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May 10, 2019

Welcome to FierceLifeSci Weekly Digest, your roundup of the biggest and most popular stories from each of our publications.

Featured Story

After investor attacks, Allergan's reviewing 'all options'—and this time it's urgent, CEO says

Allergan Chairman and CEO Brent Saunders gets to keep both his titles, thanks to a shareholder vote that broke in his favor. But he answered critics Tuesday with a promise that Allergan's weighing all its options now—including a split—with a "sense of urgency."

Top Stories Of The Week

Celgene reports 'durable' responses to multiple myeloma CAR-T in early trial despite relapses

Interim data from a phase 1 study of Celgene and Bluebird Bio's CAR-T treatment for multiple myeloma, bb2121, showed median progression-free survival of about a year. But a high relapse rate could compound concerns about the durability of the treatment, which is a key asset in Bristol-Myers Squibb's $74 billion buyout of Celgene.

AstraZeneca and Daiichi's HER2 ADC hits goal in pivotal trial

AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s HER2-targeting antibody drug conjugate has hit the primary endpoint in a pivotal phase 2 trial, teeing the partners up to file for FDA approval in the first half of the fiscal year.

Novo's fast-launching Ozempic puts Lilly on notice—and its GLP-1 pill is on its way

Novo Nordisk has been fighting head-to-head with Eli Lilly for share in the GLP-1 diabetes market—and losing, as Lilly's weekly Trulicity stole scripts from Novo's daily Victoza. But now that Novo has its own weekly GLP-1 drug in Ozempic, the tide appears to be turning.

Editor's Choice—New Gilead chief plots Kite CEO hire, pipeline M&A and organizational tweaks

Gilead tapped new CEO Daniel O’Day in part because of his cancer expertise, gained from years at top cancer drugmaker Roche. But he’s not planning to lead the company’s oncology ramp-up alone.

To Philips, the future means selling more than a better MRI machine

As Philips transitions from a hardware manufacturer to an integrated service provider, Chief Innovation Officer Jeroen Tas describes the company's approach of using artificial intelligence and other technologies to help shepherd patients across the gap from consumer health to professional care and back again.

Pfizer's tafamidis wins blockbuster nod—and gets a lower price—to rival Alnylam, Ionis

Once rejected by the FDA, Pfizer's tafamidis is back and ready to disrupt a rare disease field only recently tapped by Alnylam and Ionis—and the Big Pharma's challenger boasts a much lower price tag than its rivals'. But to hit its blockbuster mark, Pfizer needs to spread awareness of the rare disease it treats.

Lundbeck strikes $250M Abide buyout, bagging Tourette's drug 

Lundbeck is set to pay $250 million (€223 million) upfront to buy Abide Therapeutics. The deal will give Lundbeck a phase 2a Tourette's syndrome program, a CNS drug discovery platform and a West Coast research hub.

Merck's Gardasil blockbuster sales prompt $1B plant expansion

Merck & Co. has been experiencing a surging wave of Gardasil sales that it expects to ride for some time yet. To maintain the momentum, the drugmaker says it will spend $1 billion to expand production.

U.K. government funds plans for 'pay as you go' drug development AI

Artificial intelligence in drug development is among the hottest buzzwords in biopharma right now, but often real progress from it is hampered by a lack of expertise and less than equal access to its latent potential.

Resources

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[eBook] 2018 Weekly Compendium

The Biopharma industry is moving at lightning speed and it can be a challenge to keep pace. Here at Biotech Primer we spend hours each week researching, writing, and editing original content for the Biotech Primer WEEKLY with one goal in mind: to help everyone better understand the latest science and technology driving today’s healthcare industry.