| 01.05.22 | Pfizer, BioNTec h go after GSK’s shingles cr own; Merck takes 4th option on Big Pharma darling F-star

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Today's Rundown Pfizer, BioNTech team up again, taking a swing at GSK's Shingrix dominance Merck KGaA takes 4th option on Big Pharma darling F-star's bispecific immunotherapies Spectrum cuts 30% of its workforce and some R&D to focus on 2 key cancer meds Avrobio shares plummet as Fabry program axed, new trial starts slated for 2023 VCs plow $115M into next-gen genetic medicine startup SalioGen, teeing up work on eye and liver diseases Applied pumps brakes on FDA application after request for more data Intellia bags option on autoimmune CAR-T prospect, handing Kyverna rights to use CRISPR tech to create off-the-shelf cell therapy Fighting drug-resistant cancer by blocking an escape pathway Thermo Fisher nets cell and gene protein producer PeproTech for $1.85B Merck, Pfizer, Lilly and J&J restored funding to legislators who stoked Jan. 6 Capitol attack, watchdog says AbbVie latest drugmaker to impose 340B restrictions on sales to contract pharmacies

Featured Story

Pfizer, BioNTech team up again, taking a swing at GSK's Shingrix dominance

By Annalee Armstrong

GlaxoSmithKline has successfully overtaken the shingles vaccine market once owned by Merck, but enter king Pfizer. The Big Pharma juggernaut has signed a third deal with COVID-19 vaccine partner BioNTech, this time to develop an mRNA-based shingles vaccine, in a deal worth $225 million upfront to BioNtech.

Webinar: How to choose the appropriate pre-filled syringe and enhanced delivery system for your product

Wednesday, January 19 | 11 am ET / 8am PT

In an environment that calls for more convenient delivery systems, we will guide you on how to make the right choice for your product. This webinar will cover selection criteria for pre-filled syringes and enhanced delivery systems. Register to learn more.

Merck KGaA takes 4th option on Big Pharma darling F-star's bispecific immunotherapies

By Annalee Armstrong

Merck KGaA is taking a fourth option in its deal with bispecific immunotherapy biotech F-Star Therapeutics, which has attracted the eyes of a who’s who of Big Pharma. The latest Merck option will bring the total due to F-Star up to $765 million in milestone-based revenue payments.

Spectrum cuts 30% of its workforce and some R&D to focus on 2 key cancer meds

By Eric Sagonowsky

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals has weathered changes and challenges in recent years, including a sale of its marketed drugs portfolio in 2019 and an FDA rejection for a key prospect last year. Now, it's cutting staff to save cash and focus on its important cancer meds.

Avrobio shares plummet as Fabry program axed, new trial starts slated for 2023

By Kyle LaHucik

Avrobio already trimmed expectations for its Fabry disease gene therapy in May because of Sanofi's Fabrazyme approval, and now the biotech is axing it all together.

VCs plow $115M into next-gen genetic medicine startup SalioGen, teeing up work on eye and liver diseases

By Nick Paul Taylor

SalioGen Therapeutics is moving quickly. Ten months after exiting stealth with $20 million in series A funds, the Massachusetts-based biotech has raised another $115 million to fund its vision of the future of genetic medicines.

Applied pumps brakes on FDA application after request for more data

By Kyle LaHucik

Applied Therapeutics is pumping the brakes on requesting FDA approval for its first drug after the agency requested clinical outcomes data on the treatment's impact in a rare metabolic disease.

Intellia bags option on autoimmune CAR-T prospect, handing Kyverna rights to use CRISPR tech to create off-the-shelf cell therapy

By Nick Paul Taylor

Intellia Therapeutics has found a new CAR-T use for its CRISPR/Cas9 platform: autoimmune diseases. By teaming up with Kyverna Therapeutics, Intellia has secured an option on an allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR-T based on a construct from the lab that discovered Yescarta.

Fighting drug-resistant cancer by blocking an escape pathway

By Angus Liu

Chemotherapy and radiation kill cancer cells by inducing significant DNA damage beyond repair. But some tumors still develop alternative ways to survive. Now, scientists have identified such a molecular pathway that helps cancer cells evade destruction.

Thermo Fisher nets cell and gene protein producer PeproTech for $1.85B

By Conor Hale

Thermo Fisher Scientific started off the new year with a new member to its family, closing a $1.85 billion acquisition to build out its recombinant protein catalog.

Merck, Pfizer, Lilly and J&J restored funding to legislators who stoked Jan. 6 Capitol attack, watchdog says

By Kevin Dunleavy

Pharma companies that said they would cut off campaign funds to those in Congress who fomented the Jan. 6 riots by voting against certifying the presidential election results have quickly changed their stance, according to a report by Accountable.U.S. Merck, Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson were cited by the watchdog group.

AbbVie latest drugmaker to impose 340B restrictions on sales to contract pharmacies

By Robert King

AbbVie became the third drugmaker in recent months to impose restrictions on sales of 340B-discounted products to covered entities' contract pharmacies.

Webinar: A Collaborative Approach to Complex Chemistry

Wednesday, January 12, 2022 | 11am ET / 8am PT

Complex therapeutics demand complex chemistry expertise. Discover how the right partner can help you overcome complex chemistry challenges through extensive experience, specialised technologies, and true scientific collaboration. Register now.