Annalee Armstrong headshot

Annalee Armstrong

Senior Editor

Annalee Armstrong is an award-winning biopharma journalist covering the business of drug development. She began her career at small newspapers across Western Canada. During the assignment of a lifetime, the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race, she met her husband in Alaska and eventually moved to the U.S. Since then, Annalee has covered energy, environmental regulations, healthcare and biopharma. Prior to BioSpace, Annalee was senior editor for Fierce Biotech, where she received several awards for her writing and editing. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband, two wild boys, an anxious Rhodesian Ridgeback and an indifferent tabby cat.

Sanofi and BMS paid big money for rare disease and cancer assets, while Regeneron got in the obesity game; AstraZeneca, Gilead and Amgen shone at ASCO; RFK Jr. and the CDC appeared to disagree over COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and several news outlets are questioning the validity of the White House’s Make America Healthy Again report.
Jefferies has predicted more small tuck-in deals to come, as biotechs struggle to access capital despite key clinical milestones on the horizon.
A new report from Pitchbook suggests we’re in for a period of more sustainable investing, with VC firms continuing to create and invest in companies, just more carefully.
In comments posted in response to the Trump administration’s pharma tariff investigation, companies and industry groups offered solutions to ease the impacts if the plan must go ahead.
Analysts at Truist Securities admitted that the result for itepekimab, which the companies were hoping to follow their blockbuster Dupixent in the I&I space, was “contrary to our expectations—we were wrong.”
The National Legal and Policy Center, a right-wing advocacy and watchdog group, had asked the company to revisit its DEI goals in executive pay incentives.
While an adverse event reported in Intellia’s gene therapy trial was a “non-concern” for analysts, it follows a handful of patient deaths in other trials for the modality and sent the company’s stock tumbling in pre-market trading.
Leerink Partners previews the drugs likely to be subject to the Inflation Reduction Act’s next price negotiations as the program expands to Medicare Part B and smaller biotechs.
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. removes the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy kids and pregnant women—the latest in a string of changes to vaccine policies; judge issues an order to halt HHS’ reorganization and mass layoff plans; Rocket Pharmaceuticals’ pivotal Danon disease trial is on hold after a patient death; and President Trump has named Mehmet Oz to spearhead his Most Favored Nation drug pricing policy.
Nearly two years in with Zurzuvae, Biogen tackles an ‘all of the above market’ to find patients and battle stigma in postpartum depression.
The acquisition of SiteOne provides a bit of diversification for Lilly, which has burrowed into the obesity and diabetes space with mega-blockbuster tirzepatide and several follow-on molecules.
In addition to a $140 million series D, GRIN Therapeutics has signed a global licensing deal for the epilepsy disorder drug radiprodil worth $50 million upfront.
FDA
The report takes from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s playbook, calling out rising autism rates, the vaccine schedule and over medication of children as reasons for chronic diseases.
Canada’s health agency says it has been “taking all necessary action safeguard the drug supply and ensure Canadians have access to the prescription drugs they need.”
The deal helps revitalize the TREM2 target after the high-profile failure of AbbVie and Alector’s candidate last year.