While cancelled NIH grants and regulatory uncertainty are less hospitable to clinical research in the U.S., Europe must play its cards right to attract more studies.
Later this month, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s revamped CDC vaccine advisory committee will discuss RSV vaccination guidelines for the newly approved patient group, high-risk adults 18 through 49. Analysts and other experts have warned that the new panel includes some who have documented anti-vaccine sentiments as well as those who have spoken out against mRNA technology specifically.
Friday’s deal with CSPC fits neatly within AstraZeneca’s business development strategy of upping investments in AI and in China.
Martin Kulldorff and Robert Malone, both outspoken vaccine skeptics, have received compensation for their expert participation in various vaccine-related cases against Merck.
The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee narrowly voted against the approval of Zusduri, citing the lack of a completely randomized study to back up the application.
Scientists and analysts express concern that the newly appointed ACIP members—which include known anti-vaxxers—could relitigate recommendations that have already been made. Many are imploring Sen. Bill Cassidy to step up.
FEATURED STORIES
Since the 2022 launch of ChatGPT, biopharma has poured money into this new form of artificial intelligence, but companies remain cautious with unproven technology.
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.
This week’s legal losses by J&J and BMS reinforce the notion that Medicare drug price negotiation is here to stay, and investors continue to favor biologics over small molecules.
On June 10, the FDA will convene its Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee to discuss the New Drug Application for Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug.
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.
In this deep dive, BioSpace takes a closer look at the drug price crisis in the U.S. As President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump gear up for a rematch in the 2024 election, we explore how federal reforms to lower costs could be leveraged on the campaign trail.
LATEST PODCASTS
The FDA is hoping to repurpose GSK’s Wellcovorin for cerebral folate deficiency; Pfizer acquired fast-moving weight-loss startup Metsera for nearly $5 billion after suffering a hat trick of R&D failures; psychedelics are primed for M&A action and Eli Lilly may be next in line; RFK Jr.’s revamped CDC advisory committee met last week with confounding results; and Stealth secured its Barth approval.
In this episode of Denatured, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis and Colin Zick, partner at Foley Hoag LLP, spend time discussing some of the points brought up in the Bioprocessing Summit last month. They explore the connections between hammers, AI, The Planet of the Apes and monoliths.
The White House is clamping down on pharma’s ability to buy new molecules from Chinese biotechs; Sanofi, Merck and others abandon the U.K. after the introduction of a sizeable levy; Novo CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar lays off 9,000 while the company presents new data at EASD; Capsida loses a patient in a gene therapy trial; and CDER Director George Tidmarsh walks back comments on FDA adcomms.
Job Trends
Sutro Biopharma, Inc. announced that Bill Newell, Chief Executive Officer, will participate in three upcoming investor conferences.
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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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As the macro pressures of higher rates and fear of recession build, today’s investor is increasingly risk averse. With zero-risk options offering decent returns, only the highest-quality programs will get funding. -
Seagen and Pfizer are in early-stage talks over a potential acquisition that could exceed $30 billion. -
One day after revealing a restructuring initiative, Jounce Therapeutics announced it plans to merge its business in an all-stock deal with clinical-stage biotech Redx Pharma. -
Amid mounting pressure from investors and shareholders, Bayer’s supervisory board unanimously appointed outsider Bill Anderson as its new CEO. -
Karuna Therapeutics acquired exclusive rights to Goldfinch Bio’s investigational TRPC4/5 channel candidates in a deal potentially worth $520 million.
WEIGHT LOSS
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While Pfizer’s oral GLP-1 candidate met its primary endpoint in a Phase IIb obesity trial, twice-daily dosing of danuglipron resulted in high rates of adverse events including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. -
Patients treated with Altimmune’s investigational GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist saw up to 15.6% weight loss, and nearly a third of those taking the highest dose lost at least 20% of their body weight. -
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. -
Using electronic health records, healthcare analytics firm Truveta contends that Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide) could achieve stronger and faster weight loss than Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide). -
To help cope with the high demand for weight-loss treatments, Eli Lilly is investing $2.5 billion in a German manufacturing facility after last week’s FDA approval of Zepbound for chronic weight management.
