News

Alternatives to opioids are desperately needed to better treat moderate to severe acute pain, but to date, we’ve seen few novel analgesics hit the market.
FEATURED STORIES
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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FROM OUR EDITORS
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.
THE LATEST
Eli Lilly is expanding its radiopharmaceutical portfolio with a $140 million upfront payment to Radionetics Oncology and the exclusive future right to acquire the biotech for $1 billion.
DEI
This week on Denatured, Head of Insights Lori Ellis and guests discuss the implications of not addressing the DE&I data gaps for the future.
Samsung Biologics announced Tuesday it has signed its largest contract ever—a $1.06 billion manufacturing deal with an unnamed pharmaceutical company headquartered in the U.S.
Cartesian Therapeutics’ mRNA CAR-T therapy met its primary endpoint in a mid-stage trial for the chronic autoimmune disorder and expects to raise $130 million via private placement equity financing.
The Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating two senior employees of Cassava Sciences in connection with allegations of data manipulation for its Alzheimer’s disease candidate simufilam.
The Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into Teva Pharmaceuticals after the company allegedly ignored directives to withdraw or amend contentious patent listings on the FDA’s Orange Book.
In 2023, the ADC market exceeded $10 billion, and this momentum is persisting into 2024, as evidenced by several strategic deals and a robust pipeline of candidate drugs.
Daiichi Sankyo has secured a victory in its patent arbitration with Seagen, nabbing a $47 million award for attorneys’ fees and other costs, plus interest. However, a larger patent battle with Pfizer remains.
FDA
Pyzchiva, developed by Samsung Bioepis, will be commercialized in the U.S. by Sandoz with the license period beginning on Feb. 22, 2025, according to a settlement and licensing agreement with Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Biotech.
In a potential challenge to Pfizer’s Prevnar 20, Merck’s Capvaxive has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Protection for use in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease in adults.