| 05.08.25 | Takeda tosses 2 cancer assets from $525M Maverick buy; Vivo unveils $740M biotech fund

Click here to subscribe to Fiercebiotech.com

1 month ago

Html
Text

Market Access Insights from AXS25

Explore dynamic forces reshaping how therapies reach patients and gain actionable insights on market access and patient support from industry experts in this podcast series from Asembia's AXS25 Summit. Listen now.

Today’s Big News

May 8, 2025

Takeda shoots down bispecifics bagged in Maverick buyout amid pipeline clearout

Vivo Capital secures $740M to invest in preclinical- and clinical-stage biotechs

Vor Bio to wind down, halting cell therapy trials and shedding most staff

Korro lays off 20% of staff to fund genetic med trials, Novo Nordisk partnership

RallyBio cuts deeper, cutting 40% of workforce after halting work on lead drug

Gilead tees up $11B in new US manufacturing, R&D investments

GSK posts phase 3 itch data as it closes in on FDA approval

NKGen CEO puts skin in the game, investing $2.6M to move biotech toward Alzheimer’s readout

Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker '25: Haya hauls in $65M; NewLimit nabs $130M

Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2025: Shape ships out staff; RallyBio cuts 40% of team

CRISPR Therapeutics sees 80% fall in LDL, triglycerides after in vivo liver editing

Webinar: Beyond the Science: Accelerating Biotech Success

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 | 11am ET / 8am PTBiotech success isn’t just about great science—it’s about building a compelling commercial narrative from day one. Join us to explore how early commercialization planning, powered by real-world insights, can maximize an asset’s potential. Our discussion will uncover strategies to integrate commercial thinking into R&D. Register now.

Featured

Takeda shoots down bispecifics bagged in Maverick buyout amid pipeline clearout

By Nick Paul Taylor

Takeda has shot down candidates acquired in its $525 million Maverick Therapeutics takeover, blowing a hole in its oncology R&D pipeline in the process. The two terminations, coupled to the removal of a third asset, halved the number of cancer candidates in Takeda’s phase 1 and 2 pipeline.

Vivo Capital secures $740M to invest in preclinical- and clinical-stage biotechs

By James Waldron

California investment firm Vivo Capital has secured $740 million in commitments to be aimed at preclinical- and clinical-stage life sciences companies.

Vor Bio to wind down, halting cell therapy trials and shedding most staff

By Darren Incorvaia

Vor Bio is the latest cell therapy company to reach the end of the road. The biotech is immediately winding down clinical and manufacturing operations and laying off almost all staff.

Pushing for innovation amid a ‘silent surge’ of rising MASH rates

Biologics Analytical Testing

No matter where you are in your biologics development journey, you need reliable, high-quality analytical data to move forward with confidence. Our full-spectrum analytical testing services are designed to meet your evolving needs, from early to late stage clinical and beyond.

Korro lays off 20% of staff to fund genetic med trials, Novo Nordisk partnership

By James Waldron

Korro Bio is laying off a fifth of its workforce as the Novo Nordisk-partnered biotech funnels resources to its clinical-stage candidate for a genetic lung and liver disease.

RallyBio cuts deeper, laying off 40% of workforce after halting work on lead drug

By Ben Adams

RallyBio is steering around more tight corners as it announces a further 40% reduction in staffers just weeks after discontinuing its lead drug program and just over a year after a similar cost-cutting drive.

Gilead tees up $11B in new US manufacturing, R&D investments

By Ben Adams

Another Big Pharma is opening up its wallet to pour billions into its U.S. operations.

GSK posts phase 3 itch data as it closes in on FDA approval

By Nick Paul Taylor

GSK has shared the data behind its phase 3 liver disease win, revealing patients on linerixibat reported reductions in itching that began after two weeks and persisted through the 24-week primary endpoint.

NKGen CEO puts skin in the game, investing $2.6M to move biotech toward Alzheimer’s readout

By Nick Paul Taylor

NKGen Biotech CEO Paul Song, M.D., is putting his money where his mouth is, investing $2.65 million of his own cash to help accelerate the cash-strapped biotech’s phase 2 Alzheimer’s disease cell therapy trial.

Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker '25: Haya hauls in $65M; NewLimit nabs $130M

By Gabrielle Masson,Darren Incorvaia

The Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker records venture capital rounds of $50 million or more secured by biotechs.

Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2025: Shape ships out staff; Korro cuts 40% of team

By Gabrielle Masson,Darren Incorvaia

As always, if you know of layoffs occurring at a biotech, please reach out to the Fierce Biotech editorial team.

CRISPR Therapeutics sees 80% fall in LDL, triglycerides after in vivo liver editing

By Nick Paul Taylor

CRISPR Therapeutics has reported reductions in triglycerides and LDL cholesterol of more than 80% after a single dose of its in vivo liver editing prospect CTX310, encouraging the company to forge ahead with dose escalation.

Charles River launches strategic review and shakes up board amid regulatory uncertainty, sliding revenue

By Darren Incorvaia

Charles River Laboratories is initiating a strategic review and shaking up its board amid a chaotic biopharma ecosystem and declining revenues.

Teva plots thousands of job cuts as restructuring drive enters 'acceleration' phase

By Fraiser Kansteiner

With Teva entering the next stage of its sweeping restructuring plan, thousands of employees are slated to be let go from the hybrid generics and innovative medicines giant.

Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

ElevAAte and the push for East Asian American leaders in biopharma

This week on "The Top Line," hear how the founders of ElevAAte are turning shared East Asian American experiences into collective power for the next generation of biopharma leaders.

The rise of AI scribes: What’s the real-world impact?

Angus on Angus: A Fierce oncology discussion

Webinar: Rethinking Drug Commercialization: Navigating a Shifting Biotech Investment Landscape

Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 12pm ET / 9am PT

Join this webinar for a deep dive into today’s biotech investment climate and practical strategies to navigate commercialization when pharma partnerships are delayed or uncertain.

Resources

Whitepaper

Accelerating Clinical Trial Excellence: A Seamless IRB & IBC Collaboration

Don’t delay your gene transfer trial’s start-up timeline by gaining the latest insights from WCG’s case study on the power of a seamless Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) review process.

SpyLock Technology: A cutting-Edge Solution for Rapid Bispecific Antibody Screening

Learn how the SpyLock service can offer fast bispecific generation, reduce workload, and accelerate candidate selection.

Best Practice Medical Affairs Organization Study Report

We interviewed 24 Medical Affairs leaders on the critical success factors for building a Best Practice Medical Affairs organization. This report shares what we learned.

Presented by Blue Matter, strategic consultants in the life sciences

eBook

Through a CRO's perspective: Innovative, Agile Solutions In Vaccine Efficacy Testing

Typical vaccine development timelines have averaged 10 years, but the time from the SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence’s release to the submission of the first vaccine clinical trial data for regulatory review was a mere 314 days. In IQVIA Laboratories’ Vaccine eBook we focus on how contract research organizations (CROs) can best leverage strategic partnerships with sponsors to prepare for the next pandemic.