Layoffs at Third Harmonic, Q32 and Inventiva

Today’s Big News

Feb 11, 2025

Novartis inks $925M Anthos takeover to buy back phase 3 clot-busting candidate


UPDATE: Judge temporarily blocks NIH grant changes in 22 states


Third Harmonic halves headcount to take urticaria drug into phase 2 despite side effects


Inventiva lays off 50% of staff to go all-in on MASH drug


Q32 Bio sticks with bempikibart but loses staff and phase 2 complement inhibitor


Incyte exits immuno-oncology pact, leaving Agenus weighing options for assets


Journey of Voyager’s ALS gene therapy to clinic hindered by need to find alternative payload


UPDATE: Merck KGaA sets its sights on acquisition of Ogsiveo maker SpringWorks

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Novartis inks $925M Anthos takeover to buy back phase 3 clot-busting candidate

Novartis has brought abelacimab back into the fold. Six years after spinning the asset out to form Anthos Therapeutics, Novartis has struck a deal to buy Anthos for $925 million upfront to add the clot-busting prospect to its late-phase pipeline.
 

Top Stories

UPDATE: Judge temporarily blocks NIH grant changes in 22 states

A new initiative rolled out under President Donald Trump’s administration is cutting billions from grants for "indirect costs" tied to biomedical research, such as facilities, equipment and administrative expenses.

Inventiva lays off 50% of staff to go all-in on MASH drug

Inventiva is going all-in on its metabolic-associated steatohepatitis drug lanifibranor—but half of its employees won’t be coming along for the ride.

Third Harmonic halves headcount to take urticaria drug into phase 2 despite side effects

Third Harmonic Bio will lay off half of its workforce, the biotech has said as it prepares to take its chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) candidate into phase 2.

Q32 Bio sticks with bempikibart but loses staff and phase 2 complement inhibitor

Despite the recent failure of an eczema trial, Q32 Bio is sticking with bempikibart. But a phase 2-stage complement inhibitor and a number of the biotech’s “valued colleagues” won’t be so lucky.

Incyte exits immuno-oncology pact, leaving Agenus weighing options for assets

Incyte has broken off its immuno-oncology deal with Agenus. The step, which follows a series of program terminations, will give Agenus full control of assets that it will consider advancing internally or through new partnerships.

Journey of Voyager’s ALS gene therapy to clinic hindered by need to find alternative payload

Voyager Therapeutics no longer expects to take its amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) candidate into the clinic in the coming months as the gene therapy company looks to rejig the asset’s payload.

UPDATE: Merck KGaA sets its sights on acquisition of Ogsiveo maker SpringWorks

Merck KGaA is in advanced talks to acquire cancer and rare disease specialist SpringWorks, which has a market value of around $3 billion, Reuters reported Monday. Merck KGaA confirmed the talks but said it's not certain a deal will come together.

Insilico Medicine provides benchmark timelines from its 22 AI-designed drug candidates

Insilico also disclosed it’s begun chasing new therapeutic areas in obesity and muscle wasting conditions as well as in nonaddictive painkillers.

Pfizer wins 2025 Super Bowl with ad's 'likeability,' while Hims & Hers' spot takes engagement crown: analysts

Hims & Hers' “Sick of the System” spot not only generated the highest engagement of all pharma-related ads that aired during Sunday night’s broadcast, according to TV advertising analyst EDO, but also ranked in the top 10 of all Super Bowl ads across categories.

FDA amplifies BD atherectomy safety alert following 4 deaths

According to the agency, BD has reported 30 serious injuries and four deaths linked to fractures or breaks within its Rotarex atherectomy systems.

Federal judge says Trump admin is violating order to halt funding freezes; DOJ appeals

The Trump administration is violating a temporary restraining order by continuing to improperly freeze federal funds—including those related to National Institutes of Health and other agencies, per a Monday order.
 
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This week on "The Top Line," we dig into the 10 biggest potential drug launches of 2025, predicted to rake in a combined $29 billion in annual sales by the end of the decade.
 

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The Oncology Market: 2024 Year in Review

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