News
Novartis plans to build seven new facilities in the U.S., touting the creation of up to 1,000 new jobs at the company. The new facilities will include a biomedical research hub in California, two radioligand plants, and four manufacturing sites.
FEATURED STORIES
Experts suggest the FDA’s Advanced Manufacturing Technologies designation could be a lifeline for improving production processes for approved cell and gene therapies.
Mixed headlines have plagued the cell and gene therapy space of late. We believe that a renewed case of optimism is not only warranted but essential if these therapies are to reach their full potential.
Since July, several biotechs have been forced to pivot as previous agreements with the FDA around evidence required for approval were reversed, a phenomenon that, according to experts, could portend a more restrictive regulator.
Job Trends
Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) today announced that it has initiated the filing of a rolling New Drug Submission (NDS) to Health Canada for its updated monovalent COVID-19 vaccine, SPIKEVAX® XBB.1.5 (mRNA-1273.815) targeting the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 of SARS-CoV-2.
FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
Unpredictable communication and a lack of transparency are eroding the industry’s and the public’s trust. The FDA, experts agree, needs to take control of the narrative.
THE LATEST
The FDA’s guidance on AI in drug development points to potentially life-threatening consequences of the technology, highlighting the importance of providing the regulator with detailed information regarding models’ development and maintenance.
Denali’s failure on Monday continues biopharma’s losing streak against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. PTC Therapeutics and Amylyx have seen similarly disappointing results.
From ADCs and radiopharmaceuticals to cell and gene therapies, eager young startups are betting on advances in biopharma’s most competitive therapeutic spaces—and attracting dollars from Big Pharma.
The acquisition from Wuxi Biologics, the embattled CDMO named in the BIOSECURE Act, marks another expansion of Merck’s manufacturing operations in Ireland.
Eli Lilly and Company has invested more than $20 billion in its manufacturing capabilities since 2020 to help meet high demand for its medicines. Its recently announced Lilly Medicine Foundry—which will support research and development efforts—is just the latest example of the ability to research new ways of producing medicines, while also scaling up manufacturing of medicines for clinical trials.
In its Citizen Petition to the FDA, Novo Nordisk argued that there is no clinical need to allow compounding for liraglutide, the type 2 diabetes injection it sells as Victoza.
Seeking Alpha analyst Terry Chrisomalis regards Viking Therapeutics as the most attractive M&A candidate in 2025, bolstered by its strong obesity candidate VK2735 and largely de-risked MASH therapy VK2809.
Orbis emerged from stealth in February 2024 with $28.1 million in seed funding. The Danish biotech, which aims to flip biologics into oral medicines, has now raised another $93 million.
Among the FDA’s pending decisions for this quarter are Vertex’s non-opioid pain drug and Sanofi’s RNA interference therapy for hemophilia A and B.
Expanding volumes of data point to mechanisms beyond weight loss and blood sugar control that contribute to cardiovascular benefits in the world’s fastest-growing drug class.