FDA’s neuro head hits the exits

Today's Big News

Feb 28, 2023

FDA flags Guillain-Barré risks for GSK, Pfizer RSV shots, but just one will need safety trial


AstraZeneca grows Canadian snowshoe print with 500 new jobs and rare disease hub


Dunn with the FDA: Head of agency's neuroscience unit to depart


Latest biotech-on-biotech merger sees aimless Adamis snapped up by DMK


Aptinyx, reeling from series of setbacks, dumps dementia drug, stops PTSD trial after phase 2 flop


Junshi's lipid lowering drug hits phase 3 goals, teeing up challenge to Amgen, Sanofi in growth market


Theravance takes another blow but vows to fight on with slimmed head count, new trial


Electricity-conducting gel forms electrodes in zebrafish and leeches, with potential for bioelectronic medicine 

 

Featured

FDA flags Guillain-Barré risks for GSK, Pfizer RSV shots, but just one will need safety trial

Both Pfizer and GSK’s upcoming respiratory syncytial virus vaccines had instances of Guillain-Barré syndrome in clinical trials. And yet the FDA is only recommending that one of them conduct a new post-marketing study to assess the risk.
 

Top Stories

AstraZeneca grows Canadian snowshoe print with 500 new jobs and rare disease hub

AstraZeneca is bucking the biopharma layoff trend, instead expanding its Canadian footprint with the creation of 500 new jobs and a new rare disease research hub.

Dunn with the FDA: Head of agency's neuroscience unit to depart

Billy Dunn is leaving his post leading the FDA’s neuroscience team, leaving behind an 18-year legacy that in recent years has included the controversial accelerated approval of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s med, Aduhelm. 

Talent, Training and Scientific Infrastructure. All in NC.

Growth in North Carolina’s life sciences has outpaced most U.S. life sciences hubs. Top talent, infrastructure, and business-friendly climate are why companies are choosing the Tar Heel state.

Latest biotech-on-biotech merger sees aimless Adamis snapped up by DMK

It’s an increasingly common story in 2023—a biotech searching for strategic options after a tough set of clinical data is snapped up by a private company that sees an opportunity in the clinical expertise and Nasdaq listing.

Aptinyx, reeling from series of setbacks, dumps dementia drug, stops PTSD trial after phase 2 flop

Serial clinical trial train wreck Aptinyx is at it again. After seeing a pain prospect flunk three clinical trials, the biotech has added Parkinson's disease and dementia to its list of failed indications—prompting it to stop work on its two clinical candidates, cut costs and seek strategic alternatives.

Junshi's lipid lowering drug hits phase 3 goals, teeing up challenge to Amgen, Sanofi in growth market

Junshi Biosciences has delivered the data to challenge Amgen and Sanofi for a cardiovascular disease opportunity, with the results of two phase 3 anti-PCSK9 antibody trials advancing the Chinese biotech toward approval in its home market.

Theravance takes another blow but vows to fight on with slimmed head count, new trial

Theravance Biopharma has taken a series of body blows over the past few years, but executives think they’re on the right track—one that will be taken without 17% of staff and a JAK program that long ago lost its luster.

Electricity-conducting gel forms electrodes in zebrafish and leeches, with potential for bioelectronic medicine

The development marks the first time scientists have developed a product that integrate with living tissue to conduct electricity.

Acquisitive Pfizer to strike again? Seagen back in M&A talks after Merck walked away: WSJ

A potential buyout of Seagen by Pfizer—which was reported Sunday by The Wall Street Journal—makes “strategic sense for both parties and the antitrust hurdle appears surmountable,” Berenberg Capital Markets wrote in a note to investors.

Getinge life support systems temporarily lose CE marks due to issues with sterile packaging

Several years into the process of rectifying potential breaches in the sterile packaging of its life support systems—a process that has been littered with field correction notices and FDA-rated recalls—Getinge has been hit with a particularly serious penalty.

