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A surprising deal from Vertex Pharmaceuticals adds to Big Pharma’s acquisitive streak as Crinetics folds into the cystic fibrosis drugmaker. Meanwhile, IPOs and venture capital raises trend upward, but mostly for derisked companies. Plus, FDA decisions slow only slightly as the hunt for a permanent leader drags on.
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IPO
After debuting on the public markets with $256.3 million and raking in an additional $472 million, Veradermics has emerged as one of biotech’s biggest post-IPO standouts. CEO Reid Waldman credits the weight loss craze for establishing consumer-driven channels.
Molecular glue degraders are gaining traction in the clinic as well as funding from Big Pharma, with their potential to treat previously “undruggable” cancers and immunological diseases. Here are five clinical programs worth keeping an eye on.
Last month, the FDA launched TrialBlazer, intended to streamline the IND path and bring early clinical trials and medical innovation home to the U.S. It’s a start, but new agency leadership must see it through.
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Congressional letters sent to the CEOs of Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Merck, BMS and AbbVie this week voicing concerns about the pharmas’ clinical trials in China highlight an ongoing discrepancy in how government and industry think about the rise of the Asian country’s biotech industry.
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In the third deal in as many days, Roche is paying $66 million upfront to MOMA Therapeutics to find new drugs to go after cancer cell growth, with a potential $2 billion total in milestones and royalties.
Wednesday’s settlement resolves a legal dispute between Daiichi Sankyo Europe and Esperion Therapeutics regarding milestone payments under their cardiovascular drug collaboration.
The late-stage pharmacokinetic study was stopped early due to efficacy at interim analysis, Lyndra Therapeutics said Thursday. A six-month safety study will start in the second half of 2024.
BioSpace and guests from Halia Therapeutics, Triumvira Immunologics and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation discuss alternative financing strategies to consider for 2024. Listen now.
Novo Nordisk’s partnerships with Flagship Pioneering-backed Omega and Cellarity, each worth up to $532 million, will explore novel treatment approaches to obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
With a PDUFA date in the second quarter of 2024, Pfizer is poised to compete with CSL Behring, whose Hemgenix became the first FDA-approved gene therapy for hemophilia B in November 2022.
The Interface Biosciences co-founder said forging the relationships needed to launch a startup can be a challenge for members of underrepresented groups, making confidence and adaptability key.
Rapport Therapeutics tops this year’s list with $250 million in Series A and B financing in just six months.
While GLP-1 drugs have exploded in popularity, they don’t work for everyone, and experts say phenotyping based on a greater understanding of the disease is the future of obesity treatment.
Tome Biosciences has only been on the scene for a short time but on Tuesday notched an acquisition of CRISPR-based biotech Replace Therapeutics for $65 million upfront.