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A surprising deal from Vertex Pharmaceuticals adds to Big Pharma’s acquisitive streak as Crinetics folds into the cystic fibrosis drugmaker. Meanwhile, IPOs and venture capital raises trend upward, but mostly for derisked companies. Plus, FDA decisions slow only slightly as the hunt for a permanent leader drags on.
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IPO
After debuting on the public markets with $256.3 million and raking in an additional $472 million, Veradermics has emerged as one of biotech’s biggest post-IPO standouts. CEO Reid Waldman credits the weight loss craze for establishing consumer-driven channels.
Molecular glue degraders are gaining traction in the clinic as well as funding from Big Pharma, with their potential to treat previously “undruggable” cancers and immunological diseases. Here are five clinical programs worth keeping an eye on.
Last month, the FDA launched TrialBlazer, intended to streamline the IND path and bring early clinical trials and medical innovation home to the U.S. It’s a start, but new agency leadership must see it through.
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Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
Congressional letters sent to the CEOs of Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Merck, BMS and AbbVie this week voicing concerns about the pharmas’ clinical trials in China highlight an ongoing discrepancy in how government and industry think about the rise of the Asian country’s biotech industry.
THE LATEST
Likely to miss its initiation target, bluebird bio has renegotiated the loan deals of its agreement with Hercules Capital, giving it until June 30 next year—at the latest.
IRA
The Biden administration on Thursday announced that the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program will save the U.S. government around $6 billion in its first year of implementation.
To avoid being laid off, a third of biopharma professionals would take a pay cut and nearly a quarter would take a demotion, according to BioSpace LinkedIn polls. We spoke to several professionals about their layoff experiences and what they would—and wouldn’t—have done to keep their jobs.
The layoffs will help extend the company’s cash runway from the second half of 2026 into 2028.
IRA
The new Medicare prices for the first 10 drugs negotiated under the Inflation Reduction Act are expected soon. Analysts and researchers are divided on the long-term effects of the law.
The European Union has approved the first-ever combination therapy consisting of an immunotherapy and a PARP inhibitor for the treatment of endometrial cancer, AstraZeneca announced Wednesday.
M&A activity surges and IPOs return as the biotech industry navigates a changing business landscape marked by strategic consolidation and renewed investor focus on innovation.
As the U.S. moves away from reliance on Chinese CDMOs, Southern cities provide a model for how we can bolster domestic production capacity.
In a bid to win back investor confidence, Illumina on Tuesday unveiled a three-year growth plan focused on easier DNA sequencing and improved data analysis for customers.
Eli Lilly’s new research and development facility in Boston’s Seaport district will focus on DNA- and RNA-based therapies, as well as other priority areas such as diabetes and obesity.