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.

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Immunology and inflammation

Lilly Eyes Pipeline in a Product as GLP-1s Move Into I&I

In addition to claiming revenue of $19.3 billion for the fourth quarter, Eli Lilly executives offered a glimpse into their strategy to expand their GLP-1 franchise into the immunology and inflammation space, with trials currently underway in asthma, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

February 4, 2026

2 min read

Heather McKenzie

Podcast

Pfizer’s Metsera Data, 2025 Earnings, the FDA and REGENXBIO, Psychedelics and IPOs

Pfizer announces the first data from its Metsera-acquired pipeline just ahead of its earnings call, where analysts pressed execs for more details; Merck and Roche also released Q4 and full year earnings, with Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and others reporting Wednesday; REGENXBIO hits a regulatory snag ahead of its upcoming PDUFA; more.

February 4, 2026

1 min read

Heather McKenzie

External view of the U.S. Capitol building at sunset

Rare diseases

Rare Pediatric Disease Vouchers Reauthorized, PBM Reform Funded in Narrowly Passed Spending Bill

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a spending package into law Tuesday that reauthorizes the FDA’s previously stalled rare pediatric disease priority review voucher program, among other initiatives, while ending a three-day partial government shutdown.

February 3, 2026

3 min read

Heather McKenzie

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Wave To Work Alone on RNA Editor as AATD Picture Becomes Clearer

After GSK’s return of Wave Life Sciences’ WVE-006 as well as the mid-stage failure of Korro Bio’s candidate, the alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency landscape is coming into focus, with Wave and Beam Therapeutics leading the way.

February 2, 2026

3 min read

Heather McKenzie

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Psychedelics

Psychedelics Space at a ‘Tipping Point’ as Compass, Definium Gear Up To File for Approval

With Lykos’ regulatory failure now squarely in the rearview mirror, Compass Pathways and Definium are leading what one analyst suspects will be “a very big year for psychedelics.”

February 2, 2026

7 min read

Heather McKenzie

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Rare diseases

Despite Wide Support for Rare Disease, Voucher Program Caught Up in Senate’s ICE Fight

The Senate failed to pass a massive spending bill on Thursday—which includes the rare pediatric PRV program but also funding for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s large-scale crackdown in Minnesota and other states.

January 30, 2026

3 min read

Annalee Armstrong

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IPO

Eikon, Veradermics, Announce IPO Targets as Cautious Optimism Propels Biotech Market

Cancer-focused Eikon Therapeutics is seeking $273.5 million in its bid to trade on the Nasdaq, while hair growth specialist Veradermics is looking for $181.1 million in its foray onto the New York Stock Exchange.

January 29, 2026

3 min read

Tristan Manalac

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gene therapy

Advanced Therapies Week 2026: ‘Solving for Science’ and Weathering Global Complexity

Phacilitate’s annual event dawns as cell and gene therapies reach a new tipping point: the science has hit new heights just as regulatory and government policies spark momentum and frustration.

January 28, 2026

4 min read

Heather McKenzie

Podcast

Roche Makes Obesity Splash, Moderna Cans Vaccine Trials, Sarepta’s New Data, More

Roche’s obesity candidate achieves 22.5% weight loss in Phase II; Moderna pulls the plug on late-stage vaccine trials as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s anti-vaccine policies and rhetoric continues; and embattled gene therapy maker Sarepta announces new data in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

January 28, 2026

1 min read

Heather McKenzie

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Rare diseases

Rare Disease Biotechs Stand To Lose $4B if Priority Voucher Program Not Reinstated: Report

Some 200 rare disease therapies are at risk of losing eligibility for a pediatric priority review voucher, a recent analysis by the Rare Disease Company Coalition shows. That could mean $4 billion in missed revenue for already cash-strapped biotechs.

January 26, 2026

7 min read

Heather McKenzie

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Rare diseases

Rare Disease Vouchers Caught in Political Abyss. It Didn’t Have To Be This Way

The FDA’s rare pediatric disease priority review voucher program missed reauthorization at the last minute in 2024; advocates have been fighting to get it back ever since.

January 23, 2026

3 min read

Heather McKenzie

Podcast

JPM26 Recap, Novo’s Oral Wegovy Soars as Lilly’s Orforglipron Is Delayed, IPOs Return

The obesity market and Most Favored Nation drug pricing were among the topics de jour at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference last week, while smaller biotechs sought to assure investors that their regulatory ducks are in a row; Novo Nordisk’s oral obesity pill got off to a hot start while the FDA delayed a decision on Eli Lilly’s investigational offering; and SpyGlass Pharma and AgomAb Therapeutics join the 2026 IPO club.

January 21, 2026

1 min read

Heather McKenzie

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FDA

JPM26: Beam, Cabaletta, More Zero In on Regulatory Alignment After Tumultuous Year

As biotechs faced investors at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference this week, they emphasized agreement with the FDA on clinical trial design and regulatory pathways to approval. Atara, meanwhile, lamented the agency’s “complete reversal of position” after its therapy for a rare surgical complication was rejected.

January 19, 2026

6 min read

Heather McKenzie

AbbVie's office in South San Francisco, California

Cancer

JPM26: AbbVie Seeks Respect for Oncology Pipeline Following RemeGen Buy

Primarily known as an immunology and neuroscience company, AbbVie wanted to put the biopharma world on notice during its J.P. Morgan presentation: its oncology portfolio is underappreciated. This week, the Illinois-based company dove into the sizzling PD-1/VEGF space with a licensing deal with China-based RemeGen.

January 14, 2026

2 min read

Heather McKenzie

Neurodegenerative disease

JPM26: With Leqembi Launched, Biogen Looks To Expand Alzheimer’s Presence

Three years after the accelerated approval of its anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s therapy, Biogen—neck and neck in the market with Eli Lilly and its Kisunla offering—is focused on a near-term FDA decision for a subcutaneous induction dose of Leqembi, a presymptomatic readout in 2028 and a clutch of next-generation candidates.

January 14, 2026

5 min read

Heather McKenzie