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Replimune is axing 144 employees at its Woburn headquarters and 80 at its Framingham manufacturing site. The cuts follow the FDA’s second rejection of the biotech’s advanced melanoma candidate.
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Doubling survival in pancreatic cancer, a long-fought rare disease approval, a massive IPO and ambitious biotech entrepreneurs have BioSpace Senior Editor Annalee Armstrong feeling upbeat about the biotech scene.
After Replimune’s advanced melanoma drug was rejected for a second time, CEO Sushil Patel slammed the FDA for failing to exercise regulatory flexibility, while other experts bemoaned the agency’s lack of consistency. With new safety guidelines for gene editing therapies, the FDA has taken a first step toward fixing both problems.
The Merck update, which will shed light on a $588 million bet to succeed Keytruda, is part of a roster of presentations that could shape the future of ADCs, protein degraders and KRAS-targeted therapies.
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Novo Nordisk’s oral Wegovy has a few months’ head start on Eli Lilly’s newly approved pill. While the Indianapolis pharma has come from behind the Danish rival in the weight loss space before, last time it clearly had the better drug.
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A BioNTech spokesperson downplayed the news, insisting that the two companies remain “close” and have a “strong collaboration.”
Through substantial leadership turnover and workforce cuts, the FDA has continued to support the advanced therapy sector, actively working to remove obstacles to innovation.
Speaking at a conference this morning, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla suggested that Metsera’s therapies could begin hitting the market in 2028.
Unpredictable communication and a lack of transparency are eroding the industry’s and the public’s trust. The FDA, experts agree, needs to take control of the narrative.
Korro Bio is moving back to square one as a preclinical biotech after the failure of KRRO-110 in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. The company’s stock is down 80% on all the news.
The decision to pause dapiglutide will help Zealand focus investment into assets that have “the greatest potential for clinical differentiation” in obesity.
In January, AbbVie and Calico’s fosigotifator failed to show significant signs of efficacy in the HEALEY ALS platform trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Alixorexton’s Phase II performance sets it up for late-stage success, according to analysts at Truist Securities. Alkermes expects to launch a global late-stage program early next year for narcolepsy type 2.
The plausible mechanism pathway “could accelerate gene therapy/editing development,” analysts at William Blair said Thursday, while adding that additional clarity is needed.
The back-heavy deal includes a $5 million upfront payment for two novel T cell engagers, though the companies have yet to disclose priority indications.