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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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Massachusetts’ life sciences jobs grew by just 0.03% in 2024, according to a new MassBioEd report. Still, the report found encouraging signs for the industry, noting it’s expected to grow by 11.6% by 2029, adding an estimated 16,633 net new positions.
Disappointing results for iluzanebart come shortly after Vigil Neuroscience struck a buy-out deal with Sanofi, but analysts say the outcome is unsurprising and shouldn’t affect the deal.
Eli Lilly joins up with Camurus to make long-acting versions of the pharma’s obesity and diabetes drugs, joining the industry’s growing pipeline of programs that are differentiated by the frequency of dosing.
The FDA plans to “rapidly make available” rare disease drugs and make use of surrogate endpoints to get promising medicines to patients before they clear the traditional efficacy bar for authorization, Prasad said Tuesday.
Recent decisions to reduce health and science research funding and limit the participation of international students and researchers could prove damaging in the short and long term.
Sanofi and BMS paid big money for rare disease and cancer assets, while Regeneron got in the obesity game; AstraZeneca, Gilead and Amgen shone at ASCO; RFK Jr. and the CDC appeared to disagree over COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and several news outlets are questioning the validity of the White House’s Make America Healthy Again report.
J&J has a multi-year head start, but Gilead believes it can win market share by delivering a drug with better safety and at least as good efficacy.
Jefferies has predicted more small tuck-in deals to come, as biotechs struggle to access capital despite key clinical milestones on the horizon.
A new report from Pitchbook suggests we’re in for a period of more sustainable investing, with VC firms continuing to create and invest in companies, just more carefully.
Kura Oncology won FDA priority review for its drug the day before announcing new data at ASCO 2025 showing remission in about one-quarter of patients.