| 01.29.24 | Sarepta's next DMD drug lands in Elevidys' shadow; Fractyl prices IPO after encouraging week

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Today’s Big News

Jan 29, 2024

Sarepta's next DMD drug seems to get the job done, but Elevidys casts long shadow

Fractyl sets out $99M IPO ambitions after busy week of biotechs going public

Hookipa, reeling from Roche’s KRAS cull, lays off 30% of workforce, deprioritizes programs

Ascendis spins out new ophthalmology biotech Eyconis, gaining equity and biobucks

Sanofi pays Synthekine $40M to join preclinical push against vexing inflammatory target

FDA emphasizes available information in final CAR-T guidance while acknowledging lack of precedent

Ex-Google CEO's early-stage fund adds $630M with new biotech bets at forefront

Gamida steps up search for ‘strategic alternatives’ despite stem cell therapy reaching market

Week of IPO success stories suggest biotech has reached 'recovery phase' in 2024

Elicio's therapeutic cancer vaccine boosts T-cell therapy response in mice while biotech awaits phase 2 data

Decentralized trial company Science 37 to be acquired by eMed in $38M deal


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Sarepta's next DMD drug seems to get the job done, but Elevidys casts long shadow

By Annalee Armstrong

Sarepta Therapeutics' next Duchenne muscular dystrophy med seems to be doing the job of spurring dystrophin expression. But does any of the data for SRP-5051 matter given the recent approval of the biotech’s gene therapy for the same condition, Elevidys?

Fractyl sets out $99M IPO ambitions after busy week of biotechs going public

By James Waldron

With last week seeing back-to-back oversized biotech IPOs to kick off the new year, it’s no surprise that Fractyl Health is now kicking its own offering plans up a gear.

Hookipa, reeling from Roche’s KRAS cull, lays off 30% of workforce, deprioritizes programs

By Nick Paul Taylor

Roche has waved goodbye to one of its KRAS prospects, terminating an alliance with Hookipa Pharma 15 months after betting $25 million on its novel approach to the oncogene. Shortly after receiving the news, Hookipa decided to lay off 30% of its employees and focus on a slimmed-down list of candidates.

Ascendis spins out new ophthalmology biotech Eyconis, gaining equity and biobucks

By Max Bayer

Ascendis and Frazier Life Sciences have launched Eyconis to take forward Asciendis' eye disease meds. The new biotech is hitting the scene with $150 million in new capital.


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Sanofi pays Synthekine $40M to join preclinical push against vexing inflammatory target

By Nick Paul Taylor

Sanofi is paying $40 million to add another cytokine—IL-10—to its hit list. The upfront fee has secured the French drugmaker the chance to work with Synthekine to overcome long-standing barriers to the use of the cytokine in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

FDA emphasizes available information in final CAR-T guidance while acknowledging lack of precedent

By Gabrielle Masson

Amid a high-profile CAR-T safety probe, the FDA has released final industry guidance for CAR-T developers that is built on the backbone of available information while simultaneously acknowledging a lack of precedent in the space.

Ex-Google CEO's early-stage fund adds $630M with new biotech bets at forefront

By Max Bayer

Early-stage investors behind the likes of Eikon and Dewpoint have raised a new $630 million fund to help fund companies at the intersection of science and technology.

Gamida steps up search for ‘strategic alternatives’ despite stem cell therapy reaching market

By James Waldron

Despite finally getting an off-the-shelf bone marrow stem cell transplant for blood cancer patients to market last year, cash-strapped Gamida Cell is continuing to search for a financial life raft.

Week of IPO success stories suggest biotech has reached 'recovery phase' in 2024

By Max Bayer,Gabrielle Masson

Coming off one of the worst years for IPOs in recent history, two new upsized IPOs have offered a stretching ray of hope that 2024 may not be so bad after all.

Elicio's therapeutic cancer vaccine boosts T-cell therapy response in mice while biotech awaits phase 2 data

By Helen Floersh

Elicio Therapeutics’ lymph node-targeting vaccine boosts the potency of T cell receptor-modified (TCR) T-cell therapy in mice with solid tumors, some of which survived long-term.

Decentralized trial company Science 37 to be acquired by eMed in $38M deal

By Joseph Keenan

Clinical trial specialist Science 37 has agreed to be acquired by telehealth and diagnostics provider eMed in an all-cash tender offer valued at approximately $38 million.

Top 10 most anticipated drug launches of 2024

By Ben Adams,Nick Paul Taylor

Every year, we tap Evaluate Vantage’s annual preview report to assess the biggest potential new drugs of the year ahead. Typically, major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are featured, each presenting potential blockbuster launches. In 2024, however, things are set to play out a little differently.

Philips agrees to FDA consent decree halting US sales of CPAP respiratory care devices

By Andrea Park

Though both Philips and the FDA have agreed to the terms of the decree, it’s still in the process of being finalized, after which it’ll be sent off for court approval.

Pfizer's layoff campaign ramps back up with dozens of SF-area cuts expected next month

By Fraiser Kansteiner

Come mid-February, Pfizer will lay off some 52 employees at a facility in South San Francisco, according to a recent Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act alert. The site is the former headquarters of Global Blood Therapeutics.

Samsung taps Lunit to bring AI detection to its chest X-ray scanners

By Conor Hale

The electronics giant signed a three-year contract through its Boston Imaging unit.

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