News

The ODAC cited concerns with patient populations in clinical trials used to support the proposed expansion. Johnson & Johnson fared better, with the FDA’s cancer advisors voting to recommend Darzalex in patients with a certain type of multiple myeloma.
FEATURED STORIES
J.P. Morgan kicked off with a flurry of deals, with Eli Lilly, GSK and Gilead all announcing deals potentially worth more than $1 billion while J&J committed $14.6 billion to buy Intra-Cellular. These moves have reinvigorated sentiment across the biopharma industry.
An FDA committee’s September 2024 vote to limit the use of Merck’s Keytruda and BMS’ Opdivo in stomach and esophageal cancers based on PD-L1 expression levels reflects an emerging trend that leverages ever-maturing datasets.
Benefiting from technological and conceptual groundwork and positive early data, gene therapies are advancing in the clinic for cardiovascular diseases including congestive heart failure, chronic refractory angina and cardiomyopathy.
Job Trends
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced today that Joseph Romanelli, president, Human Health International, is scheduled to participate in a fireside chat at the TD Cowen 44th Annual Health Care Conference on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. ET.
FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
The HHS secretary recently canceled $500 million worth of BARDA contracts around mRNA vaccine research. But the U.S. government has already spent billions on this work, which has saved millions of lives.
THE LATEST
According to analysts at BMO Capital Markets, non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy would have meant a $1.3 billion label expansion opportunity for Camzyos.
At the heart of the licensing deal is CUE-501, a bispecific molecule that can selectively deplete B cells to address autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.
Trump could use the findings of the probe to impose certain trade restrictions on pharma products, including tariffs.
In a Phase Ib trial, VERVE-102 showed it could lower bad cholesterol across doses, setting up an opt-in decision for Eli Lilly and a showdown with Novartis.
Viking Therapeutics enjoyed a nice share rally on the news that rival Pfizer is discontinuing obesity candidate danuglipron. But the biotech has a long way to go to recover after six straight months of decline.
Pfizer’s discontinuation of danuglipron brings the company down to a single molecule in its obesity pipeline.
Vanda is criticizing the FDA’s restrictions on information companies can provide regarding off-label use of approved medicines.
Future Pak—whose acquisition offer was rejected by Vanda Pharmaceuticals last summer—is offering to buy Theratechnologies for an unsolicited $255 million. The Canadian biotech is under an exclusivity agreement with another yet-to-be-disclosed potential purchaser.
Leerink analysts warned that Kennedy’s remarks to FDA staff would likely be a negative for the biotech industry.
At the GenScript Biotech Global Forum 2025, industry leaders celebrated CAR T cell therapy achievements while discussing ongoing challenges in manufacturing, distribution, treatment center capacity, and global payment structures for cell and gene therapies.