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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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To improve its reviewers’ understanding of cell and gene therapy manufacturing, the agency has launched a program that will involve a tour of manufacturing facilities and daily workshops for its staffers.
After discontinuing its long-acting insulin product Levemir, Novo has again found itself under legislative scrutiny, with three Democratic senators seeking a sit-down with the pharma.
Vertex has filed a complaint against the Department of Health and Human Services, seeking to make its fertility preservation program available to federally insured patients needing Casgevy treatment.
Some analysts say so, and a recent study suggested Lilly’s tirzepatide beat Novo’s semaglutide at inducing weight loss, but there are other factors in the market race. 
Lexeo Therapeutics’ investigational gene therapy reduces left ventricular volume and wall thickness in patients with Friedreich’s ataxia, according to a small study.
IPO
Following a disappointing IPO and the loss of Moderna’s gene editing contract, Metagenomi’s Chief Scientific Officer Luis Borges is departing the biotech.
Despite recent concerns about suicidality and other neuropsychiatric issues, a recent study has found that Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide) is associated with lower risks of dementia, cognitive deficit and nicotine misuse.
Why I advocated on Capitol Hill this month for the renewal of the FDA’s Priority Review Voucher program
After a busy first half of 2024, several companies are expecting key data readouts in the neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disease spaces during the next six months.
Halia Therapeutics, NodThera and Gain Therapeutics target neuroinflammatory processes in hopes of modifying the course of Parkinson’s progression.