Moderna pays $76M for Generation Bio gene therapy pact

Today's Big News

Mar 23, 2023

Biogen gets mixed decision at FDA AdComm on failed ALS drug as experts back conditional, not full, approval


Disgraced former Seagen CEO tapped to lead MorphImmune less than a year after domestic assault arrest


Moderna's gene therapy expansion picks up pace with $76M upfront Generation Bio collab


Royalty Pharma offers $100M upfront for slice of Karuna's much-hyped schizophrenia drug


Assembly, Context and Innate add to ever-growing pile of dumped pipeline prospects


VistaGen finds open-label success with social anxiety nasal spray, but PALISADE pivotal trial remains iced

 

Featured

Biogen gets mixed decision at FDA AdComm on failed ALS drug as experts back conditional, not full, approval

A FDA advisory committee has boosted Biogen and Ionis’ prospects of winning accelerated approval for their amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drug. The experts unanimously voted that biomarker evidence supports conditional approval—but a failed clinical trial proved a barrier to support for a full approval.
 

Top Stories

Disgraced former Seagen CEO tapped to lead MorphImmune less than a year after domestic assault arrest

Former Seagen CEO Clay Siegall will head up a new biotech spun out of Purdue University, less than a year after he stood down from the biotech giant in the wake of an arrest for alleged domestic violence.

Moderna's gene therapy expansion picks up pace with $76M upfront Generation Bio collab

Moderna is keeping its foot on the gas in 2023 when it comes to expanding beyond mRNA. After signing a gene-editing pact in January and scooping up a DNA manufacturer in February, this month sees the biotech giant hand over $76 million in cash and equity as part of a multifaceted lipid nanoparticle collaboration.

Data-Centric AI is Making Waves

Data rich but quality poor. Massive amounts of disorganized data might be the final roadblock to unlocking the potential of data-centric AI.

Royalty Pharma offers $100M upfront for slice of Karuna's much-hyped schizophrenia drug

A potential game changer. “The first new mechanism for treating schizophrenia in more than 50 years.” As the hype continues to build ahead of the expected launch of Karuna Therapeutics’ KarXT next year, it’s no surprise that Royalty Pharma wants a piece of the pie.

Assembly, Context and Innate add to ever-growing pile of dumped pipeline prospects

Biotech’s backburner is getting even busier. The latest set of earnings reports brought news of more drug programs that are being stopped or deprioritized, with Assembly Biosciences, Context Therapeutics and Innate Pharma all rethinking where to allocate their R&D budgets.

VistaGen finds open-label success with social anxiety nasal spray, but PALISADE pivotal trial remains iced

VistaGen's social anxiety nasal spray passed an open-label phase 3 test, showing it was safe and effective. The company said treated patients also showed improvement in a measurement of social anxiety.

UK regulator makes biggest changes in 20 years to speed up trials, attract global studies

The U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has introduced several new measures to make it easier to run clinical trials in the country, marking the first time in 20 years the regulatory body has made such an overhaul.

Genentech turns out lights at first commercial biologics plant, laying off 265 staffers

Genentech is winding down operations at its production facility in South San Francisco, the company told Fierce Pharma. The site wrapped up its final production runs several weeks ago and is now in the decommissioning phase, which will take some six to 12 months.

Roche, Eli Lilly team up on Alzheimer's biomarker blood test

As Eli Lilly inches ever closer to the finish line in its yearslong mission to bring an Alzheimer’s disease drug to the market, the company has picked up a side quest.

In a surprise approval, FDA greenlights Incyte's PD-1 inhibitor to treat rare cancer type

Second time's the charm. After the FDA shot down Incyte's bid to treat front-line squamous cell anal carcinoma, Zynyz scored a green light for the rare cancer Merkel cell carcinoma.

TFS HealthScience continues global growth with expansion into Israel

TFS HealthScience, a Sweden-based CRO, continued its march of global growth by inking a deal to acquire parts of GCP Clinical Studies, a CRO based in Israel.

Sanofi and Regeneron's Dupixent scores trial win in tough-to-treat COPD

A phase 3 study of Regeneron and Sanofi's Dupixent in COPD patients met its primary and secondary endpoints, setting it up to become the first biologic treatment for the disorder. COPD has seen few advancements over the last decade and is the world’s third leading cause of death.

After appeals loss, Johnson & Johnson will take Texas two-step case to the US Supreme Court

After an unsuccessful bid to get its appeal reheard in the Third Circuit Court on Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson said it will make one last appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to legitimize its strategy to funnel more than 38,000 talc lawsuits into a company it created with the intent to declare it bankrupt.
 
Fierce podcasts

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'The Top Line': What the Silicon Valley Bank failure means for global markets and biotech, plus this week's headlines

This week on "The Top Line," we discuss the SVB failure, what to expect next and what it all meant for the biotech industry. We also cover Pfizer's big acquisition, insulin prices and more of this week's top headlines.
 

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Roles and Responsibilities of Specialized Clinical Supply Experts

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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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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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