| 01.08.24 | JPM 2024: J&J spends $2B on ADC biotech Ambrx, Merck stumps up $680M to spear Harpoon

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Today’s Big News

Jan 8, 2024

J&J beefs up ADC pipeline by acquiring Ambrx for $2B

Merck inks $680M Harpoon buyout, spearing challenger to Amgen T-cell engager

Vertex pauses diabetes cell therapy trial after 2 unrelated patient deaths

Vertex cuts ties to CRISPR Therapeutics’ type 1 diabetes stem cell therapy

Alphabet’s Isomorphic stacks two new deals with Lilly, Novartis worth nearly $3B ahead of JPM

JPM24, Day 1: Alphabet biotech's Big Pharma foray; Novartis nabs a Merck KGaA spin-off; J&J, Merck tie up M&A deals

JPM24 opens with ADCs the hottest ticket in San Francisco

All AbbVie's CEO wanted for Christmas was Cerevel—oh, and ImmunoGen, too

Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2024: Affimed dissolves research and preclinical teams; 175 Exelixis employees to exit

Novartis dances into JPM with $250M Calypso buyout, $185M RNAi alliance

Oryzon med fails to improve borderline personality disorder, but executives see a path with new endpoints

Metagenomi, Arrivent to sneak through crack in IPO window

Webinar: 3 Ways Healthcare Marketers Should be Using AI for Predictive Audience Insights in 2024

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 | 11am ET / 8am PT

Join a cutting-edge conversation on January 23, 2024 with Real Chemistry and Quid as they explore how their partnership has forged a deeper understanding of patient insights. Register now.


Thank you to Novartisfor sponsoring our editorial feature: JPM Week 2024

Featured

J&J beefs up ADC pipeline by acquiring Ambrx for $2B

By James Waldron

Not to be outdone by its Big Pharma peers, Johnson & Johnson has fattened up its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) pipeline via the acquisition of Ambrx Biopharma for $2 billion.

Merck inks $680M Harpoon buyout, spearing challenger to Amgen T-cell engager

By Nick Paul Taylor

Merck & Co. has speared an acquisition target, agreeing to pay $680 million for Harpoon Therapeutics and its pipeline of T-cell engagers. The deal will give Merck control of drug candidates that will expand its cancer pipeline and offer opportunities to offset the upcoming loss of Keytruda exclusivity.

Vertex pauses diabetes cell therapy trial after 2 unrelated patient deaths

By Annalee Armstrong

Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ islet cell diabetes med VX-880, which has shown promise in eliminating the need for insulin in a small group of patients, has been placed on a voluntary hold after two deaths deemed unrelated to treatment occurred in the ongoing trial.

Vertex cuts ties to CRISPR Therapeutics’ type 1 diabetes stem cell therapy

By Nick Paul Taylor

Vertex is severing one of its ties to CRISPR Therapeutics. The big biotech has chosen to opt-out of the diabetes gene-edited stem cell therapy it gained through the acquisition of ViaCyte, leaving CRISPR to take the clinical-phase program forward itself.


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Alphabet’s Isomorphic stacks two new deals with Lilly, Novartis worth nearly $3B ahead of JPM

By Max Bayer

Just more than two years after launching within Alphabet, Isomorphic has inked two large pharma deals with Eli Lilly and Novartis with nearly $3 billion in combined deal value.

JPM24, Day 1: Alphabet biotech's Big Pharma foray; Novartis nabs a Merck KGaA spin-off; J&J, Merck tie up M&A deals

By Annalee Armstrong,Gabrielle Masson,Max Bayer,James Waldron,Ben Adams

The J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco is back and here at Fierce Biotech, we’re going to bring you all the latest updates live from the life sciences event of the year.

JPM24 opens with ADCs the hottest ticket in San Francisco

By Annalee Armstrong

The overall deal flow in biopharma tapered off in 2023 but the big companies sure know what they want (what they really, really want), according to a new report from J.P. Morgan.

All AbbVie's CEO wanted for Christmas was Cerevel—oh, and ImmunoGen, too

By Annalee Armstrong

AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez wanted one thing and one thing only for Christmas: Cerevel Therapeutics wrapped up quickly and neatly under his Christmas tree.

Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2024: Affimed dissolves research and preclinical teams; 175 Exelixis employees to exit

By Gabrielle Masson,Max Bayer

We really didn't want to have to create another Layoff Tracker this year. But here we are, launching the third annual iteration tracking biopharma layoffs.

Novartis dances into JPM with $250M Calypso buyout, $185M RNAi alliance

By Nick Paul Taylor

Novartis danced into a big week in the biopharma calendar with a trio of deals. The Swiss drugmaker is paying $250 million to renew its interest in a cytokine, dropping $185 million on two RNAi cardiovascular disease candidates and handing over $37.5 million to partner with an AI-enabled biotech.

Oryzon med fails to improve borderline personality disorder, but executives see a path with new endpoints

By Annalee Armstrong

Oryzon Genomics will seek the FDA’s advice after a psychiatric drug failed to impact the symptoms or severity of borderline personality disorder, but executives are keen to push forward with refreshed clinical endpoints.

Metagenomi, Arrivent to sneak through crack in IPO window

By Annalee Armstrong

Seems the IPO window is open at least a crack, and Metagenomi is ready to sneak through with Arrivent Biopharma hot on its tail.

JPM24, Day 1: Moderna touts $6.7B in '23 sales; Bluebird has cash on hand to last until early 2025

By Angus Liu,Zoey Becker,Fraiser Kansteiner,Kevin Dunleavy,Eric Sagonowsky

As the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference kicked off in San Francisco, EY released its annual report on the industry's dealmaking firepower. Plus, Moderna, bluebird and other companies updated investors on their businesses heading into 2024.

JPM24: With Abbott integration, Tandem finds 2nd CGM partner for automated insulin delivery tech

By Andrea Park

After scoring an FDA nod last spring allowing updated versions of its continuous glucose monitors to be integrated into automated insulin delivery systems, Abbott has selected the first such system to pair with its FreeStyle Libre technology.

JPM24: Amazon rolls out service to connect customers with digital health benefits, taps Omada Health as launch partner

By Heather Landi

Amazon plans to collaborate with digital health companies to connect customers with virtual care benefits for managing conditions like diabetes and hypertension. The online retail giant tapped virtual-first chronic care provider Omada Health as its first partner.

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