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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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Many scientists-turned-CEOs paradoxically abandon scientific principles when it comes to commercializing their innovations. But applying the scientific method to business decisions can help life science entrepreneurs avoid common pitfalls, attract investment and ultimately bring transformative technologies to market.
FDA vouchers are normally a coveted prize for biopharma companies, but a surprise rejection for Disc Medicine’s rare disease drug has biopharma reconsidering.
PitchBook’s 2025 biopharma VC analysis clocked $33.8 billion in capital dispatched in 2025, mainly to companies with later-stage programs ready to roll into the clinic.
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FDA
The FDA’s refusal to review Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine is part of a larger communications crisis unfolding at the agency over the past nine months that has also ensnarled Sarepta, Capricor, uniQure and many more.
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While the regulator has not approved their use in type 1 diabetes, off-label prescribing for GLP-1 receptor agonists has sharply increased, according to researchers, who warn about the risk of serious side effects such as ketoacidosis.
Following an end-of-Phase II meeting with the FDA in the fourth quarter, Viking Therapeutics plans to push its subcutaneous obesity therapy VK2735 into late-stage development and to start a Phase II trial for an oral formulation.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday backed the use of Merck’s Capvaxive and Pfizer’s Prevnar 20 in adults between 50-64 years of age, opening a bigger market for the respective companies.
Nineteen companies are receiving $21.4 million total in tax incentive awards to create 1,155 new life sciences jobs in Massachusetts. Moderna and Vertex received the largest awards and will add over 600 combined jobs.
This webinar explores the pivotal role of patent data in overcoming the data challenges faced by generative AI models in drug discovery, particularly for biologics. Watch now.
On election day, Tuesday, November 5, Americans will choose between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris for their next president. The election will also see the rearrangement of Congress.
Jefferies analyst Peter Welford noted that Roche’s pharma group came just slightly ahead of consensus expectations, driven by strong performance of its multiple sclerosis therapy Ocrevus and eye injection Vabysmo.
RSV
Pfizer’s Abrysvo is the first respiratory syncytial virus vaccine that can be used for adults less than 50 years of age. Tuesday’s label expansion covers younger adults who are deemed at higher risk of RSV-related lower respiratory tract disease.
Novo Nordisk has nominated semaglutide for inclusion in the FDA’s Demonstrable Difficulties for Compounding list, which includes drugs that are too complicated to produce and could pose substantial safety risks to patients if manufactured incorrectly.
The regulator agreed to allow Sangamo Therapeutics to use data to seek accelerated approval for its Fabry gene therapy candidate, eliminating the need for an additional registrational study and potentially shortening the time-to-market by three years.