Plus BMS’ $4.1B Turning Point buy
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WELCOME TO FIERCE LIFE SCIENCES WEEKLY DIGEST

After more than two years away, tens of thousands of people shook off the cobwebs and returned to the mammoth event that is ASCO’s annual meeting in Chicago—with some dubbing it as the “zoo that it always was.” And while many attendees may have forgotten what it’s like to wear formal shoes for an extended period of time, drugmakers haven’t forgotten how to make news: AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo teased the possibility of a brand-new category of breast cancer with data from its HER2-targeting Enhertu. The same weekend hosted the ADA’s diabetes meeting in New Orleans, with Medtronic touting its artificial pancreas tech and Eli Lilly showing off weight loss data from its nascent blockbuster Mounjaro. Those stories—plus a joint report between Fierce Medtech and Fierce Healthcare profiling 17 of the industry’s rising stars—follow below.

Featured Story

ASCO: AstraZeneca, Daiichi’s Enhertu could transform breast cancer treatment with landmark HER2-low show

A new era of breast cancer treatment may be upon us. With a landmark clinical trial win, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo could soon open up a brand-new breast cancer category and offer HER2-targeted therapy for many patients with what’s been traditionally characterized as HER2-negative disease.

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Top Stories Of The Week

ASCO: Return to in-person 'zoo that it always was,' with added COVID challenges—and bad shoes

While reveling in the human interaction of being back in person, attendees of the 2022 ASCO annual meeting—which wraps its fifth and final day today—were also faced with the somewhat daunting realization that maybe we don’t quite remember how to be back on-site.

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Fierce Healthcare and Fierce Medtech's 17 rising stars in health tech

Fierce Healthcare and Fierce Medtech compiled a list highlighting some of the biggest rising stars in the health tech industry, spanning the fields of artificial intelligence, software development and health IT.

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ASCO: Pfizer's Ibrance fails to extend lives in newly diagnosed breast cancer. Will doctors switch gears to Novartis, Lilly?

The verdict is in: Pfizer’s Ibrance didn’t improve the life span of patients with newly diagnosed HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial. The latest setback leaves Ibrance the only CDK4/6 inhibitor without an overall survival win from a phase 3 test.

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ASCO: It's all tied up? Mirati's KRAS data are 'identical' to Amgen's, researcher says

The numbers as they stand now don’t lie: Amgen’s Lumakras lasted longer than Mirati’s adagrasib in KRAS-mutated lung cancer. But Mirati's CEO still has high hopes for adagrasib, as an investigator of a study into the latecomer drug told Fierce Biotech that the two therapies have shown "essentially identical" efficacy. 

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ADA: Eli Lilly's stellar tirzepatide weight loss data tee up showdown with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, analysts say

Eli Lilly, just weeks after snaring approval for dual GIP/GLP-1 med Mounjaro in Type 2 diabetes, is trumpeting its case for the nascent blockbuster in weight loss. The data likely portend a clash with Novo Nordisk’s obesity stalwart Wegovy, one group of analysts argues.

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ADA: With promising long-term data for its artificial pancreas, Medtronic aims to fully close the diabetes management loop

In an interview with Fierce Medtech during the ADA's scientific sessions, the chief medical officer of Medtronic’s diabetes business, Robert Vigersky, described how the company is looking to completely close the loop on insulin delivery.

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GSK unveils new branding and logo to showcase 'transformed' business

As GlaxoSmithKline becomes GSK and sheds its consumer unit, the British Big Pharma has revealed new branding, a tech-flavored logo and a “transformative” change for its future.

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UPDATE: Bristol Myers strikes up Roche rivalry with $4.1B Turning Point buy

Eyeing a rivalry with Roche and a new cancer asset slated to hit the markets next year, Bristol Myers Squibb is picking up Turning Point Therapeutics in a $4.1 billion deal.

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Plaque to basics: New research hints Alzheimer's treatments may be looking in the wrong place

New research from NYU Langone suggests the first signs of amyloid beta appear inside of the cell as a result of cellular waste management issues. The results could have direct implications on how Alzheimer's is treated, within many current treatment mechanisms targeting amyloid beta deposits outside of the cell.

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Samsung Biologics ties up with Novartis in $81M contract manufacturing deal

Samsung Biologics has signed an initial $81 million contract manufacturing and development deal with Novartis, marking the first time the two companies have worked together.

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'The Top Line' podcast: ASCO data that wowed, rising stars blurring the line between traditional and tech-enabled drugs, plus this week’s headlines

This week on "The Top Line," we discuss our special report on the rising stars in the digital health sector. We also talk about surprising data from this weekend’s ASCO meeting and the week's other big headlines. Plus, we're back in person at the biggest conferences!

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Resources

eBook: Streamline HCP interactions management

Don’t miss these critical considerations when evaluating your HCP interactions management program.

eBook: Download the Cell Therapy Handbook

Explore the new cell therapy handbook from Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Whitepaper: Gain Operational Speed and Velocity by Sharing Quality Incident Data

Quality operations guide your organization through regulatory compliance processes and safeguard your products, processes, and reputation. But your team is capable of so much more. Quality incident data and processes can be a driver of significant business value if shared with other stakeholders.

Whitepaper: Medical Affairs Metamorphosis: Trends Driving Change & What They Mean

Recent trends are driving big changes in Medical Affairs. This paper explores why, and what MA teams can do to stay ahead of the curve.

White Paper: Jump Start for Biotech: New Lab Startup Guide

Sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific The journey for starting or expanding a lab can be exhilarating, while also being challenging--learn how this free program provides savings and solutions to support your goals.

Whitepaper: Catalent Pulmonary & Nasal Delivery Capabilities Sheet

Did you know Catalent has newly expanded in-house capabilities spanning clinical and commercial scale manufacturing for DPIs, unit-dose, bi-dose and preserved multi-dose nasal sprays?

Whitepaper: Intranasal Drug Product Development: Formulation to Manufacturing

What are key considerations for intranasal delivery in the treatment of acute and chronic conditions?

eBook: Orally Inhaled & Nasal Drug Delivery: A Pipeline of Opportunities

Orally Inhaled & Nasal Drug Delivery: A Pipeline of Opportunities

Events