News
FEATURED STORIES
While San Diego remains a top biotech hub behind Boston and San Francisco, the city—which hosts this week’s BIO International Convention—has seen employment drop amid economic headwinds.
Experts say approval of Lykos Therapeutics’ MDMA capsules for post-traumatic stress disorder would open the door to further research into psychedelic-assisted therapies.
AstraZeneca last week set another ambitious goal, this time with plans to nearly double its total revenue by the end of the decade. However, it’s easier said than done, according to analysts.
Job Trends
BioInvent International AB announces the enrollment of the first patient in a Phase 1/2 trial in combination with KEYTRUDA®, MSD’s anti-PD-1 therapy, investigating a subcutaneous formulation of its lead drug candidate, the novel anti-FcyRIIB antibody BI-1206, in solid tumors.
FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
After Emma Walmsley steps down as GSK CEO in January, Vertex Pharma’s Reshma Kewalramani will be the sole female CEO at a top-20 pharma company. Still, there are many prominent women in pharma that could someday break through again.
THE LATEST
Obesity continues to grab attention at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, with both Pfizer and Kailera Therapeutics outlining their plans in the space moving forward.
Sarepta Therapeutics’ Duchenne muscular dystrophy therapy Elevidys handily beat analysts’ expectations in the fourth quarter of 2024, reflecting the biotech’s “world-class” execution, according to BMO Capital Markets analysts.
The multi-billion deal, in which Eli Lilly will acquire Scorpion Therapeutics’ STX-478 program, is a shot in the arm for PI3K treatments, which have had a mixed history over the past few years.
Passage Bio’s workforce reduction could affect about 32 people, leaving the company with 26 employees as it continues evaluating a treatment for frontotemporal dementia with granulin mutations.
On the heels of an FDA approval for its monoclonal antibody Bizengri, Merus will generate three novel cancer-targeting antibodies that it will pass over to Biohaven to link into antibody drug-conjugates.
Biogen’s proposed acquisition comes after two difficult years of regulatory and clinical challenges, during which shares of Sage Therapeutics have fallen by more than 90%.
Among Intra-Cellular’s neuropsychiatric assets is Caplyta, a pill approved for schizophrenia and bipolar depression and proposed for major depressive disorder.
Gilead’s investment will let it assess the therapeutic potential of targeting STAT6, a transcription factor involved in IL-4 and IL-13 signaling, which in turn are known inflammatory targets.
Emraclidine was the centerpiece of AbbVie’s $8.7 billion acquisition of Cerevel in December 2023 but failed two mid-stage trials. Tavapadon, meanwhile, has been a more rewarding asset for the pharma, clearing three Phase III Parkinson’s studies in 2024.
Metsera will use its IPO proceeds to fund the Phase III development of its injectable, ultra-long-acting GLP-1 therapy MET-097i, which last week achieved 11.3% weight loss in a Phase IIa study.