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BioNTech said in 2022 that it faced “threats of a groundless patent infringement suit” from a company that was “unable to bring to market any product to help in the fight against COVID-19.” Now, the mRNA biotech is buying that very company.
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Gene therapies have ridden investor mania to huge valuations but commercialization challenges have pushed market caps to the floor. At a roundtable last week, FDA leaders promised faster approvals and broad support to the industry.
As multiple companies vie to expand on Alnylam’s success in commercializing RNAi therapeutics, the pioneering company has set a goal of targeting small interfering RNA to any tissue by 2030.
Vaccine skepticism is at an all-time high in the U.S., and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making some drastic moves in the name of reversing that trend. But misinformation and inconsistencies within the country’s healthcare agencies highlight problems with his approach.
Job Trends
Although the job market did not pick up in April, layoffs were down year over year and month over month, according to BioSpace tallies. Meanwhile, Amgen, Novartis, Regeneron and Roche announced U.S. manufacturing investments that are sparking job creation.
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After Sarepta reported the death of a patient who had recently taken the gene therapy Elevidys, patient advocacy group Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy stepped up—as they always do.
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Analysts at Jefferies give Roche and Prothena’s Phase III study just a 25% to 40% probability of success.
Regeneron did not bid higher on the genetic testing company because of “its assessment of 23andMe’s remaining value,” according to a spokesperson for the pharma.
Stifel analysts said the deal “feels like an unremarkable outcome for a company that was once one of the hottest stories in CNS.” Supernus’ offer beats Biogen’s unsolicited bid of about $7.22 per share, which arrived with a thud in late January.
Analysts at Truist Securities called J&J’s CAR T readout “compelling,” noting that the efficacy figures could position the cell therapy as a formidable competitor to the current standard of care, Gilead’s Yescarta.
According to an internal email, the agency may be in for more consolidation in areas including human resources, communications, travel and acquisitions.
Sarepta’s shares crashed 41% in premarket trading Monday morning to $21.01 after the biotech reported a second death from acute liver failure, a known side effect of adeno-associated virus-based gene therapies.
AstraZeneca, Pfizer and more are leveraging the computational power of AI to better design trials, predict the potential efficacy and safety profiles of their molecules and synthesize massive multi-omic information to gain a more complete understanding of challenging cancers.
While cancelled NIH grants and regulatory uncertainty are less hospitable to clinical research in the U.S., Europe must play its cards right to attract more studies.
Later this month, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s revamped CDC vaccine advisory committee will discuss RSV vaccination guidelines for the newly approved patient group, high-risk adults 18 through 49. Analysts and other experts have warned that the new panel includes some who have documented anti-vaccine sentiments as well as those who have spoken out against mRNA technology specifically.
Friday’s deal with CSPC fits neatly within AstraZeneca’s business development strategy of upping investments in AI and in China.