Drug Delivery
A push to reshore some drug production and progress in advanced manufacturing technologies have been prominent trends this year, industry leaders say.
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Following FDA rejections, Regeneron and Scholar Rock are turning to other facilities to clear regulatory logjams created by quality problems at an ex-Catalent facility in Indiana. Novo Nordisk, meanwhile, has been tight-lipped about whether its own FDA applications have been affected.
Experts suggest the FDA’s Advanced Manufacturing Technologies designation could be a lifeline for improving production processes for approved cell and gene therapies.
Novo Nordisk goes “on the offensive” following Trump deal that also included rival Eli Lilly, putting an exclamation point on rapidly declining GLP-1 drug prices. Experts say the unusual situation makes it hard to predict what’s next.
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After initially refusing to suspend Elevidys distribution after two deaths, Sarepta has now given in to the FDA’s request, noting the need to maintain a good working relationship with the regulator.
The biotech is planning to expand antisense oligonucleotide capabilities and infrastructure on campuses that already produce drugs such as the ALS therapy Qalsody.
Amid a season of regulatory and scientific advances, experts reveal a culture of data hoarding among cell and gene therapy developers that is reinforcing fragmentation, stalling innovation and delaying access to treatments.
In advance of CMS’ negotiated price for the blood thinner taking effect next year, partners Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer pitched the direct-to-consumer program as a way to allow uninsured, underinsured and self-pay patients to pay less out of pocket.
In its Q2 earnings call Thursday, Novartis said it is moving quickly to reshore its drug manufacturing operations, but CEO Vas Narasimhan told reporters that for most medicines, it typically takes three to four years to completely relocate production.
Through its recently unveiled Priority Voucher program, the FDA seeks to accelerate the review process for companies that promise to keep prices down.
Analysts said the deal with Novo was likely giving Hims “‘credibility’ or increased consumer traffic,” adding that the “litigation risk is back on the table” now that the Danish pharma has stepped away.
President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law last week, reintroduces broader exemptions for orphan drugs from the IRA’s drug price negotiation program—a move welcomed by the biopharma industry. The new tax law also cuts Medicaid funding, posing a minimal risk to pharma’s bottomlines and potentially jeopardizing hospitals’ 340B status. It does not, however, include new rules for pharmacy benefit managers that had been in an earlier draft.
California’s life sciences manufacturing jobs dipped 3.7% in 2024, according to a new Biocom California report. Still, several companies made—and continuing making—significant manufacturing investments in the state as key trends shape the discipline.
Jefferies analysts called the proxy filing, which is a standard disclosure after a merger agreement, “much more intriguing than normal” given the regulatory turmoil it revealed.