Plus the top stories of the week

This Week

May 10, 2024

UPDATED: Young boy's fatal cardiac arrest prompts dosing pause in Pfizer's phase 3 gene therapy trial 


Sanofi CSO Frank Nestle is leaving 


Kenvue maps out hundreds of layoffs as service pact with J&J winds down


Pfizer hires Citi analyst Andrew Baum to manage portfolio strategy, business development


Glioblastoma vaccine turns brain tumors from cold to hot in humans and dogs


Apple Watch's afib-tracking app certified by FDA for use in clinical studies 


As rival Merck monopolizes BCG supply, ImmunityBio taps Serum Institute for new combo's manufacturing

 

Featured

UPDATE: Young boy's fatal cardiac arrest prompts dosing pause in Pfizer's phase 3 gene therapy trial

A young boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy participating in Pfizer’s phase 2 gene therapy trial has died, the pharma shared in a May 7 letter cited by nonprofit Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy.
 

Top Stories

Sanofi CSO Frank Nestle is leaving

Sanofi CSO Frank Nestle is leaving the company, a spokesperson confirmed. He joined the French pharma in 2016.

Kenvue maps out hundreds of layoffs as service pact with J&J winds down

Kenvue’s board of directors on Monday approved a plan to cut 4% of the company’s global workforce. The J&J spinoff employed about 23,000 staffers at the end of last year, so the layoff initiative could affect some 920 workers. 

Pfizer hires Citi analyst Andrew Baum to manage portfolio strategy, business development

Citi analyst Andrew Baum, after covering Pfizer for more than a decade, will join the Big Pharma company as chief strategy and innovation officer. In the role, he'll oversee the drugmaker's portfolio management and business development activities.

Glioblastoma vaccine turns brain tumors from cold to hot in humans and dogs

A personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine for glioblastoma with an “onion-like” delivery mechanism appears to prolong survival both in dogs and in humans, the results of a small study suggest.

Apple Watch's afib-tracking app certified by FDA for use in clinical studies

The watch’s sensor and software marked the first digital health product to be qualified under the agency’s Medical Device Development Tools program.

As rival Merck monopolizes BCG supply, ImmunityBio taps Serum Institute for new combo's manufacturing

ImmunityBio last week won the FDA’s approval for its immunotherapy Anktiva to be used alongside the BCG vaccine to treat certain bladder cancers. Problem is, there is an ongoing global shortage of BCG, and ImmunityBio’s competitor, Merck & Co., is the sole supplier of BCG in the U.S.

For every million-dollar gene therapy, Peter Marks gets an email from FDA chief Robert Califf

After Orchard Therapeutics’ gene therapy for a rare genetic disease was approved in March, Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., received a simple email from Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D.  

Novo Nordisk Foundation inks $300M R&D pact with Gates Foundation, Wellcome

The Novo Nordisk Foundation, Wellcome and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have inked a $300 million R&D initiative focused in part on infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

Entresto puts Novartis at top of docs' ranking of heart disease drug makers, with Pfizer close behind

In an ongoing battle for dominance in the eyes of healthcare professionals for their work developing heart-disease-focused drugs, Novartis has now snatched the top spot from Pfizer, according to a recent report from ZoomRx.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

Overcoming veteran healthcare hurdles

In this week’s episode of “Podnosis,” Fierce Healthcare Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with two experts to discuss how stakeholders can help overcome the issues plaguing the veteran healthcare system.
 

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The 6 trends shaping pharma strategies in 2024

Life sciences market experts from Optum and Advisory Board share perspectives on trends that will influence the future drug value chain. Download this eBook to learn more about the future state of health care dynamics and its affects along the pharmaceutical value chain.

 

Industry Events

Drug Development Boot Camp® VIRTUAL | Spring 2024

April ‌10-11, ‌2024

On Helix

Date: ‌4 ‌July ‌2024 ‌- ‌Location: ‌Babraham ‌Research ‌Campus, ‌Cambridge ‌UK

 

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