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When used alongside Merck’s Keytruda, Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine halved the risk of death or disease recurrence in a mid-stage trial of advanced melanoma—a result analysts said could help “instill confidence” in the regimen.
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The American Diabetes Association’s annual congress will feature a superstar lineup, including weight loss giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. But several scrappy biotechs will also present obesity candidates with the potential to match—if not outperform—their deep-pocketed competitors.
After trial flops in spinal muscular atrophy, depression and bipolar disorder—and a costly rare disease drug rejection—Biohaven is undergoing a reset, recasting its former SMA candidate for obesity.
PD-(L)1×VEGF bispecifics have emerged as a closely watched new class in immuno-oncology, with multiple candidates advancing through trials in lung cancer. But the potential of these drugs may be highest in cancers where angiogenesis and immune escape are tightly intertwined.
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FDA veteran Peter Marks will now shape the future of Eli Lilly’s vaccines work after the buys of Curevo, LimmaTech Biologics and Vaccine Company for up to $3.8 billion total.
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If the Trump administration’s proposal passes, the FDA’s budget will be more than $200 million bigger in 2027, with plans to launch new programs that expedite drug development, boost national security and promote “radical transparency.”
While an acquisition is a good exit for Soleno Therapeutics, the company’s acceptance of Neurocrine Biosciences’ $53-per-share offer came as a surprise to Stifel analysts given the potential growth of Vykat XR, approved last year for extreme hunger in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.
Some disease areas bucked the trend of shrinking pipelines, however, with immune and cardiovascular indications seeing an upward trend in investigational assets.
Anthropic in October last year iterated its Claude AI model to better cater to biopharma purposes. Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, AbbVie and others already use Claude in their operations.
Takeda and Denali Therapeutics first partnered in early 2018 to advance drugs for neurodegenerative diseases. One asset, for Alzheimer’s disease, was previously discontinued after an FDA hold and disappointing early data.
The upcoming FDA decision for Replimune’s advanced melanoma drug could be a litmus test for the agency’s future regulatory decision-making, analysts say, with implications stretching well beyond one company.
While recent FDA guidance speaks to the agency’s support of innovative trial designs—including the use of external controls—the application of this flexibility appears to be inconsistent. One former regulator says the situation is more nuanced.
Nobel laureate Sir Michael Houghton and colleagues at Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation (API) outline how rigorous early testing, smart IP and regulatory planning, and scalable CMC choices can help founders reach first-in-human faster.
BioNTech envisioned the site making hundreds of millions of vaccines a year, but has since shifted its pipeline to other modalities while mRNA technology continues to face headwinds in the U.S.
While some large companies could start paying the full tariff in 120 days, many products, including orphan drugs, cell and gene therapies, and antibody-drug conjugates, will enjoy exemptions that waive or greatly reduce the levies.