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The Denton site is part of a network of manufacturing plants Novartis is building across the U.S. to make cancer drugs that must be shipped to patients quickly.
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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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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.
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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.
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.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned the long-standing Chevron doctrine, which required courts to defer to federal agencies and their interpretation of statutes, putting potential limits on the FDA’s regulatory decisions.
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.
Gilead Sciences’ blockbuster antibody-drug conjugate Trodelvy has encountered some clinical speed bumps in 2024 in bladder and lung cancer. Still, analysts remain bullish on its prospects in the oncology space.
Eli Lilly, Rivus Pharmaceuticals and more target different biological processes in hopes of generating higher-quality weight loss and avoiding metabolic issues.
Rocket Pharmaceuticals’ gene therapy Kresladi has been hit with an FDA Complete Response Letter requesting additional chemistry, manufacturing and controls information to complete its review.
Alumis is debuting in an initial public offering Friday on the Nasdaq, though the $250 million IPO is less than its initial targeted raise of $274 million just days ago.
AbbVie on Thursday announced it has acquired Celsius Therapeutics to expand its immunology portfolio with a first-in-class TREM1 inhibitor CEL383, following other big players looking to cash in on the hot immuno market.
Following the recently completed spinoff of cancer detection company Grail, sequencing giant Illumina said Thursday it expects to absorb a $1.47 billion goodwill impairment charge.