The Latest
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Deep Dive
Biotech M&A is on the upswing. Track the latest deals here.
Mariana Oncology’s sale to Novartis is the latest acquisition in a $9 billion deal streak involving developers of radiopharmaceutical drugs for cancer.
Updated May 2, 2024 -
Sponsored by Worldwide Clinical Trials
Maximizing efficiency in translational medicine with an on-site pharmacy
The ability to modify drug formulations in real time and dosage strengths is crucial, while adhering to all regulatory standards and maintaining cGMP standards.
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News roundup
iTeos shares jump on TIGIT update; Acelyrin swaps CEOs
Interim data surpassed expectations, iTeos said. Elsewhere, Acelyrin revealed chief executive officer Shao-Lee Lin is departing and Bluebird bio gave a fuller account of its gene therapy launches.
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Royalty Pharma pays startup $525M for stake in Sanofi MS drug
The deal gives the company milestone payments and royalties to a medicine, frexalimab, that Sanofi licensed from biotech ImmuNext and expects to be a future blockbuster.
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Obesity drugs
Novo taps another Flagship startup in search for next obesity drugs
The deal with Metaphore Biotechnologies is the third from a Flagship alliance meant to boost the Danish drugmaker’s pipeline of weight loss medicines.
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Regeneron gene therapy improves hearing in two children
The results add to an early but growing body of evidence suggesting gene therapy may improve outcomes in young kids with a genetic form of deafness.
Updated May 8, 2024 -
Deep Dive // Emerging biotech
Biotech IPOs are the industry’s lifeblood. Track how they’re performing.
Cancer drug startup Lirum Pharmaceuticals set terms for what could be the 11th IPO so far this year. But it would also be one of the smallest, with about $25 million in anticipated proceeds.
Updated April 19, 2024 -
AstraZeneca withdraws COVID-19 vaccine, citing declining demand
The move ends a turbulent saga for AstraZeneca, which successfully developed a coronavirus shot but struggled to sell it amid competition and the emergence of rare but serious side effects.
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Patient dies in Pfizer study of Duchenne gene therapy
Pfizer said the patient, a young boy who was treated earlier last year, died suddenly from cardiac arrest. The company is working with trial researchers to investigate further.
Updated May 8, 2024 -
New Alzheimer's drugs
FDA sets date for advisory meeting on Lilly’s closely watched Alzheimer’s drug
After delaying an approval decision for Lilly’s donanemab, the agency now intends to hold an advisory committee meeting on June 10.
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Gene editing
Verve moves forward with backup base editing therapy
Weeks after a safety setback derailed its lead candidate, the company has treated the first participant in a trial of its heart disease treatment Verve-102.
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Emerging biotech
Prologue, Flagship’s newest startup, looks to mine viruses for new drugs
The company is using what it claims is the largest database of viral protein structures to unearth medicines for a range of diseases, said CEO and Flagship origination partner Lovisa Afzelius.
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Zenas, with new funding, aims dual-targeting antibody at lupus and MS
The $200 million round is the latest evidence that surging interest in autoimmune disease cell therapies could expand to include developers of bispecific antibodies, too.
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Bluebird, Vertex prep for first commercial use of sickle cell gene therapies
One patient has started the treatment process for Bluebird's Lyfgenia, while five others have done the same for Vertex's Casgevy.
Updated May 7, 2024 -
Gossamer sells rights to drug it hopes can rival a new Merck therapy
One analyst thinks the collaboration “bodes well” for Gossamer, which has had trouble convincing investors its drug seralutinib can compete on the market.
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AstraZeneca ups stake in Cellectis in latest cell therapy bet
The British drugmaker, which has made genetic medicine a larger priority of late, added $140 million to a deal to develop up to 10 gene and cell therapies.
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As drug shortages reach record highs, regulators weigh next steps
With many chemotherapy and ADHD drugs stuck in stubbornly short supply, several agencies are looking for new solutions.
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Why selling to Novartis made sense for Mariana
Conversations at this year's J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference led to a $1 billion buyout that Mariana's CEO described as a "perfect marriage."
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Obesity drugs
Amgen shares soar as executives outline obesity drug push
The company said data for its Wegovy competitor was promising enough to move the drug into late-stage testing, triggering a stock jump that added billions to Amgen’s market value.
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CG follows big IPO with new results for bladder cancer drug
Newly disclosed Phase 3 results presented Friday match findings the biotech disclosed last year, while offering a more comprehensive look at how its drug stacks up to rival therapies.
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Activist investor pushes case against Novavax leadership
Shah Capital, which owns a 7.5% stake in Novavax, called for shareholders to vote against re-electing three of the vaccine maker’s director nominees.
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Obesity drugs
Novo sees Wegovy sales dip on lower price, tight supply
First quarter sales of the in-demand obesity drug were down slightly compared to the fourth quarter last year, as the company tries to meet demand.
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Novartis to buy Mariana Oncology in radiopharmaceutical expansion
The $1 billion dollar acquisition will add to Novartis’ pipeline of the targeted radiation drugs, giving it a potential lung cancer treatment.
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Emerging biotech
Delphia starts up with $67M to make a new type of cancer drug
The startup is developing medicines designed to overstress cellular pathways to the point tumor cells die, an approach the biotech calls “activation lethality.”
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BridgeBio spinout launches with $200M for KRAS cancer drugs
The company, BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics, has one drug in the clinic and hopes to soon advance two other candidates.
Updated May 2, 2024 -
Reunion raises over $100M to build a better psychedelic drug
The funding will help Reunion pay for a mid-stage study testing its most advanced medicine — essentially a synthetic version of the hallucinogenic psilocin — in women with postpartum depression.