News
In this episode of Denatured, you’ll hear from Jack Crawford, CEO of Demeetra, and Magnus Gustavsson, chief commercial officer at NorthX Biologics. We unpack the evolution of cell line development — CHO cells, targeted integration, transposases and the collaboration models speeding biologics from sequence to GMP.
FEATURED STORIES
Psychedelics are gaining momentum in depression, with one treating physician predicting that the drug class could “wipe out the SSRIs” if safety and durability hold up.
Saol Therapeutics is the latest biotech to resubmit for approval of a drug rejected under former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, following REGENXBIO and Replimune.
Even as FDA approvals for biologic therapies fell in the first half of 2026, regulatory experts are optimistic about a turnaround in the rare disease space after the departure of key leaders at the agency. Still, there will continue to be tension between science and politics.
FROM OUR EDITORS
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
At the heart of the acquisition is Regulus’ farabursen, an miRNA-targeting oligonucleotide in early-stage development for rare autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
GSK’s dealmaking will be “cautious and disciplined” under the current trade war, but the pharma will focus on looking for “opportunities created” amid these tensions, according to CEO Emma Walmsley. The company also reported a 4% earnings bump for the quarter.
It’s been a fraught road for the proposed merger between Acelyrin and Alumis, with Tang Capital’s Concentra Biosciences in February threatening to upend the deal with a proposed $3-per-share acquisition of Acelyrin.
The drug, a small molecule protein inhibitor, brought in $132 million in the first quarter, missing consensus estimates by 17%.
As Q1 2025 earnings season continues, tariffs remain top of mind for pharma CEOs and investors. Meanwhile, the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual event kicks off this year’s oncology conference season. Plus, will the FDA become politicized under HHS Secretary RFK Jr.?
What a CEO makes can be staggering from the seat of a rank-and-file employee, whose pay is typically in the five-to-six digit range.
Policy uncertainties are impacting biopharma dealmaking from continent to continent, with companies being asked to walk a tightrope on their relations with China.
Nevertheless, Albert Bourla has been lobbying the U.S. government—as high as President Donald Trump himself—to skip the pharmaceutical industry tariffs, which Trump has threatened, in part as a way to shore up U.S. national security.
Despite executing perfectly, Octagon confronted a “scientific no-go,” CEO Isaac Stoner said in his LinkedIn post announcing the company’s impending closure.
The condition, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, causes chronic wounds and has an 84% mortality rate by age 40.