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Mar 8, 2024

SPECIAL REPORT—Fierce Medtech's Fierce 15 of 2023 


Pfizer stops buildout of $350M Seagen plant, leaving 120 workers' roles in question


After tough rightsizing, Biogen looks to newer rare diseases to broaden lens


Moderna lays off parts of manufacturing team after resizing COVID footprint


C4 brings the Mercks to the yard, with Merck KGaA paying $16M to join protein degrader hunt 


After PhRMA loss, AstraZeneca's challenge to IRA price negotiations is rejected

 

Featured

Fierce Medtech's Fierce 15 of 2023

It’s one thing to design an experiment that succeeds in the lab. It’s another to design one that works in every lab—and every hospital, every doctor’s office, every home, or in the hands of every surgeon, every nurse and every patient.
 

Top Stories

Pfizer stops buildout of $350M Seagen plant, leaving 120 workers' roles in question

Less than three months after completing its $43 billion acquisition of Seagen, Pfizer has confirmed a report that it is shutting down construction of a $350 million manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington. The decision will affect 120 employees working on the initial setup of the site, the company said.

After tough rightsizing, Biogen looks to newer rare diseases to broaden lens

Biogen's executive vice president and head of corporate development, Adam Keeney, Ph.D., says the company is interested in tacking on additional rare disease drugs at a smaller price than the Reata acquisition. The focus is now on clinical-stage products compared to buying commercial medicines.

Moderna lays off parts of manufacturing team after resizing COVID footprint

Moderna is laying off some employees within its manufacturing unit after shaving COVID production costs. The company previously disclosed plans to rightsize its COVID vaccine production footprint.

C4 brings the Mercks to the yard, with Merck KGaA paying $16M to join protein degrader hunt

Apparently C4 Therapeutics' protein degradation tech brings all the Mercks to the yard. The Massachusetts biotech has signed on Merck KGaA in a $740 million biobucks partnership to find two degraders for cancer. 

After PhRMA loss, AstraZeneca's challenge to IRA price negotiations is rejected

Less than three weeks after a Texas judge tossed a lawsuit by industry lobbying group PhRMA that challenged the constitutionality of the Inflation Reduction Act, a federal court in Delaware has done the same with a similar action brought by AstraZeneca.

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

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.

Teva slammed for breaching drug promotion code in earned media article

Teva has found out the hard way about the scope of the U.K. advertising code. The drugmaker refuted complaints about the alleged promotion of its drugs in an earned media article, only for the panel to rule it responsible for the content and find it guilty of discrediting the pharma industry.

Baxter weighs potential private equity sale in lieu of planned Vantive kidney care spinout

Baxter disclosed that its long-gestating plans to spin out its dialysis care operations into an independent company may be dropped, in favor of a sale later this year.

Evonik, looking to cut costs, shrinks workforce by 2,000 in structural overhaul

The reorganization program is called "Evonik Tailor Made" and looks to save around €400 million annually by 2026.

Vivani's exenatide implant stimulates weight loss as well as Wegovy in mice

New data suggest Vivani’s miniature exenatide implant, NPM-115, works as well as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic for weight loss in mice. The implant delivers high doses of exenatide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist commercialized by AstraZeneca as Bydureon for treating Type 2 diabetes. 
 
Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

'The Top Line': Fierce Medtech's Fierce 15

In this week's episode of "The Top Line," join Conor Hale, Senior Editor of Fierce Medtech, and Andrea Park, Deputy Editor of Fierce Life Sciences, as they share the highlights of this year's Fierce Medtech Fierce 15. 
 

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.

Whitepaper

Vaccine Development Challenges in Facing Influenza and COVID-19

Explore the complex considerations of vaccine development for influenza and COVID-19, including the challenges posed by viral evolution and the importance of ongoing research in this paper by vaccine expert, Dr. Lisa Kierstead.
Whitepaper

Industry Insights: The Evolution of the Manufacturer & Specialty Distributor Relationship

Amidst rapid change, it is crucial for specialty distributors to maintain a balance of service and quality for manufacturers, ensuring neither is sacrificed. Explore why this balance is paramount for success in the evolving landscape of pharma.
 

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