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Nick Paul Taylor

Nick is a freelance writer who has been reporting on the global life sciences industry since 2008. With a BSc in biology, Nick writes about the science and business of biopharma and medtech for numerous healthcare publications. He can be reached at nick.paul.taylor@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.

Pictured: Close-up of a skin lesion in a patient w
Deals
Avalo Snags Former Eli Lilly Asset and $185M in Major Pipeline Pivot
Avalo Therapeutics rolled the dice on a big pivot Wednesday, acquiring AlmataBio and focusing on the biotech’s ex-Eli Lilly hidradenitis suppurativa candidate over its existing assets.
March 29, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: Gene therapy illustration showing an inj
Drug Development
Nanoscope Claims Phase II Win for Gene Therapy After Changing Primary Endpoint
Nanoscope Therapeutics nabbed a victory on the changed primary endpoint of its Phase IIb vision loss gene therapy trial Tuesday, teeing the biotech up to file for FDA approval of the candidate this year.
March 27, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: Healthcare worker holding up a vial for an LDL-C test
FDA
Esperion Targets Seven-Fold Jump in Cholesterol Drug Population with FDA Label Expansion
Esperion bagged broader-than-expected FDA labels for its cholesterol-busting drugs Friday, allowing the biotech to target seven times as many people in the U.S. compared to the old labels.
March 25, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: Bayer's global pharmaceuticals headquarters in Germany
Business
Bayer’s Prostate Cancer Drug Nubeqa on Track to Generate Blockbuster Sales in 2024
At Thursday’s Pharma Media Day, Bayer touted Nubeqa as the fastest growing androgen receptor inhibitor in the U.S., which will achieve blockbuster status this year.
March 22, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: Bristol Myers Squibb office in California
Drug Development
BMS Racks Up Phase III Win in Liver Cancer Targeted by AstraZeneca and Roche
Bristol Myers Squibb secured another late-phase immuno-oncology victory Wednesday, showing that the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy improved overall survival in a patient population served by rival checkpoint inhibitors from AstraZeneca and Roche.
March 20, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: Bayer's office in Berlin, Germany/iStock
Drug Development
Bayer’s Veozah Rival Hits Goals in Long-Term Phase III Hot Flash Study
Bayer bagged another late-stage victory for its menopause drug candidate Tuesday, setting up a potential showdown with Astellas’ Veozah which was approved last year by the FDA for the treatment of hot flashes.
March 19, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
External view of AstraZeneca's production plant in Sweden
Drug Development
AstraZeneca Shows Lynparza Combo Could Address Unmet Endometrial Cancer Need
AstraZeneca reported Monday that adding Lynparza to Imfinzi improved outcomes in mismatch repair proficient endometrial cancer, more than doubling the median duration of response in patients.
March 18, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Entrance to Vertex's office in Boston, Massachusetts
Policy
Vertex Fails to Convince UK Watchdog of CRISPR Therapy Casgevy’s Value
The U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on Thursday recommended against funding Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ CRISPR-based sickle cell disease therapy Casgevy unless uncertainties can be cleared up.
March 14, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: 3D illustration of a damaged liver/iStoc
Drug Development
Ionis’ Antisense Molecule Hits Primary Endpoint in Phase II MASH Trial
The biotech announced Wednesday that patients on ION224 had histologic improvement in the liver disease without worsening of fibrosis. Ionis’ mid-stage win comes as the FDA is set to decide whether to approve rival Madrigal’s resmetirom by Thursday.
March 13, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Merck Research Laboratories in South San Francisco, California
Business
Merck Bets Potential $1B on Pearl Bio’s Genomically Recoded Organisms
Synthetic biology company Pearl Bio announced Tuesday it has entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Merck to discover biologic therapies comprising non-standard amino acids.
March 12, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: Bristol Myers Squibb in NJ/iStock, arlut
FDA
BMS Wins FDA Approval for Opdivo in First-line Bladder Cancer
The approval, which Bristol Myers Squibb reported on Thursday, positions the company to compete with Astellas and Pfizer’s Padcev.
March 8, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: GSK laboratories in Dresden, Germany
Drug Development
GSK Advances Blenrep’s Potential Comeback with Second Phase III Win
The antibody-drug conjugate beat the standard of care in second-line multiple myeloma, the company reported on Thursday, as it seeks to get the cancer drug back on the U.S. market.
March 7, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: Woman scratching skin lesions on her elb
Alumis Raises $259M Series C, Challenges BMS and Takeda for Autoimmune Markets
The California-based biotech will use the Series C funding to move its TYK2 inhibitor into Phase III in plaque psoriasis this year in a potential challenge to Bristol Myers Squibb and Takeda.
March 6, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: Sanofi Distribution Center
Drug Development
Sanofi Gets Phase II MS Win, Eyes $5B in Peak Annual Sales for Pipeline
The French drugmaker Thursday touted trial results in The New England Journal of Medicine showing frexalimab significantly slowed disease activity in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis.
February 15, 2024
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Nick Paul Taylor
Pictured: Board of directors illustration/Courtesy
Industry Ties to Patient Advocacy Board Members, Execs Raise Concerns
Nearly three-quarters of the highest-revenue U.S. patient advocacy organizations have board members or senior leadership with ties to the pharma or medical device industries, finds study.
August 22, 2023
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Nick Paul Taylor
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