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When Doug Ingram became Sarepta Therapeutics’ CEO in 2017, he didn’t have a connection to muscular dystrophy, but he has developed a fierce passion for the therapeutic area. He will step aside from his role to dedicate more time to his family.
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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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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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FDA
Recent FDA approvals of novel drugs based on less-than-stellar clinical evidence point to a trend toward regulatory flexibility—particularly in indications with very high unmet need.
The Japan-based pharma is acquiring Orchard Therapeutics for approximately $477.6 million, if all conditions are met. Orchard’s pediatric gene therapy has a PDUFA date set for March 2024.
Following a fatality due to the rare blood disease hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, the regulator slapped a partial clinical hold on two studies of Innate Pharma’s investigational therapy lacutamab.
Despite the lack of a randomized controlled trial for US WorldMeds’ investigational drug, an FDA advisory committee found that the company provided adequate data to support its benefit in high-risk neuroblastoma.
Patients with treatment-resistant depression treated with Johnson & Johnson’s Spravato were significantly more likely to reach remission and stay relapse-free for up to 32 weeks.
Data from the Mayo Clinic shows limited eligibility for the anti-amyloid treatment. However, Michael Irizarry, Eisai’s deputy chief clinical officer, says some patients could still be eligible.
AbbVie, Amgen, Gilead, Merck and Novartis are among the 31 members that have formed the Partnership for the U.S. Life Science Ecosystem to push back against federal antitrust reforms.
The pharmaceutical giant aims to hire another 50 people by the end of this year to work on a new platform dedicated to harnessing data and AI insights in drug discovery.
The French pharma paid $500 million upfront, with up to $1 billion in future milestone payments, to co-develop and co-commercialize Teva’s Phase II anti-TL1A antibody for inflammatory bowel disease.
Its reversible nature offers the potential for RNA editing to go beyond rare diseases, eliciting excitement and buy-in from large pharmas like GSK and Eli Lilly.