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This Week

Feb 14, 2025

UPDATE: Judge temporarily blocks NIH grant changes in 22 states

Bain throws down $3.3B to acquire Japan's Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma

Bristol Myers backs out of Dupixent fight, axing allergy asset despite phase 3 win

‘We cannot stay silent': Novo Nordisk flags dangers of compounded GLP-1s following Hims & Hers Super Bowl ad

Don't call it a comeback: Pfizer returns to Super Bowl with ad pledging to 'knock out' cancer

Biogen axes asset from $7.3B buyout, along with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s prospects

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

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UPDATE: Judge temporarily blocks NIH grant changes in 22 states

By Gabrielle Masson

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.

Bain throws down $3.3B to acquire Japan's Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma

By Fraiser Kansteiner

Bain Capital is laying out 510 billion Japanese yen ($3.3 billion) to acquire Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma in a carve-out transaction from its parent Mitsubishi Chemical Group. The deal, which is expected to close in 2025’s third quarter, will set up Tanabe Pharma as an independent company, Bain said.

Bristol Myers backs out of Dupixent fight, axing allergy asset despite phase 3 win

By Nick Paul Taylor

Bristol Myers Squibb has continued its ruthless cost-cutting push, dropping plans to commercialize a rival to Dupixent despite meeting its phase 3 goals and pumping the brakes on a would-be Sotyktu successor.

'We cannot stay silent': Novo Nordisk flags dangers of compounded GLP-1s following Hims & Hers Super Bowl ad

By Andrea Park

Telehealth company Hims & Hers stirred up controversy by debuting a 2025 Super Bowl ad touting the benefits of its weight loss program, which offers access to compounded semaglutide. Now, semaglutide maker Novo Nordisk is chiming in.

Don't call it a comeback: Pfizer returns to Super Bowl with ad pledging to 'knock out' cancer

By Andrea Park

Last year marked the first time in Pfizer’s 175-year history that the drugmaker shelled out the requisite millions for a corporate spot during the Super Bowl broadcast. Now, it seems to be becoming something of an annual tradition.

Biogen axes asset from $7.3B buyout, along with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s prospects

By Nick Paul Taylor

Biogen is continuing to thin its pipeline, dropping a phase 2 program acquired in the $7.3 billion Reata Pharmaceuticals buyout and kicking early-stage Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s prospects into touch.

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

By Conor Hale

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

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

By Fraiser Kansteiner

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.

FDA slaps China-based API makers with separate warning letters outlining quality, testing shortfalls

By Fraiser Kansteiner

The FDA earlier this month issued separate warning letters to Chinese drug ingredient firms Nuowei Chemistry and Innovation Pharmaceutical. The write-ups cover the quality control and testing shortfalls that led to both companies receiving U.S. import bans in late January.

New AI-discovered protein compounds kill bacteria and fungi infecting mice: study

By Darren Incorvaia

Researchers have used artificial intelligence to identify 25 new protein compounds that can kill bacteria and fungi, including two that showed particular potency against skin and lung infections in mice.

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The business case for investing in women’s health

A recent report, released at this year’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, lays out the high-growth potential of the women’s health market and its promised return on investment.