News
In this episode of Denatured, you’ll hear from Jack Crawford, CEO of Demeetra, and Magnus Gustavsson, chief commercial officer at NorthX Biologics. We unpack the evolution of cell line development — CHO cells, targeted integration, transposases and the collaboration models speeding biologics from sequence to GMP.
FEATURED STORIES
Psychedelics are gaining momentum in depression, with one treating physician predicting that the drug class could “wipe out the SSRIs” if safety and durability hold up.
Saol Therapeutics is the latest biotech to resubmit for approval of a drug rejected under former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, following REGENXBIO and Replimune.
Even as FDA approvals for biologic therapies fell in the first half of 2026, regulatory experts are optimistic about a turnaround in the rare disease space after the departure of key leaders at the agency. Still, there will continue to be tension between science and politics.
FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
Congressional letters sent to the CEOs of Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Merck, BMS and AbbVie this week voicing concerns about the pharmas’ clinical trials in China highlight an ongoing discrepancy in how government and industry think about the rise of the Asian country’s biotech industry.
THE LATEST
Following difficult recent months for EQRx, the biotech is being bought by Revolution Medicines in an all-stock transaction that secures $1 billion in additional capital for the oncology company.
Amid a re-energized Alzheimer’s disease space, Quest Diagnostics offers what the company contends is the first direct-to-consumer blood-based biomarker test to assess disease risk.
The FDA has approved Jemperli as an add-on to chemotherapy for patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer that is mismatch repair deficient or microsatellite instability-high.
The Federal Trade Commission seeks to codify its heavier-handed approach, already displayed by its actions regarding Amgen’s acquisition of Horizon, among other deals.
Ulotaront failed to meet primary endpoints in two studies. The companies said high COVID-19 placebo effect “may have masked molecule’s therapeutic effect” and plan to discuss next steps with the FDA.
Amid U.S. shortages in crucial drugs, House Republicans have filed their own draft bill that seeks to increase the accountability of the FDA and provide more flexibility for generics manufacturers.
Biogen’s $7.3 billion Reata acquisition and layoffs dominated this week’s news, while BMS and Roche reported second-quarter earnings and BioSpace looked at 12 late-stage neuro companies.
Following a sweeping cost-cutting plan announced earlier this week, including an 11% workforce reduction, Biogen is acquiring Reata Pharmaceuticals to bolster its neurological and rare disease pipeline.
The British drugmaker’s rare disease subsidiary Alexion will take on a number of Pfizer’s preclinical gene therapy programs and technologies to advance its genomic medicines pipeline.
Despite beating analyst expectations, Takeda sustains a mid-stage defeat in a rare genetic disorder, leaving the fate of an investigational enzyme replacement therapy uncertain.