SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
Heather McKenzie

Heather McKenzie

Senior Editor

Heather McKenzie is a professional journalist with more than five years experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Since joining BioSpace, she has written more than 200 features and breaking news articles with a particular focus in neuroscience and gene therapy. She has also traveled internationally to cover global biotech hubs such as Israel. In previous roles, she has covered current affairs, sports, education and politics. She previously spent eight years as a senior content producer for executive-level business conferences in the pharma/biotech, legal, energy and business strategy sectors. In her free time, Heather enjoys creative writing, spending time with family and playing with her energetic Russian Blue cat Roofus. She hails from Toronto and has also lived in Chicago and Chesapeake, Virginia. You can reach her at heather.mckenzie@biospace.com.

Pictured: Memory lapses in neurodegenerative disea
Drug Development
The Alzheimer’s Treatment Landscape: Leqembi vs. Donanemab
With a potential combined market value of $30 billion, BioSpace takes a deep dive into the Phase III data supporting Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi and Eli Lilly’s investigational donanemab.
September 8, 2023
 · 
8 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Pictured: Amgen's office in Tampa, Florida
Policy
FTC Agreement Clears Amgen to Proceed with $27.8B Horizon Deal
Under a consent order agreement announced Friday, Amgen is prohibited from bundling any of its products with Horizon’s Tepezza or Krystexxa, allaying the FTC’s primary concerns.
September 1, 2023
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
An MRI scan of the human brain/iStock, Photoprofi3
Drug Development
Coveted GLP-1 Drugs Show Early Promise in Alzheimer’s Disease
With a recent study yielding positive results, experts say GLP-1 drugs are making headway in treating Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
August 31, 2023
 · 
5 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
DNA and genome editing concept/iStock, elenabs
Drug Development
CRISPR Shows Preclinical Promise in Treating Alzheimer’s, Challenges Persist
At AAIC, researchers presented studies using CRISPR-Cas9 in animal/organoid models of Alzheimer’s disease, but some experts doubt that such approaches will successfully translate to humans.
August 11, 2023
 · 
6 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Right and left sides of the brain/iStock, Warrenra
Drug Development
The Neuropsychiatric Pipeline: 10 Late-Stage Therapies to Watch
With a potential $509 billion up for grabs by 2028, companies including Biogen, Sage, Karuna Therapeutics and Cerevel Therapeutics are vying to bring their drugs across the regulatory finish line.
August 9, 2023
 · 
11 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
FDA sign in front of its building in Maryland
FDA
Sage Hints at Difficult Decisions After Zuranolone’s Rejection in MDD
The FDA approved Sage and Biogen’s zuranolone Friday as the first oral medication for postpartum depression but declined to approve the application in major depressive disorder.
August 7, 2023
 · 
3 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Pictured: FDA Headquarters, iStock, Grandbrothers
FDA
FDA Approves Biogen, Sage’s Zurzuvae as First Pill for Postpartum Depression
Partners Biogen and Sage Therapeutics had sought approval for the therapy in both postpartum depression and major depressive disorder, but the FDA rejected the application for the latter.
August 4, 2023
 · 
3 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
sad man hand in head with whiskey on desk
Drug Development
GLP-1 Drugs Show Promise in Alcohol, Opioid Use Disorders
Early research and anecdotal evidence indicate that the popular diabetes and obesity drugs could treat some patients with addictive disorders.
August 2, 2023
 · 
5 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Pictured: FDA Headquarters, iStock, Grandbrothers
Policy
5 Highly Anticipated FDA Decisions for Rare Diseases Coming This Year
The first half of this year saw milestone approvals for rare disease therapies, and the FDA has several more such decisions on its calendar in the second half of 2023.
July 27, 2023
 · 
6 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Pictured: A man in a suit examines drugs with a ma
FDA
FDA Greenlights 35 Novel Approvals in H1, Biologics Stand Out
The FDA’s CBER approved nine novel therapies in the first half of 2023, with several more high-profile decisions on deck for the second half of the year.
July 21, 2023
 · 
4 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
A scientific analysis of Alzheimer's disease/istoc
Drug Development
Exploring Leqembi Combinations in the Fight Against Alzheimer’s
With Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi now fully approved, researchers are exploring combinations—including with therapies targeting tau and microglial function—that could increase its effectiveness.
July 20, 2023
 · 
6 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Pictured: Alnylam CEO Yvonne Greenstreet, Alnylam
Drug Development
AAIC: First Clinical Data from an RNAi Therapeutic for Alzheimer’s Continue to Impress
Part B of the study, cleared to proceed in Canada, remains on hold in the U.S. due to findings from non-clinical chronic toxicology studies.
July 17, 2023
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Pictured: A physician studies a brain scan/iStock,
Drug Development
AAIC: Lilly’s Donanemab Data, Analyses Show Additional Benefit for Younger Patients
Full data for Eli Lilly’s Phase III TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 study, presented Monday at the 2023 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, confirm positive results announced in May.
July 17, 2023
 · 
4 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Pictured: Roche tower in Basel, Switzerland
Deals
Roche in Talks to Buy Stomach Drug from Roivant for $7B: Report
The Swiss pharma is in talks to acquire Roivant Sciences’ RVT-3101, an anti-TL1A antibody that recently showed promising results in a Phase IIb ulcerative colitis trial, reports The Wall Street Journal.
July 14, 2023
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Pictured: Doctor holding a brain scan with an elde
Drug Development
Untangling the Amyloid-Tau Connection to Inform New Drug Development
Recent data from the Phase III study of donanemab emphasize a correlation between amyloid and tau. Experts say a greater understanding of this link could further Alzheimer’s drug development.
July 13, 2023
 · 
5 min read
 · 
Heather McKenzie
Load More