study, Pfizer and Genmab’s antibody-drug conjugate Tivdak on Monday secured the FDA’s full approval for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer that had progressed on or after chemotherapy. -
AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s antibody-drug conjugate Enhertu significantly improved progression-free survival in metastatic breast patients with low and ultralow HER2 expression levels who had received at least one line of systemic treatment. -
The FDA on Tuesday approved Day One Biopharmaceuticals’ type II RAF inhibitor Ojemda, which is designed to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory pediatric low-grade glioma.
NEUROSCIENCE
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While sensitive and specific biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease have recently taken a leap forward, the Parkinson’s space has lagged behind. Neurofilament Light Chain could change that. -
The biopharma’s data manipulation controversy continues with a recently leaked City University of New York report, which found signs of “egregious” and “deliberate” misconduct by a company advisor. -
Data from the Mayo Clinic shows limited eligibility for the anti-amyloid treatment. However, Michael Irizarry, Eisai’s deputy chief clinical officer, says some patients could still be eligible. -
After a groundbreaking year in the Alzheimer’s space, Parkinson’s disease researchers express renewed hope based on a greater biological understanding of neurodegeneration. -
The companies, which have been partners for a decade on various research programs, are pooling their efforts in two early-stage programs for Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases using RNA-targeting medicines.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Taking center stage at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy meeting was the first-ever reported case of a personalized in vivo CRISPR editing therapy, which substantially eased the symptom burden in an infant. -
Since Elevidys’ accelerated approval in 2023, experts have been clamoring for more data, particularly in older and non-ambulatory children. New results, presented Friday, show mobility improvements in 8- to 9-year-old patients after one year of follow-up. -
Lilly will use Rznomics’ proprietary ribozyme technology to develop RNA editing therapies for congenital hearing loss. -
After warnings that the dragged-out process was putting the cell therapy company at risk of bankruptcy, bluebird bio now has a new deal to offer shareholders. -
It’s another wild twist in the story of Galapagos, a company that has been around for more than 25 years but has yet to get a therapy approved.
