Illumina, 3M continue belt-tightening

Today's Big News

Apr 26, 2023

Roche execs tightlipped on possible TIGIT fail, pledge more trials anyway


Roche, seeing MAGE magic wane, makes pair of solid tumor bispecifics disappear


UPDATED: Gearing up for key approvals, GSK projects 'Shingrix-like' sales for its RSV vaccine


Illumina to chase $100M+ in cuts as margins narrow


3M layoff tally climbs to 8,500 in company-wide restructuring ahead of healthcare spinout

 

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Roche execs tightlipped on possible TIGIT fail, pledge more trials anyway

Roche executives have insisted that they haven’t given up on anti-TIGIT checkpoint inhibitors, even as they dodged questions about whether their candidate has flunked yet another phase 3 trial.
 

Top Stories

Roche, seeing MAGE magic wane, makes pair of solid tumor bispecifics disappear

Roche no longer sees the magic in MAGE-A4. The Swiss drugmaker signaled a retreat from the TCR T-cell target in its first quarter results by putting a pair of phase 1 solid tumor programs out to pasture.

UPDATED: Gearing up for key approvals, GSK projects 'Shingrix-like' sales for its RSV vaccine

As a potential approval for GSK's RSV vaccine nears in the U.S., the company has “begun disease awareness activities where needed and our launch preparations are well underway,” chief commercial officer Luke Miels said Wednesday. On the same day, the European Medicines Agency endorsed the shot, sending it to the European Commission for a rubber stamp.

Illumina to chase $100M-plus in cuts as margins narrow

The pledge comes as the DNA sequencing giant is embroiled in a proxy fight with activist investors over its board of directors.

3M layoff tally climbs to 8,500 in company-wide restructuring ahead of healthcare spinout

Another 6,000 3M employees are set to be laid off, joining the 2,500 job cuts announced earlier this year.

MSF calls on J&J to allow wider access to tuberculosis med Sirturo

Johnson & Johnson is the latest drugmaker to land in Doctors Without Borders' hot seat. The organization is calling on the company to allow generics to its tuberculosis med Sirturo in countries with a high burden of the infectious disease.

After plowing on past NIH, SAB's COVID-19 drug beaten by omicron

SAB Biotherapeutics vowed to plow on through the fields with a cow-plasma-based COVID-19 treatment after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) dropped out last year. Now, the data harvest is complete and the government’s omicron-based concerns appear to be justified.

Orbital Therapeutics raises $270M series A for next-gen RNA meds, loops in 2 more execs

Orbital Therapeutics has raised an eye-popping $270 million for its collection of RNA tools and pursuit of next-gen medicines, while also looping in two new execs.

'Eligibility challenges' derail specialized trial of GSK's Zejula in breast cancer

In April, GSK “permanently” discontinued enrollment in ZEST, a late-stage study from 2021 aiming to recruit 800 patients with either HER2-negative, BRCA-mutated breast cancer or triple-negative breast cancer with molecular disease.

Medtronic wraps up response to FDA warning letter over quality issues at diabetes HQ

Nearly a year-and-a-half after receiving a warning letter from the FDA detailing a list of quality control issues at the Los Angeles-area headquarters of its diabetes business, Medtronic said it has finally resolved all of the regulator’s concerns.

After IRA, lawmakers look for more ways to cut drug prices

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act was a resounding victory for congressional Democrats over Big Pharma. But on Capitol Hill, it seems to have only whetted the appetite for more reform.

Flagship-founded microbiome biotech shelves lead asset after another round of cohort data flops

Flagship Pioneering-founded Evelo is moving on from its lead asset after additional dose cohort data in patients with atopic dermatitis mirrored past failures, with more job cuts on the way.

FDA argues AstraZeneca, Merck's Lynparza only works in subset of prostate cancer patients

AstraZeneca and Merck & Co.’s Lynparza may have claimed a broad trial success—and European approval—in prostate cancer, but the FDA has its reservations. In new briefing documents, the agency argues the med is only appropriate for a small subset of patients.

Boston Scientific still surging upward, with 12% sales bump amid product launches, M&A moves

After two straight years of quarterly sales growth, that trend hasn’t yet gone out of style for Boston Scientific.
 
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'The Top Line': How Pfizer became the first in Big Pharma history to break $100B in sales, plus this week's headlines

This week on "The Top Line," we talk about how Pfizer became the first company in Big Pharma history with $100 billion in sales. We also dive into a J&J data leak, Eli Lilly's manufacturing spending plan and more of this week's top headlines.
 

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