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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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Many scientists-turned-CEOs paradoxically abandon scientific principles when it comes to commercializing their innovations. But applying the scientific method to business decisions can help life science entrepreneurs avoid common pitfalls, attract investment and ultimately bring transformative technologies to market.
FDA vouchers are normally a coveted prize for biopharma companies, but a surprise rejection for Disc Medicine’s rare disease drug has biopharma reconsidering.
PitchBook’s 2025 biopharma VC analysis clocked $33.8 billion in capital dispatched in 2025, mainly to companies with later-stage programs ready to roll into the clinic.
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FDA
The FDA’s refusal to review Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine is part of a larger communications crisis unfolding at the agency over the past nine months that has also ensnarled Sarepta, Capricor, uniQure and many more.
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The Japanese pharma’s attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder candidate has shown significant symptom improvements in children and adolescents in two late-stage studies.
Merck and Novartis beat expectations this week with solid third-quarter financial results, while BMS, Sanofi and Takeda spooked investors with negative near- and mid-term projections.
The French drugmaker’s shares dropped more than 15% Friday morning on the announcement that it has abandoned its goal of a 32% operating profit margin for 2025, focusing on long-term profitability.
FDA
Following an FDA rejection and a previous discontinuation in psoriasis, Eli Lilly’s anti-IL-23 antibody has finally won an approval in ulcerative colitis, joining a crowded inflammatory bowel disease market.
The company’s blockbuster cancer asset Keytruda brought in more than $6.3 billion in the third quarter, a 17% increase from the same period last year, while bolstering its antibody-drug conjugate portfolio.
FDA
Santhera Pharmaceuticals and partner Catalyst Pharmaceuticals got the FDA’s greenlight for their Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug Agamree, which is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2024.
The company on Thursday said it now expects more than $10 billion in new product sales in 2026, despite previously forecasting $10 billion to $13 billion in 2025.
With recent high-profile failures, experts say safety concerns and a lack of diversification are hindering the field—but still hold out hope for an approval.
Attributing losses to exchange rate and pipeline impairment losses, the Japanese biopharma dropped its reported net profit forecast of 142 billion yen ($945.1 million) to 93 billion yen ($618.8 million).
A third-party audit found no integrity and reliability problems with data from BioXcel Therapeutics’ Phase III trial. The company intends to file a supplemental New Drug Application for its candidate BXCL501.