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Eli Lilly notches another win over Novo Nordisk, as Zepbound bests CagriSema in a head-to-head trial sponsored by Novo; The FDA kicked off Rare Disease Week, providing draft guidance on its new plausible mechanism pathway, while a bipartisan senate hearing on Thursday will focus on the authorization process for rare conditions; Another leadership change shakes up CDC; and Gilead acquires CAR T partner Arcellx for nearly $8 billion.
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Corsera Health’s Chief Operating Officer Rena Denoncourt and CFO Meredith Kaya speak with BioSpace about the biotech’s mission and vision for the next generation of cardiovascular care.
Billions of dollars’ worth of cancer drugs are discarded each year. Manufacturers must refund Medicare for some of this waste. A data-driven approach offers a practical path to greater efficiency.
Sales of Merck’s longtime oncology blockbuster Keytruda will erode more starkly in about 2033 rather than 2029, predicts Bloomberg Intelligence, translating to some $22 billion more in revenue.
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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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The candidate is being positioned as a potential oral competitor to Sanofi and Regeneron’s blockbuster Dupixent in allergy and inflammation indications.
Analysts said the data suggest “a strong treatment effect.” Jazz has filed for FDA approval for the combination, which could offer an alternative to monotherapy treatments from Roche and AstraZeneca.
In comments posted in response to the Trump administration’s pharma tariff investigation, companies and industry groups offered solutions to ease the impacts if the plan must go ahead.
Regeneron’s shares have declined nearly 17% following the failure of the company’s Dupixent follow-up itepekimab.
Blueprint has a next-generation systemic mastocytosis treatment, called elenestinib, that Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson told analysts provides an “opportunity to grow through the ‘30s.”
Bristol Myers Squibb is dropping at least $3.5 billion to jointly develop the bispecific antibody, which will race with Summit Therapeutics, Merck and Pfizer in the crowded PD-1/PD-L1xVEGF space.
AstraZeneca has put hundreds of millions of dollars into AI deals, with an eye toward not just accelerating the development of drugs that treat cancer after it appears but also in creating diagnostics that can catch cancer earlier than current methods allow.
Updated Phase I/Ib data in hand, Arcus will launch a Phase III trial as it aims to compete with Merck, whose drug secured approval for a type of kidney cancer in 2023.
Following Merus’ splash last month with a “best-in-disease profile” for its head and neck cancer bispecific, Bicara touted positive results for its monocolonal antibody, but analysts say Merus still has the upper hand.
Jefferies analysts said the approval was largely expected and an “incremental positive” for Moderna amid questions about the FDA’s attitude toward mRNA and COVID-19 vaccines that have investors worried.