Plus the top 20 drugs of 2023

This Week

May 31, 2024

Latest Ozempic results 'move the needle' for treating patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease: Novo exec


Biotech faces a reckoning: ‘We've lost our luster in cell therapies’


SPECIAL REPORT—The top 20 drugs by worldwide sales in 2023 


Takeda, amid restructuring campaign, plots 641 layoffs at 2 Massachusetts sites 


AstraZeneca-Daiichi's Enhertu follow-up Dato-DXd unable to prove overall survival benefit in phase 3 


Data breach at pharma partner Cencora puts sensitive patient information at risk 


ASCO: J&J's radioligand spurs responses, but 4 deaths mar early results 

 

Featured

Latest Ozempic results 'move the needle' for treating patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease: Novo exec

Early Friday, Novo shared full, positive results from the FLOW trial assessing the ability of once-weekly semaglutide 1.0 mg to help combat major kidney outcomes such as kidney failure, loss of kidney function and death from kidney or cardiovascular causes in people with Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
 

Top Stories

Biotech faces a reckoning: ‘We've lost our luster in cell therapies’

A Special Report from the Fierce Biotech team on the state of cell therapy.

The top 20 drugs by worldwide sales in 2023

While the global pharmaceutical sales rankings naturally feature the biggest names in the business, each year some new products make their way onto the list. Last year, Merck's PD-1 oncology superstar Keytruda was 2023's bestseller, replacing Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty.

Takeda, amid restructuring campaign, plots 641 layoffs at 2 Massachusetts sites

From early July to March 2025, the Japanese drugmaker will cut 495 staffers at its Cambridge location and 146 in Lexington, Massachusetts. Takeda is the largest life sciences employer in the state.

AstraZeneca-Daiichi's Enhertu follow-up Dato-DXd unable to prove overall survival benefit in phase 3

Daiichi Sankyo and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) partner AstraZeneca have already filed their Enhertu follow-up Dato-DXd with the FDA, but the latest clinical readout has cast a shadow over the application.

Data breach at pharma partner Cencora puts sensitive patient information at risk

The potentially compromised data included patient information such as names and addresses, Cencora disclosed in letters to patients who may have been affected.

ASCO: J&J's radioligand spurs responses, but 4 deaths mar early results

Johnson & Johnson’s radiopharmaceutical spurred “profound and durable” responses, however, four patient deaths in the early-stage trial marred the results.

Eli Lilly invests additional $5.3B for production of diabetes, obesity drugs in Indiana

Eli Lilly will invest an additional $5.3 billion in its sprawling construction project in Lebanon, Indiana, where it is building a massive manufacturing complex. The expenditure brings the company's investment in the facility to $9 billion. The project will boost production of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for Lilly's injected tirzepatide products Mounjaro, for type 2 diabetes, and Zepbound, for obesity.

Novel drug for male contraception shows early signs of efficacy in Promega-sponsored study in mice

A novel, non-hormonal reversible contraceptive for men appears to be effective in mice, the results of a study sponsored by Promega show. When the mice were taken off the drug, their fertility returned.

Evidence doesn't support FDA's use of surrogate markers for accelerated approvals: report

A recent report from the Yale School of Medicine and Emory University shows that there is little evidence backing the FDA's use of surrogate markers to determine if a medicine is fit for an accelerated approval.

FDA upgrades safety alert for Hologic's breast cancer marking implant after 71 reported injuries

This week the agency handed down a Class I recall label to the issue, its most serious designation. The notice does not require any hardware to be returned to the manufacturer.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

A look at telehealth's future and an omnichannel approach to care

This week on "Podnosis," Emma Beavins from Fierce Healthcare interviews CVS Health Chief Medical Officer Sree Chaguturu, M.D., to dive into the topic of telehealth and its role in a comprehensive approach to healthcare.
 

Resources

eBook

Get to eSignature Faster: Maximize the Value of Your eSignature Investment with True Forms Automation

This eBook offers insights for business leaders looking to do more with reduced budgets by using the power of SmartIQ’s true forms automation to eliminate the need to print, sign, and scan/mail physical documents, increase operational efficiency, and reduce disparate systems.
Research

Tapping the power of consumer attitudes

Download this research report to discover how a new predictive model built on consumer attitudinal data can generate improved results for health marketers.
Whitepaper

Driving DTC Adoption With Telehealth Programs

Virtual care programs represent a compelling opportunity for decision makers in life sciences companies to drive growth, innovation, and value creation. Download now to learn more.

Whitepaper

Speed literature reviews 3x with AI

How one top pharma increased literature reviews efficiency by 3x powered by AI -- download today
Whitepaper

Comprehensive Cell Solutions: Focus on Cellular Therapy Collections

Precision collection of cell therapy source material doesn’t happen by chance. Our new whitepaper illuminates the science and strategies for successful apheresis.
Whitepaper

In Vitro Antibodies – Next-Gen Science Delivers Optimized Candidates

Learn how Specifica’s in vitro antibody discovery platform can deliver better antibodies than traditional immunization approaches.
Whitepaper

Using Synthesis and Route Design Technology to Approach API Complexity

Small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) continue to grow more complex. Download the white paper to learn more about using synthesis and route design technology to approach API complexity. 
Whitepaper

Branded Digital Companions in Biopharma

This paper defines “digital companions” in biopharma, explores their value from the patient & company perspectives, & outlines a process for successfully fielding a new digital companion.
eBook

Designing Patient-Centered Endpoint in Rare Disease Trials

To make every rare disease trial count, we design patient-centric, relevant strategies for sponsors and caregivers to produce impactful results every time.
 

Industry Events

On Helix

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