Pandemic-era insider trading scheme netted ex-Phlow exec and his cousin $1.5M, SEC says

The U.S. Justice Department and the SEC have charged former Phlow Vice President Andrew Stiles with insider training, alleging that he and his cousin, Gray Stiles, netted more than $1.5 million on purchases of stock made using nonpublic information about a government pandemic preparedness contract awarded to Eastman Kodak.

Merck ends last Keytruda trial in aggressive prostate cancer campaign, takes separate hit in lung cancer

The last of four pivotal trials Merck launched for Keytruda in prostate cancer has returned negative, ending a four-year expedition that endured repeated failures. And the PD-1 star also chalked up a failure in certain non-small cell lung cancer.

Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker '23: Bat-based Paratus takes flight with $100M; Oricell adds on $45M

Alongside the new year, we've launched a new Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker to keep the pulse on the industry's financing.

Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2023: Theravance trims staff by 17%; Apexigen halves team

We had hoped that our Layoff Tracker would stay retired for a while, but 2023 is starting to look a lot like our old friend 2022 when it comes to layoffs in biotech.
 
Fierce podcasts

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'The Top Line': Could a SITC checklist maximize the value of immuno-oncology combo late-stage trials?

This week on "The Top Line," we discuss a checklist that the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer released last October. The guidelines are designed to maximize the value of phase 3 immuno-oncology combination trials. We also cover the top headlines from this week.
 

Resources

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Proven Pharmaceutical Go-To-Market Model

Download Herspiegel Consulting’s Go-To-Market Model, based on 100+ launches, to learn the critical components, and timelines for commercial success.

Research

Strategizing for Clinical Trial Diversity

Like many top 10 and global pharma companies, an H1 client needed to diversify both its patient outreach and site investigator profiles for upcoming trials.
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The Power of Small & Safety: Nanoplasmid™️ Vector Platform

Discover the Power of Small with NanoplasmidTM – the next-generation plasmid for manufacturing today’s cell and gene therapies.

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Commercializing Gene Therapies, Part 3 – Cost Drivers

This paper explores the cost drivers behind gene therapies and how they are likely to evolve in the coming years.
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Leveraging Archetypes for Effective Launch Strategy

Learn more about critical success factors for your next launch based on the experience of 100+ pharma product launches.
On-Demand Webinar

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.

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Intranasal Drug Product Development: Formulation to Manufacturing

What are key considerations for intranasal delivery in the treatment of acute and chronic conditions?
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Step-wise strategy to address process characterization and late phase development

Learn more on Catalent’s step-wise approach for the definition and execution of Process Characterization for the production of a monoclonal antibody for late phase process characterization and development.

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Running Decentralized Trials at Scale

Explore how clinical supply can be scaled up as decentralized programs progress, and how technological solutions can accelerate trial deployment.
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Key Clinical Supply Issues Sponsors Should Consider with their CRO

As sponsors increasingly look to CROs to support their clinical studies, making and addressing certain clinical supply considerations at the outset of the relationship can reduce the risk of potentially unforeseen impact to budget and time later. Discover key issues sponsors should consider to help their CRO or partner of choice better understand their clinical supply needs.

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Specialized Expertise for Management of Clinical Supply Budgets

For sponsors, cost is a key concern when it comes to managing the supply of their clinical trials. A financial project analyst (FPA) is a specialized expert who can help control clinical supply costs and keep the project within budget. Explore the critical role that a Financial Project Analyst plays in clinical trial supply and budget management.
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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.
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Designing an Optimal APAC Clinical Supply Chain

Discover key considerations that every trial sponsor should know when navigating the complex clinical supply distribution landscape across Asia-Pacific.
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Roles and Responsibilities of Specialized Clinical Supply Experts

How can specialized expertise help you optimize your clinical supply chain? Learn about the roles and responsibilities of unique experts such as clinical supply management, project management, and financial project analysis.
Research

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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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.
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Questions You Need to Ask Your CRO About Clinical Supply

Planning on using a CRO to support your next clinical study? This infographic outlines critical areas to address at the start of the relationship in order to ensure that budget and timelines keep on track for the duration of the trial.
Case Study

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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