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The Denton site is part of a network of manufacturing plants Novartis is building across the U.S. to make cancer drugs that must be shipped to patients quickly.
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IPO
LB Pharma needed $350 million to advance a promising schizophrenia candidate at a time when the biotech markets were locked up tight. Fortunately, it wasn’t CEO Heather Turner’s first rodeo.
Rare disease drug developers struggle to survive in a biopharma investment market that prioritizes large patient populations. Initiatives like the Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator are attempting to solve what CEO Craig Martin says is not a science problem, but a math problem.
Eli Lilly’s win in a head-to-head trial drove Novo Nordisk’s market cap to pre-Wegovy levels not long after the victor became the first pharma company to top a $1 trillion valuation. It seems one company can do no right, while the other can do no wrong.
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FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
FDA
Following the FDA’s refusal to review Moderna’s investigational mRNA flu vaccine last week, Commissioner Marty Makary faced questions from the U.S. president about the agency’s handling of vaccines. It’s a clear signal that the tension long brewing at the drug regulator has now gone all the way to the top.
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Roche’s oral GLP-1 receptor agonist CT-996—obtained in the $2.7 billion acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics—reduced body weight by more than 6% at four weeks versus placebo in a Phase I trial.
As scrutiny of pharmacy benefit managers mounts, a House committee will hold a hearing on the alleged anticompetitive business practices of these middlemen.
IRA
AstraZeneca joins Johnson & Johnson and Bristol Myers Squibb in appealing a previous legal loss for its challenge to the government’s drug price-setting program.
Citing the need for another human factor study and more technical data for the final product, the FDA denied approval of Orexo’s nasal spray rescue medication for opioid overdose.
Pfizer selects its candidate for the oral GLP-1 race as Eli Lilly strives to overtake Novo Nordisk in the injectable weight-loss drug space. Meanwhile, pressure builds to reduce drug prices in the U.S.
Restructuring can invite lawsuits if companies aren’t careful. Following local, state and federal rules is critical, as is keeping the employee handbook current.
This week, Carina discusses how to transition into a career in biotech when you don’t have lab experience. Plus, handling difficult interviews and getting a “dry” promotion.
Backed by Bain Capital, Cardurion Pharmaceuticals will use the Series B funds to advance two assets for heart failure and other cardiovascular conditions.
Asceneuron, which develops small molecules targeting tau protein aggregation, plans to use the funds to advance its Alzheimer’s disease asset into Phase II.
To help keep pace with the demand for GLP-1 therapies, CordenPharma has announced a sizeable $980 million investment in its U.S. and European sites.