WELCOME TO FIERCE LIFE SCIENCES WEEKLY DIGEST After Regeneron established its position in the COVID-19 fight last year with one of the few antibody treatments to win the FDA’s blessing, stock awards led to massive, nine-figure paydays for both the company’s CEO and scientific chief. With that amount of money at play—and an unrelenting international spotlight on infectious disease research—many hope one pandemic silver lining will be progress against other persistent bugs. For example: AstraZeneca and Sanofi’s antibody, which protected healthy babies from respiratory syncytial virus in a phase 3 study—something Sanofi’s CEO described as a “massive opportunity.” Those stories, plus our list of the most sought-after biopharma assets of the past year, follow below. | |
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Featured Story | By Nick Paul Taylor AstraZeneca and Sanofi’s nirsevimab has protected healthy babies against respiratory syncytial virus disease in a phase 3 clinical trial. The earlier-than-expected readout will enable a 2022 filing for a monoclonal antibody Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson has hailed as a “massive opportunity.” read more |
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Top Stories Of The Week By Fraiser Kansteiner Regeneron chief Len Schleifer earned a whopping $135 million in 2020 as the company opted to give its top execs years of front-loaded equity awards. Meanwhile, chief scientist George Yancopoulos made $134.38 million for the year. read more By Phil Taylor Oncology, specifically immuno-oncology, was the dominant theme in biopharma licensing last year, as cancer drugs accounted for half of the top deals. read more By Angus Liu In a three-day meeting starting Tuesday, a panel of experts convened by the FDA will discuss whether the agency should revoke accelerated approvals from three cancer drugs that later failed confirmatory trials. Here's what the drugmakers—and the agency—are saying ahead of the meeting. read more By Nick Paul Taylor Eli Lilly has scrapped plans to seek approval for mirikizumab in psoriasis. Lilly chose not to enter the crowded market despite the anti-IL-23p19 antibody outperforming Novartis' Cosentyx in a phase 3 trial last year. read more By Noah Higgins-Dunn Pfizer said it’s considering the sale of its 1.89-million-square-foot office and laboratory space in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, as the company searches for a more “modern and flexible” workspace for returning employees. read more By Annalee Armstrong U.S. officials have pulled the plug on funding a phase 3 trial for Inovio’s COVID-19 vaccine, telling the biotech that another vaccine is no longer needed as inoculations pick up around the country. read more By Fraiser Kansteiner Regeneron first unveiled plans to build a $150 million facility at its Tarrytown campus in 2015, but the company is now planning to spend another $330 million for the project, a local news outlet reports. read more By Angus Liu Scientists have proposed a possible explanation for the disappointing clinical trial results from Biogen's anti-amyloid Alzheimer's drug aducanumab. The team pointed to the brain’s newly discovered drainage system, suggesting drugs could be developed to enhance its function, in turn improving the efficacy of drugs like aducanumab. read more By Beth Snyder Bulik Pharma innovation is shifting from larger players to smaller companies, according to IDEA Pharma's annual tally—and it may not be temporary. Regeneron, Seagen and Incyte all landed in the top five, with the latter two joining after never before cracking the top 30. read more By Conor Hale Following the launch of multiple tumor diagnostic partnerships with Big Pharma earlier this year for its TruSight Oncology 500 assay, Illumina now aims to expand the use of its genomic profiling test to blood-based cancers. read more Resources Sponsored by: Datacubed Health The average clinical trial spends $40,000 per patient. Yet despite these high costs, most trials struggle to retain patients. 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Sponsored By: Oracle Health Sciences New research indicates an accelerated adoption of decentralized clinical trials due to COVID-19. Sponsored By: Within3 We enable virtual work — offering over-time sessions where participants are more focused, insights are more diverse and business goals are met. Sponsored by: Catalent Hear industry experts discuss the recent advances, challenges and considerations in pediatric drug development. Real-life examples presented by the experts illustrate the impact of age-appropriate dose forms for pediatrics and highlight insights into the caregiver perspectives. Sponsored by: Catalent Autologous cell therapies have seen propelled growth since 2017, with the spotlight on the first FDA approval of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy, Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel), for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Sponsored by: Catalent Learn about proven strategies for a successful product launch, including cross-functional team collaboration, risk management and using the right project management tools. Sponsored by: Catalent Learn about a real-world example of how clinical supply management expertise was applied to overcome inventory challenges for a complex, global study. Sponsored by: Catalent Whether a study is simple or highly complex, forecasting and simulation reports serve as data driven communication tools to help minimize risks and keep the study on track. Learn more about forecasting solutions for informed decision making and supporting contingency planning for clinical study. | 
