Theranos’ Holmes labeled flight risk

This Week

Jan 27, 2023

Merck KGaA shrinks US research team as layoffs continue to batter industry


Health group lambasts CBS ‘60 Minutes’ segment for overt promotion of Novo Nordisk’s obesity med Wegovy


Biotech may soon be defined by the 'haves and have-nots' as investors look for less risky bets


Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes labeled a 'flight risk' as she asks to delay prison sentence during appeal


Bristol Myers doubles down in immuno-oncology patent fight with AZ, this time targeting Imjudo


A CAR-T cell gel kills residual cancer cells left over from surgery


Protein turns back clock in cartilage cells, could have therapeutic potential for osteoarthritis


Moderna now in the crosshairs of Sens. Warren, Welch over price tag for COVID vaccine


Burn after reading: FDA blasts Intas for 'cascade of failure' after investigators find heaps of shredded documents


Merck's Keytruda dealt another blow in prostate cancer but readies new challenge to AZ's Imfinzi

 

Featured

Merck KGaA shrinks US research team as layoffs continue to batter industry

Merck KGaA is laying off roughly 11% of its U.S. outpost, shrinking a Massachusetts R&D unit by more than 130 employees. The cuts come two months after executives revealed a push to be a leaner organization.
 

Top Stories

Health group lambasts CBS ‘60 Minutes’ segment for overt promotion of Novo Nordisk’s obesity med Wegovy

The nonprofit public health advocacy group the Physicians Committee issued a formal complaint that a recent CBS "60 Minutes" segment was a promotion for Novo Nordisk’s obesity drug, Wegovy, that was dressed up as a news segment.

Biotech may soon be defined by the 'haves and have-nots' as investors look for less risky bets

A brutal year for biotech has private investors eyeing bets with less risk and more emphasis on single assets over drug discovery engines, but there's plenty of optimism to go around in the opening weeks of 2023. 

Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes labeled a 'flight risk' as she asks to delay prison sentence during appeal

Prosecutors have asked a judge not to allow convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to stay out of prison during her upcoming appeal process, citing an instance ahead of her sentencing last year where she appeared to be preparing to flee the U.S.

Bristol Myers doubles down in immuno-oncology patent fight with AZ, this time targeting Imjudo

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Delaware federal court, BMS alleged AstraZeneca’s new CTLA-4 inhibitor Imjudo—approved last year alongside AZ’s Imfinzi in liver and lung cancer—treads on a pair of patents linked to Bristol’s blockbuster Yervoy.

A CAR-T cell gel kills residual cancer cells left over from surgery

Surgically removing a tumor can cure a patient, but if there are any cancerous cells left around the edges, it’s likely to return. Applying a gel containing CAR-T cells to the surgical wound could clear out residual cancer and prevent recurrence, a new mouse study found.

Protein turns back clock in cartilage cells, could have therapeutic potential for osteoarthritis

Scientists have uncovered a process that drives inflammation in osteoarthritis and potentially a way to ameliorate it.

Moderna now in the crosshairs of Sens. Warren, Welch over price tag for COVID vaccine

In December, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and Peter Welch, D-Vermont, sent a letter to Pfizer admonishing the company for a proposed increase in the price of its COVID-19 vaccine for up to $130. Six weeks later, they've turned their attention to the world’s other leading producer of COVID vaccines, Moderna, which also has said it might charge up to $130 per dose when the United States stops providing shots for free and goes to a commercial model.

Burn after reading: FDA blasts Intas for 'cascade of failure' after investigators find heaps of shredded documents

Lies, shredded documents and a trashcan dowsed in acid: Intas Pharmaceuticals’ new write-up from the U.S. FDA is a textbook example of what not to do when investigators come knocking.

Merck's Keytruda dealt another blow in prostate cancer but readies new challenge to AZ's Imfinzi

Merck's Keytruda just recorded its third phase 3 flop in prostate cancer in less than a year. But there's one more late-stage trial that could read out soon.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don't miss an episode

'The Top Line': What the pharma industry can expect with the new Inflation Reduction Act, and biotech's outlook for 2023

This week on "The Top Line," we hear from Stacie Dusetzina, Ph.D., a professor at Vanderbilt University's Department of Health Policy, about what the IRA means for the pharma industry. We'll also discuss what we can expect from the biotech industry in 2023.
 

Resources

Reduce control arm sizes by up to 35% for Alzheimer's disease

RCTs with digital twins require fewer control patients and shorten trial timelines for Alzheimer's disease.

Quality attributes that are important for GMP-grade NTPs

What makes nucleotides suitable for current good manufacturing practices?

Writing the Future of Antibody Discovery Solutions

See how high-throughput DNA synthesis combined with antibody engineering expertise provides end-to-end antibody discovery solutions.

Medical Affairs Metamorphosis V: The (R)evolution in Medical Communications

This paper explores how Medical Affairs is adapting medical communications to meet the demands of a new environment (part 5 in a series).

Scale-Up Strategies for Late-Stage Cell Therapies

Readers will learn manufacturing by Design Builds on Quality by Design, De-risking the Tech Transfer Process, and more.

Linear Compression vs. Parallel Processing: Speeding Biologics Through Development and Into Clinical Trials

Download this paper to learn considerations on how to move a biologic through clinical trials faster, advantages of Parallel Processing, and more.

Orally Inhaled & Nasal Drug Delivery: A Pipeline of Opportunities

Catalent’s Carla Vozone discusses the significant trends in the Orally Inhaled & Nasal Drug Delivery (OINDP) segment including large molecules and novel indications.

Clinical Supply Solutions for the Asia-Pacific Region

Learn how Catalent’s extensive network across APAC can meet a wide range of clinical supply needs for sponsors conducting trials within the region.

Supply Services to Support Clinical Trials in Japan & Beyond

Explore Catalent’s newest clinical supply facility in Japan, including the comprehensive services & solutions it offers to help support trials both in-country & around the world.

A Strategy to Standardize Process Characterization & Late Phase Development

Learn more on an approach for process characterization for the production of a monoclonal antibody, which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process by targeting the right design and number of experiments.

 

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