WELCOME TO FIERCE LIFE SCIENCES WEEKLY DIGEST After announcing a plan to merge its pharma and oncology businesses, Novartis this week confirmed thousands of jobs could see the chopping block. Meanwhile, Nextar is axing 70% of its staff following the collapse of its joint immuno-oncology program with Bristol Myers Squibb, and BridgeBio is facing its second round of layoffs this year. Elsewhere, the largest advertisers in Big Pharma spent $6.88 billion in the U.S. across the top five brands, with the COVID pandemic threatening prescriptions as people avoided the doctor’s office. Those stories, plus our top reads of the week, follow below. | |
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Featured Story | By Fraiser Kansteiner After Novartis drafted plans to wed its pharma and oncology businesses earlier this month, reports of potential layoffs poured in. Now, as Novartis taps prolific Wall Street analyst Ronny Gal to spearhead M&A, the company has confirmed thousands of positions could be under threat. read more |
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Top Stories Of The Week By Max Bayer Nektar guts workforce, weeks after $3.6B Bristol Myers immuno-oncology collaboration ends read more By Ben Adams The pandemic had a major effect on how pharma spent its marketing cash: While spending on direct-to-consumer branded drug ads remained flat in 2021, unbranded campaigns went through the roof. read more By Angus Liu About 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine are gathering dust in warehouses of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer as global demand ebbs. read more By Max Bayer BridgeBio is cutting staff for the second time this year as the company continues to reel from a phase 3 defeat in December. At the same time, the company's chief strategy officer is headed for the exit. read more By Angus Liu Ever since the pandemic started holding back GlaxoSmithKline’s Shingrix, the company has repeatedly said its flagship shingles vaccine will return to growth. Now, the British pharma giant has gotten a taste of what that rebound will look like—even though CEO Emma Walmsley still warns of speed bumps ahead. read more By Nick Paul Taylor Astellas’ gene therapy strategy is sinking deeper into the mire. Having reviewed the data on its Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) therapies, the Japanese drugmaker has decided to scrap the candidates, triggering a $170 million impairment loss. read more By Fraiser Kansteiner On May 31, Arpa Garay will enter the Moderna fold as chief commercial officer, the company said Wednesday. She's leaving just two months after nabbing a promotion at Merck & Co. read more By Andrea Park In the most common form of multiple sclerosis, periods of stable remission are interrupted by relapses of new or worsening symptoms that last at least 48 hours. Quanterix’s test is designed to look for signs that a patient will relapse within the next four years. read more By Sophia Sorensen Immunotherapy is one of the more appealing and effective kinds of cancer treatment but is still fairly limited in the kinds of cancer it can be used for. Researchers at the Sloan Kettering Institute discovered the workings of a new kind of immune cell that could expand the reach of immunotherapy treatments to a much wider pool of patients. read more By Joseph Keenan Moderna is expected to announce Friday that it has chosen the Montreal area for a new biomanufacturing production facility that will include a research center. read more Resources Sponsored By: H1 More than 570 clinical trials in Ukraine have been disrupted. Unanticipated disruptions to medical testing and clinical trials impede progress toward new breakthroughs and new therapies that millions of patients around the world hang their hope on. What role do rescue sites play? Sponsored by: United Cargo The United Cargo team has made a commitment to pharmaceutical and medical partners that we are equipped to support their vaccine transportation needs safely and effectively across our expansive global and domestic network. The safety and security of these commodities is our priority, and we are proud to be a trusted partner in these efforts. Download infographic now. Sponsored by: Blue Matter, strategic consultants in the life sciences What’s in store for the oncology market in 2022 and beyond? This paper looks at 5 trends driving the market. Sponsored by: Thermo Fisher Scientific Learn how to position quality as a central component within your raw material sourcing strategies for the chemicals used throughout your workflows. Download the free whitepaper from Thermo Fisher Scientific. | 