POLICY
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The FDA on Thursday rejected Merck and Daiichi Sankyo’s HER3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate patritumab deruxtecan in a Complete Response Letter, citing problems with a third-party manufacturer. -
New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call for the use of respiratory syncytial virus vaccines in adults aged 75 and older, but limited its use in 60- to 74-year-olds. -
AbbVie and Genmab on Wednesday announced the FDA has expanded the label of their bispecific antibody Epkinly, allowing it to be used in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. -
Verona Pharma on Wednesday secured the FDA’s approval for Ohtuvayre, which the company contends is the first inhaled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease medicine with a new mechanism of action in over 20 years. -
Teva Pharmaceuticals has settled years of tax litigation with the Israel Tax Authority for $750 million, which the company will pay in installments starting in 2024 to 2029.
According to a recent BioSpace survey, 93% of respondents are open to a new job for the right opportunity. Are you one of the 93%? If so, keep your eyes open for those opportunities and don’t stop looking. You never know what may come your way!
We had the opportunity to meet with Arti Dumbrepatil, a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Michigan’s chemistry department. Arti explained her journey as an international student and how a postdoctoral fellowship can prepare you for a career as an independent scientist!
There is something of a recurring theme among the life science, healthcare and biopharma industries: shortage of skilled employees will lead to a decrease in innovation.
Is your dream job with a large organization or a small company? It’s common for life sciences professionals to have a preference one way or the other when considering employment opportunities.
Have you ever considered relocating for your career? If you have, you aren’t alone. According to a recent BioSpace Community Survey, 78% of life science professionals would be open to relocation for the right job opportunity.
To navigate each step along the way from an interview to a final offer, you should have a clear understanding of a timeline of events. These job search tips can help you with that.
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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With second-generation antibody-drug conjugates, Eli Lilly, Daiichi Sankyo and others look to reduce toxicity and improve the magnitude and duration of response. -
Avenzo’s founders, who led Turning Point through its $4.1 billion sale to BMS, want to in-license three clinical-stage oncology candidates by early 2026. -
Bristol Myers Squibb’s $4.8 billion acquisition of Mirati pays off with strong data from the KRYSTAL-12 study of Krazati, showing that the KRAS inhibitor significantly improves progression-free survival. -
Keytruda can now be used in the European Union for patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer at high risk of recurrence in combination with platinum chemotherapy, then continued as a monotherapy afterwards. -
Novocure’s stock spiked more than 15% Wednesday morning after the company announced its Tumor Treating Fields therapy met the primary endpoint in a late-stage trial.
NEUROSCIENCE
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While donanemab showed impressive results in Phase III TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2, concerns regarding its safety remain compared with Biogen’s and Eisai’s Leqembi. -
The amyloid plaque targeting therapy met primary endpoint and all secondary endpoints, which Lilly will use in its submission to the FDA this quarter. -
Clinical results for experimental treatments in Alzheimer’s, ALS and more are expected over the coming months. BioSpace highlights a few of the more highly anticipated datasets. -
With data from the Phase III trial of donanemab expected in Q2, Eli Lilly presented the first clinical results from its next anti-amyloid antibody, remternetug, at AD/PD 2023. -
BIIB080 successfully reduced tau pathology in patients with early-stage disease across all six brain regions analyzed.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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The AAV pullback comes amid Biogen’s aggressive cost-cutting campaign, which put some 1,000 jobs on the chopping block with the goal of generating $1 billion in savings by 2025. -
Three draft recommendation documents published on Wednesday are intended to guide drug sponsors and accelerate the development of cell and gene therapies. -
The FDA is hoping to repurpose GSK’s Wellcovorin for cerebral folate deficiency; Pfizer acquired fast-moving weight-loss startup Metsera for nearly $5 billion after suffering a hat trick of R&D failures; psychedelics are primed for M&A action and Eli Lilly may be next in line; RFK Jr.’s revamped CDC advisory committee met last week with confounding results; and Stealth secured its Barth approval. -
Bluebird bio has re-emerged after a private equity buyout as Genetix Biotherapeutics, marking a return to its roots and a new path forward for manufacturing. -
The White House is clamping down on pharma’s ability to buy new molecules from Chinese biotechs; Sanofi, Merck and others abandon the U.K. after the introduction of a sizeable levy; Novo CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar lays off 9,000 while the company presents new data at EASD; Capsida loses a patient in a gene therapy trial; and CDER Director George Tidmarsh walks back comments on FDA adcomms.
