News
The U.S. government remains shut down, with the FDA closed for new drug applications until further notice; cell and gene therapy leaders gather for the annual meeting in Phoenix with the field in a state of flux; Pfizer and Amgen will make drugs available at a discount as President Donald Trump’s tariffs still loom; and new regulatory documents show how Pfizer beat out the competition for Metsera.
FEATURED STORIES
A decade-long journey has come to an end for Stealth BioTherapeutics and the Barth syndrome community with the first-ever treatment for this uncommon mitochondrial disease. CEO Reenie McCarthy called it a “pivotal victory” that “offers hope for expedited regulatory attention to other ultra-rare diseases.”
After a tension-packed two days that saw recommended changes to the MMRV vaccine schedule and COVID-19 vaccine access, as well as a delayed hepatitis B vaccine vote, policy experts expressed concern with the reconstituted committee’s dearth of previous experience and understanding of their role.
A complex state vs. federal regulatory scheme allows drug compounders to advertise drugs without disclosing risks like a pharma company must do. Experts say it’s time for the FDA to crack down.
Job Trends
While the Chicago metropolitan area is not a major life sciences hub, a recent Cushman & Wakefield report predicts the Chicago market should be a growth spot in the coming years. Chicago Biomedical Consortium and COUR Pharmaceuticals executives share what makes the area a hot spot.
FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
Scaling GLP-1 manufacturing capacity remains a key priority for the pharma industry, to help supply catch up with the insatiable demand for weight loss drugs.
THE LATEST
J&J still holds the top deal of the year by value with its $14.6 billion buy of Intra-Cellular in January, but the next four biggest acquisitions came in the past four months.
The two most historically deal-conservative Big Pharmas have the most money to play with for a major M&A transaction, according to a recent Stifel analysis.
A new analysis from SRS Acquiom puts into perspective the headline values seen when a company announces a backloaded M&A deal. Biotechs have much on the line when they agree to deals with massive potential but little upfront.
As major pharmas pull away from the U.K. and the U.S. risks ceding its lead through a national brain drain, the U.K. must create a new, more robust model for innovation.
Talks between pharma and successive U.K. governments have failed to deliver the market access terms that the industry wants, contributing to a pullback in investment.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla directly credited the threat of tariffs with leading to the deal, in which the company will offer drugs on a soon-to-be-launched website called TrumpRx.
After parting with 50% of its employees earlier this year, Sutro Biopharma will lay another third of its staff in a restructuring effort geared toward reaching key inflection points.
MET-097i’s mid-stage performance “bodes well” for Pfizer’s proposed buyout of Metsera, according to BMO Capital Markets, a deal centered heavily on the investigational GLP-1 drug.
Despite tolerability concerns, nomlabofusp’s overall efficacy represents a “large win” for Larimar, according to analysts at William Blair, who lauded the therapy’s functional benefits.
Already approved in Japan, China and other Asian countries, Crystalys’ dotinurad works to lower serum uric acid levels.