Drug Development

At the 2025 National Biotechnology Conference, gene therapies, bispecific antibodies and other novel modalities—relative newcomers to medicine—will be much discussed. In this curtain raiser, BioSpace speaks with conference chair Prathap Nagaraja Shastri of J&J about these highly anticipated topics.
FEATURED STORIES
While some of the initial excitement around immunotherapies has waned, companies—particularly smaller biotechs—are developing newer iterations that will take cancer care to the next level.
With Sarepta’s gene therapy Elevidys now available to a majority of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients, experts express cautious optimism while emphasizing the need for further data.
FDA
As therapies for rare and neurological diseases earn accelerated approval, experts laud the program’s intent while remaining concerned about confirmatory trials and clinical efficacy, especially as products greenlit under this pathway are pulled from the market.
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Photys is eligible for up to $186 million from Novo Nordisk for its PHICS small molecules that pair a kinase to a disease-causing protein for phosphorylation.
Tenaya’s share slump following the TN-201 data drop could be due to its “significantly lower” level of RNA expression in the Phase Ib/II trial than in preclinical models, according to William Blair analysts.
The Novo-Catalent deal now moving ahead highlights unprecedented investment in manufacturing, while also standing out as an exception to the unspoken rule of keeping M&As to less than $5 billion this year.
The Phase III win could help Regeneron and Bayer expand into retinal vein occlusion, a move that the partners need to help shore up sales of their Eylea franchise amid biosimilar encroachment.
Both vibostolimab and favezelimab have had disappointing runs leading up to their termination, sustaining several late-stage failures.
The FDA has put a stop to U.S. initiation of PepGen’s Phase II trial for its Duchene muscular dystrophy treatment. The company faced the same hurdle for an earlier neuromuscular candidiate in 2023.
Even as Biogen and Eisai’s Leqembi and Eli Lilly’s Kisunla slowly roll out onto the market, experts question the efficacy of these anti-amyloid antibodies and the amyloid hypothesis overall.
Novartis, Biogen, Takeda and Novo Nordisk are all betting on advances in the molecular glue degraders space, collectively investing billions in hopes of treating cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiometabolic disease and more.
Some 90% of investigational drugs fail—and success rates are even more dire in the neuro space. Here, BioSpace looks at five clinical trial flops that stole headlines over the past 12 months.
RSV
Following news of RSV lower respiratory tract infections in infants immunized with Moderna’s investigational RNA vaccines, FDA advisors said the trial investigators should continue the study, while keeping an eye out for further safety signals.