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Today’s Big News

Mar 6, 2024

Gilead tries new triple-target T-cell engagers in $1.5B-plus Merus collab

Merck-Gilead's weekly HIV combo maintains viral suppression, but it's early days for primary endpoint

Alumis closes $259M series C in year's largest private biotech fundraise yet

Sionna secures $182M series C to more than double its clinical-stage cystic fibrosis contenders

BiomX acquires fellow bacteria-killing virus company Adaptive Phage to accelerate phase 2 plans

Featured

Gilead tries new triple-target T-cell engagers in $1.5B-plus Merus collab

By Max Bayer

Gilead and Merus are linking up in a new research and licensing deal for the latter's trispecific T-cell engages. Gilead is handing over $56 million in upfront cash plus a $25 million equity investment to jumpstart the deal.

Merck-Gilead's weekly HIV combo maintains viral suppression, but it's early days for primary endpoint

By Annalee Armstrong

Early results show that a weekly combination of Merck’s islatravir and Gilead’s approved HIV med Sunlenca maintained a high rate of viral suppression in patients with HIV, but just one patient so far has met the primary endpoint that measured viral load.

Alumis closes $259M series C in year's largest private biotech fundraise yet

By Gabrielle Masson

Alumis has reeled in an eye-watering $259 million series C, financing that will support a pipeline of oral therapies designed to tackle immune dysfunction and help launch a phase 3 psoriasis trial for lead asset ESK-001.

How CDMO Wacker Biotech is inspiring innovation in mRNA therapeutics

Sionna secures $182M series C to more than double its clinical-stage cystic fibrosis contenders

By Max Bayer

Sionna has closed a $182 million series C, extending its cash runway through 2026, which should afford launching three additional assets into the clinic. The company hopes to challenge Vertex in the cystic fibrosis market.

NYC's Bold Move: Life Sciences Take Center Stage

BiomX acquires fellow bacteria-killing virus company Adaptive Phage to accelerate phase 2 plans

By James Waldron

Israeli company BiomX is acquiring U.S.-based Adaptive Phage Therapeutics to create a biotech focused on pushing two engineered bacteria-killing viruses through the clinic.

A new chapter for biotech: Confidence returns to the market

AstraZeneca pledges £650M in UK investments to boost vaccine capabilities, expand near HQ

By Angus Liu

AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot, who has been critical of the U.K.’s business environment for the life sciences industry, is directing £650 million into the Big Pharma’s home country.

NIH's cancer arm launches remote staff program to boost clinical trial enrollment

By Helen Floersh

Participation in U.S. National Cancer Institute-funded clinical trials is on the downswing, driven by a staffing shortage. Now, the agency is turning to remote work in hopes of boosting patient enrollment.

GSK rewards CEO Emma Walmsley with 51% pay hike after beating sales, profit goals

By Kevin Dunleavy

With the fortunes of GSK on the rise after much tumult early in the decade, the company has rewarded CEO Emma Walmsley with a significant pay boost. Walmsley collected 12.7 million pounds sterling ($16 million) in total pay last year, a 51% increase from her compensation in 2022.

FDA clears first over-the-counter wearable glucose tracker, with Dexcom’s Stelo

By Conor Hale

The agency’s green light allows adults 18 years and older who are not taking any insulin therapies to purchase the system without a prescription—a group that includes about 25 million people living with Type 2 diabetes in the U.S., according to the company.

Walgreens plans strategic review of business, including the role of its retail stores, healthcare assets, CEO says

By Heather Landi

The drugstore retail giant making moves to improve its financial performance after a massive growth spurt in which it expanded its healthcare business segment.

Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

CAR-T boxed warnings: What comes next?

The FDA recently asked the six marketed CAR-T therapies to add a new boxed warning item on their labels to reflect the risk of secondary T-cell cancers. This week on "The Top Line," Fierce Pharma’s Angus Liu talks with regulatory experts to understand the rationale behind the FDA’s decision and to discuss its implications for CAR-T candidates and their developers down the line.

'Podnosis': Maternal mental health in the spotlight

'The Top Line': Breaking down Eli Lilly’s ESG formula

Resources

Whitepaper

CNS Market Outlook, 2024

This paper assesses the current state of the broad CNS market, reviewing key expectations for 2024. It addresses Alzheimer’s disease, biomarkers, and advances in psychiatry in detail. It also provides a high-level look at the pain market and the evolving regulatory environment.

Presented by Blue Matter, strategic consultants in the life sciences