News

FEATURED STORIES
Sage Therapeutics discontinued development of its lead candidate dalzanemdor after a third clinical failure, leading analysts to question the biotech’s future profitability.
RFK Jr. as HHS head is perhaps President-elect Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet pick now that Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as nominee for Attorney General. With Dr. Oz tapped to lead CMS and maybe Marty Makary at the FDA, it’s going to be quite the show.
A handful of billion-dollar deals in the rare disease space highlights the uptick in Big Pharma’s investment, but it’s still extremely low compared to the money flowing to more common indications.
Job Trends
FDA
Johnson & Johnson today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved OPSYNVI® – a single-tablet combination of macitentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA), and tadalafil, a phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor – for the chronic treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, World Health Organization [WHO] Group I) and WHO functional class (FC) II-III.
FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
In a recent BioSpace LinkedIn poll, nearly half of respondents predicted the job market won’t turn around until 2027 or later. It’s easy to see why people are skeptical, especially when you consider recent hiring activity and layoffs.
THE LATEST
FDA
Morale is low at the FDA, which was hit with layoffs this week following RFK Jr.’s confirmation. Biopharma leaders and agency insiders fear further workforce cuts could delay new medicines.
A year ago, AstraZeneca walked away from the bulk of its roxadustat partnership with FibroGen—though the pharma at the time decided to retain its relationship with the biotech’s China operations.
Despite the regulatory setback, analysts appear optimistic, noting that Harmony’s long-term prospects remain bright given the development of its high-dose formulation of its sleep-regulating drug Wakix.
Despite expectations of dealmaking leniency, new FTC chairman Andrew Ferguson told staff that he will retain the current 2023 FTC and DOJ guidelines on mergers, upholding stricter anti-trust scrutiny on deals.
The Philadelphia market has gained recognition not only for its cell and gene therapy sector but also its real estate scene and talent pool. Vittoria Biotherapeutics, Interius BioTherapeutics and Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia executives share why the area is a life sciences hot spot.
Looking for a biopharma job in Pennsylvania? Check out the BioSpace list of six companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
After SPN-820’s failure, Supernus is relying on its non-stimulant ADHD drug Qelbree and the recently approved Parkinson’s therapy Onapgo to sustain the company.
The agreement, in which Merck will pay the biotech an undisclosed initial sum to license drugs targeting a solid tumor, could net Epitopea up to $300 million down the line.
2023 marked the most bankruptcies in biopharma in more than a decade, with 14 companies filing for Chapter 11 protection. The number remained high in 2024.
A cautionary tale illustrates how forging a deal with a Big Pharma can have unexpected and far-reaching tax consequences.