2 biotechs to close shop

Today's Big News

Feb 3, 2023

J&J's pharma group quietly works through global overhaul, with layoffs expected to reach multiple countries 


Sanofi backs down from fight with AstraZeneca, argenx and more by stopping phase 3 trial of $3.7B drug


Days after halting leukemia drug, Magenta moves to close its doors


Drug discovery biotech Vyant preps to wind down operations, starting with layoffs


Gilead puts 3 programs on chopping block, including 2 of 3 indications for IRAK4 inhibitor


Is MaaT back? After 18 months on hold, microbiome biotech sees end to impasse with FDA


Chutes & Ladders—Ginkgo BioWorks CEO to lead federal biotech commission


Human brain organoids in rats respond to visual stimuli, a step toward treating brain injuries with stem cell-grown tissue transplants

 

Featured

J&J's pharma group quietly works through global overhaul, with layoffs expected to reach multiple countries

Johnson and Johnson's pharmaceutical unit Janssen is undergoing a seismic overhaul, folding its infectious disease team with the vaccines unit and discontinuing numerous programs in the process. As a result, the company expects to lay off employees in several countries.
 

Top Stories

Sanofi backs down from fight with AstraZeneca, argenx and more by stopping phase 3 trial of $3.7B drug

The fight for the myasthenia gravis market has become too hot for Sanofi to handle. After reviewing the competitive landscape, the Big Pharma has decided to stop a phase 3 clinical trial of a drug candidate it acquired in its $3.7 billion takeover of Principia Biopharma.

Days after halting leukemia drug, Magenta moves to close its doors

A week after pausing a leukemia trial due to a patient death, Magenta Therapeutics is halting development of all programs and exploring a potential sale or other measures to wind down operations.

Drug discovery biotech Vyant preps to wind down operations, starting with layoffs

Small drug discovery biotech Vyant Bio is taking steps to wind down operations, including reducing its workforce, pursuing strategic alternatives and saying goodbye to CEO John Roberts.

Gilead puts 3 programs on chopping block, including 2 of 3 indications for IRAK4 inhibitor

With so many Big Pharmas reporting their full-year earnings yesterday, it was no surprise that drugmakers used the occasion as an excuse to slip out some pipeline changes. Gilead was no exception, removing a solid tumor candidate from its early-stage lineup along with two of the three indications for its IRAK4 inhibitor.

Is MaaT back? After 18 months on hold, microbiome biotech sees end to impasse with FDA

MaaT Pharma’s 18-month struggle to get out from under an FDA clinical hold may be entering its endgame. In its latest feedback, the agency reportedly agreed to a list of conditions that could enable clinical evaluation of its pooled fecal therapy MaaT013 in the U.S.

Human brain organoids in rats respond to visual stimuli, a step toward treating brain injuries with stem cell-grown tissue transplants

Scientists have integrated human brain organoids into the brains of rats with injuries to their visual cortices and gotten the cells to respond to stimulation. The findings are a step toward using stem-cell-derived brain tissue to restore some functions of sight.

With all eyes on new Alzheimer's med, Eisai lays off 91 staffers on its Fycompa team

Eisai is laying off 91 employees effective April 30, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) alert from New Jersey. The public disclosure lists the location of the layoffs as Nutley, New Jersey, where Eisai recently relocated its U.S. headquarters.

White House expands Cancer Moonshot programs with screening, AI partnerships

It’s been a year since the White House revived the Cancer Moonshot program, one of President Joe Biden’s signature initiatives during his time as vice president in the Obama administration. Now the ambitious effort has announced a new series of actions to help commemorate its anniversary.

CMS seeks to make quality measures more ‘universal’ in rollout of new program

CMS outlined the initial steps it will take to create quality measures aligned across all of the agency's programs, with the first measures released.

'The Top Line': What we can expect for the obesity market in 2023 and a recap of drugs approved last year

This week on "The Top Line," we discuss what we can expect from the obesity market in 2023. We also recap the drugs approved last year.

Fierce Pharma Asia—J&J, Legend's CAR-T win; Sanofi's India job cuts; BeiGene, Novartis' PD-1 delay

Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech's Carvykti hit its phase 3 goal in earlier multiple myeloma. Sanofi is cutting hundreds of jobs at two facilities in India. The FDA has yet to conduct long-delayed pre-approval inspections in China for Novartis and BeiGene's PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab. And more.

Chutes & Ladders—Ginkgo BioWorks CEO to lead federal biotech commission

Ginkgo BioWorks CEO and co-founder Jason Kelly, Ph.D., has been selected to lead a 12-member group assessing emerging biotech innovation for the U.S. Department of Defense.
 
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'The Top Line': What we can expect for the obesity market in 2023 and a recap of drugs approved last year

This week on "The Top Line," we discuss what we can expect from the obesity market in 2023. We also recap the drugs approved last year.
 

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