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The Denton site is part of a network of manufacturing plants Novartis is building across the U.S. to make cancer drugs that must be shipped to patients quickly.
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IPO
LB Pharma needed $350 million to advance a promising schizophrenia candidate at a time when the biotech markets were locked up tight. Fortunately, it wasn’t CEO Heather Turner’s first rodeo.
Rare disease drug developers struggle to survive in a biopharma investment market that prioritizes large patient populations. Initiatives like the Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator are attempting to solve what CEO Craig Martin says is not a science problem, but a math problem.
Eli Lilly’s win in a head-to-head trial drove Novo Nordisk’s market cap to pre-Wegovy levels not long after the victor became the first pharma company to top a $1 trillion valuation. It seems one company can do no right, while the other can do no wrong.
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Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
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 layoffs will take effect on July 22 and particularly target those working in sales, data engineering and product management.
Rouzbeh Haghighat was serving on the board of Chinook Therapeutics at the time of the Novartis acquisition and, according to the DOJ’s allegations, used confidential information to conduct insider trading.
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. removes the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy kids and pregnant women—the latest in a string of changes to vaccine policies; judge issues an order to halt HHS’ reorganization and mass layoff plans; Rocket Pharmaceuticals’ pivotal Danon disease trial is on hold after a patient death; and President Trump has named Mehmet Oz to spearhead his Most Favored Nation drug pricing policy.
Nearly two years in with Zurzuvae, Biogen tackles an ‘all of the above market’ to find patients and battle stigma in postpartum depression.
R&D spending across the global pharmaceutical sector climbed 1.5% in 2024, according to unreleased data from Evaluate Pharma.
The acquisition of SiteOne provides a bit of diversification for Lilly, which has burrowed into the obesity and diabetes space with mega-blockbuster tirzepatide and several follow-on molecules.
In addition to a $140 million series D, GRIN Therapeutics has signed a global licensing deal for the epilepsy disorder drug radiprodil worth $50 million upfront.
GlycoEra’s lead candidate targets IgG4 autoantibodies, potentially addressing autoimmune diseases such as muscle-specific kinase myasthenia gravis and pemphigus.
Acute systemic infection caused the patient to develop fatal capillary leak syndrome, highlighting the unpredictability of gene therapies and potentially challenging investment in the space, analysts say.
With $90 million to start, Syndeio has a lead asset in Phase II clinical trials for major depressive disorder, with plans to soon launch a biomarker trial in Alzheimer’s disease.