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Biogen’s new data, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, supports a tau-focused approach to the intractable neurodegenerative disease; psychedelics are back in the news with more positive data from Compass Pathways and final guidance from the FDA; and the ATTR-CM space got a major shakeup with the late-stage failure of AstraZeneca and Ionis’ antisense therapeutic.
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Biopharma is entering its second-quarter earnings season riding high on a wave of massive deals and venture capital flow, plus a clearing of regulatory and policy overhangs. What can industry watchers expect to hear on the upcoming investor calls?
Biogen touted an “unprecedented” drop in tau in a Phase 2 trial, backing the company’s decision to take diranersen to Phase 3 despite a missed primary endpoint and seemingly supporting the anti-tau approach.
As antibody-drug conjugates advance and move into earlier lines of treatment, drug developers have to build gentler therapies that don’t just extend survival but improve it.
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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.
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Continued fallout from the IRA, heightened antitrust enforcement and the rise of AI will all shape the first wave of biotech mergers and acquisitions coming this year, experts tell BioSpace.
Argenx’s subcutaneous Fc receptor blocker efgartigimod was unable to induce a significantly higher rate of complete remission than placebo in the skin autoimmune disease. The company’s stock plummeted in response to the news.
Also called an umbrella or basket trial, the master trial allows for a more targeted approach to cancer treatment, faster patient enrollment and the flexibility to pivot.
FDA
Chiesi Global Rare Diseases gained access to the Filsuvez topical gel in January 2023, when it bought Amryt Pharma. Tuesday’s approval comes nearly two years after an initial rejection by the regulator.
The European Commission upheld exclusive marketing protection in Europe for Biogen’s multiple sclerosis therapy Tecfidera until February 3, 2025, staving off generic competition.
Iovance’s lifileucel for advanced melanoma and Madrigal’s resmetirom for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are just a couple of the key decisions on the FDA’s docket this quarter.
Companies and patients alike are questioning the Federal Trade Commission’s challenges to various biopharma agreements.
Shares of several biopharma companies in the CAR-T space dropped after the FDA’s announcement, but analysts remain optimistic about the sector’s future.
Carl Icahn is seeking to get rid of “legacy conflicted directors” on Illumina’s board following the announcement that GRAIL will be divested after a drawn out antitrust battle with regulators.
Israel-based cancer immunotherapy company Compugen will receive $60 million upfront from Gilead for the license to its antibody, which blocks the interaction between the IL-18 binding protein and IL-18.