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Today’s Big News

Jun 26, 2024

Novo’s kidney disease drug fails to improve blood pressure levels in phase 3, spurring $816M loss


After stock crash and staff cuts, Amarin wins bid to revive Vascepa patent lawsuit


DNA testmaker BillionToOne claims billion-dollar valuation with $130M funding round


New CKD drugs are promising, but need stronger efficacy data, kidney docs say: GlobalData


CAR-T death drives Lyell to take 2-track approach to dose escalation


Despite J&J's Rybrevant full nod, FDA encourages Dizal to file rival lung cancer drug for accelerated approval


No anesthesia, no problem: Northwestern surgeons transplant kidney into fully awake patient

 

Featured

Novo’s kidney disease drug fails to improve blood pressure in phase 3, spurring $816M loss

Novo Nordisk’s late-stage kidney disease drug failed to evoke significant changes in systolic blood pressure, a loss that will cost the Danish drugmaker more than $800 million.
 

Top Stories

After stock crash and staff cuts, Amarin wins bid to revive Vascepa patent lawsuit

Amarin is getting a fresh shot to challenge Hikma Pharmaceuticals’ generic version of its fish oil-derived heart med in the lower courts. But the legal development comes after a patent loss on Vascepa eviscerated its U.S. business.

DNA testmaker BillionToOne claims billion-dollar valuation with $130M funding round

BillionToOne said the proceeds will help scale up its blood testing businesses in prenatal screening and cancer.

New CKD drugs are promising, but need stronger efficacy data, kidney docs say: GlobalData

Though a host of drugs currently under development are poised to massively expand the existing market for chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatments, they’ll need to go further to win the support of doctors, according to a new report.

CAR-T death drives Lyell to take 2-track approach to dose escalation

A death and other adverse events have forced Lyell Immunopharma to take a two-track approach to its early-phase CAR-T clinical trial, holding back dose escalation in people with lung metastases while racing ahead in the wider population.

Despite J&J's Rybrevant full nod, FDA encourages Dizal to file rival lung cancer drug for accelerated approval

Even after the FDA has converted J&J’s Rybrevant use in previously treated EGFR exon20 insertion-mutated non-small cell lung cancer into a full nod, the door to an accelerated approval in the same indication remains open, according to AstraZeneca spinout Dizal Pharma.

No anesthesia, no problem: Northwestern surgeons transplant kidney into fully awake patient

Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine transplanted a kidney into a fully awake patient—yes, on purpose—and were able to discharge him the next day, in what they described as basically an outpatient procedure.

Alexis Borisy-founded VC raises $380M for early-stage biotechs

Venture capital firm Curie.Bio has fueled up, raising $380 million for biotech founders and promising to stretch the runway of seed money for better long-term results.     

After IBD wins, J&J's Tremfya misses the mark in giant cell arteritis

As other immunology players make inroads into the giant cell arteritis arena, one of Johnson & Johnson’s top-grossing medicines, Tremfya, has come up short in the disease.

AI-focused Formation secures Sanofi-backed $372M series D to license more drugs

Megarounds have been few and far between in 2024, but Formation Bio has managed to draw in an impressive $372 million series D as the AI-focused biotech seeks to expand its pipeline.

Sanofi asks for private equity bids for its consumer health unit: Bloomberg

Sanofi has told prospective buyers of its consumer health unit to provide bids for its consumer division by the middle of July, Bloomberg reports. Private equity firms Advent International and PAI Partners are believed to be the most serious potential suitors.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

A look at ‘friend-shoring’ and the drug shortage challenge

In this week’s episode of “The Top Line,” Fierce Pharma’s Zoey Becker sits down with Bobby Sheng, the CEO of Bora Pharmaceuticals, to discuss the concept of “friend-shoring” in drug manufacturing.

 

Resources

Whitepaper

2024 Life Sciences Industry Outlook

The definitive report on the state of our industry.  Readers will gain an understanding of key indicators to monitor, future predictions, and guidance for investors and founders navigating the therapeutic enabling tools and services, healthtech and techbio sectors through 2024 and beyond.
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Watch our on-demand webinar video to learn more about the challenges in pDNA manufacturing for gene and cell therapy and how to resolve many of these barriers by partnering with our experts through the adoption of vital manufacturing technologies and strategies.
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A Comprehensive and Flexible Approach to CMC for Fab and Fc-Fusion Development Programs

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Adding Rare Disease Products to Your Company’s Portfolio

This paper outlines the challenges, pitfalls, & solutions associated with adding rare disease therapies to a biopharma company’s portfolio.
 

Industry Events

On Helix

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

 

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