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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.

Drug Development
Huntington’s Disease Continues to Baffle Biopharma
Huntington’s disease might just top the list of intractable neurodegenerative diseases. BioSpace spoke with the field’s foremost experts about the challenges and how to overcome them.
November 16, 2022
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7 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Scientist removes a tube. Gloved hand. Light blue tint applied to image.
Deals
Kriya Adds Redpin’s Chemogenetics Pipeline to Growing Gene Therapy Portfolio (Updated)
In the acquisition, announced Wednesday, Kriya picks up two gene therapy programs focused on epilepsy and trigeminal neuralgia. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
November 16, 2022
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3 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Courtesy Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
Drug Development
Roche Failure Leaves Industry Reassessing Alzheimer’s Space
When Roche announced that gantenerumab failed to meet the primary endpoint in two Phase III studies, several of its competitors saw their stocks rise - including Biogen and Eisai.
November 15, 2022
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4 min read
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Heather McKenzie
BrainStorm Chief Development Officer Stacy Lindbor
Business
BrainStorm Vows to Push for Adcomm Meeting on NurOwn in ALS
During its third-quarter earnings call Monday, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics emphasized its commitment to seek an advisory committee meeting for NurOwn in ALS.
November 14, 2022
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4 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Drug Development
BrainStorm Denied Again in ALS as FDA Issues Refuse-to-File Letter (Updated)
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics ran into another stumbling block with ALS hopeful NurOwn Thursday as the FDA issued a Refusal to File Letter for its Biologics License Application.
November 10, 2022
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Policy
AAV9-Based Gene Therapy for ALS Scores FDA Orphan Drug Nod
A gene therapy being developed by Eikonoklastes Therapeutics to treat ALS received Orphan Drug Designation, the company announced Wednesday.
November 10, 2022
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3 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Laser like focus leads you to the answer
Deals
Clovis Axes 115 Employees, Warns of Potential Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy might be looming for embattled Clovis Oncology, the company warned Wednesday in a 10-Q filing. Clovis also revealed it has taken action to reduce its workforce by 115 employees.
November 9, 2022
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: Regeneron logo on a light brown building
FDA
Regeneron Carves Out Bigger Slice of NSCLC Market with New Approval
The FDA greenlit Libtayo plus chemotherapy to treat patients with advanced NSCLC irrespective of EGFR, ALK or ROS1 aberrations. It is the drug’s second approval in this space.
November 9, 2022
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Dick Simon, Jacob Hooker and Jerry Rosenbaum_Senso
Business
Sensorium Scores $30M to Change Risk-Value Proposition in CNS Drug Discovery
Sensorium Therapeutics, which closed a $30 million Series A Tuesday, is embracing the complexity of neuropsychiatric diseases with nature-inspired psychoactive medicines.
November 7, 2022
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4 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Al Drago/CQ Roll Call
Business
Akebia Files Formal Dispute Resolution Request with FDA Over Rejected CKD Drug
Akebia Therapeutics has submitted a Formal Dispute Resolution Request with the FDA regarding the rejection of vadadustat in anemia due to chronic kidney disease.
November 6, 2022
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Biotech Bay
Genetown and Biotech Bay Reel in Series A Funds in 2022
After reaching a record high in 2021, venture capital dollars have tailed off in the biopharma industry in 2022. That said, a few biopharma hotbeds have still seen sizeable launch rounds.
November 2, 2022
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
uniQure President of R&D Ricardo Dolmetsch/courtes
Drug Development
uniQure’s High Dose Huntington’s Trial Back on Track Following DSMB Recommendation
A Data Safety Monitoring Board overseeing the Phase Ib/II trial assessing UniQure’s gene therapy for Huntington’s disease recommended that enrollment in the higher-dose cohort could resume.
November 2, 2022
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3 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock
Business
Sanofi, Alnylam Q3 Reports Hint at Early Pipeline Impacts from IRA
The implications of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) are beginning to show as Alnylam drops the Stargardt indication for vutrisiran and Sanofi’s CEO reassures investors.
October 31, 2022
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Drug Development
Eisai Responds to Claims Linking Patient Death to Lecanemab (Updated)
An investigator in the Phase III trial for Biogen and Eisai’s experimental Alzhiemer’s drug, lecanemab, is attributing a patient’s death to the treatment.
October 28, 2022
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Business
BioSpace NextGen Bio 2022 Winners: Where are They Now?
BioSpace checked in with some of the members of our NextGen Bio Class of 2022 to see what they’ve done to earn their place on the list - and what’s on the horizon.
October 25, 2022
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7 min read
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Heather McKenzie
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