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In its complete response letter, the FDA cited insufficient evidence establish deramiocel’s effectiveness for cardiomyopathy associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The decision comes after CBER Director Vinay Prasad canceled an advisory committee meeting for the therapy.
FEATURED STORIES
Only with the adoption of digital imaging and AI-powered analysis will next-generation precision oncology therapies reach their full potential and ensure no eligible patient is overlooked.
Armed with the latest biological knowledge and cutting-edge computational techniques—and, of course, investor dollars—these six biotechs are playing in the largely underappreciated longevity space, developing therapies that may improve the quality of aging.
Analysts said the deal with Novo was likely giving Hims “‘credibility’ or increased consumer traffic,” adding that the “litigation risk is back on the table” now that the Danish pharma has stepped away.
Job Trends
California’s life sciences jobs led the nation last year, according to a new California Life Sciences (CLS) report. However, employment growth slowed and could continue slowing. CLS President and CEO Mike Guerra discusses the critical factors influencing California’s success.
FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
When it comes to vaccination, the COVID-19 pandemic divided American society. President Donald Trump and his new Health and Human Services secretary are bringing down the hammer. What happens when there is no middle ground?
THE LATEST
The deal gives AstraZeneca’s rare disease unit Alexion access to specialized capsids developed by the Japanese biotech JCR Pharmaceuticals for use in up to five of Alexion’s gene therapies.
M&A
In the second biggest acquisition of the year, Merck gains the commercial COPD drug Ohtuvayre, which could help offset the loss of revenue when Keytruda’s patent expires later this decade.
The high court’s order blocks a May decision by a California court that temporarily blocked the efforts of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to drastically reduce the size of his agency’s workforce.
Leerink Partners called the announcement a ‘positive’ given the delayed timeframe and the uncertainty that the administration will implement tariffs at all.
The FDA will allow a new dosing schedule for Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla that could lessen a known side effect of the monoclonal antibody drug class that has led to several deaths.
H2 2025 catalysts to watch, biopharma implications of President Trump’s tax law, KalVista’s new hereditary angioedema drug that Marty Makary reportedly tried to reject, another lawsuit aimed at Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a plea from patients with ALS for access to BrainStorm’s NurOwn.
Actithera’s radiopharma assets irreversibly bind to their targets, allowing for longer retention of the drug inside tumors.
The industry sector focused on aging is only about 10 years old, but acting on what scientists already know, a new crop of biotechs, backed by investors, are taking a disease-centric approach to extending the human lifespan.
ALS
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics issued a statement Tuesday supporting a Citizens’ Petition submitted to the FDA requesting the approval of its cell therapy NurOwn, whose BLA was withdrawn in 2023. A Phase IIIb trial was scheduled to begin last month.
The deal marks an end for CAR T company Cargo Therapeutics, which has been slashing its workforce and cutting programs since the January decision to halt its lead candidate for a certain type of aggressive large B cell lymphoma.