Vertex burned by rare disease again

Today’s Big News

Aug 2, 2024

Vir gains T-cell engagers from Sanofi, loses 25% of staff in another pipeline switch-up


Galapagos pauses CAR-T cell therapy trial over Parkinsonism case


Vertex, beaten by rare disease again, drops 2 assets on growing discard pile


Venture capital veteran venBio raises $528M for life sciences investment


Chutes & Ladders—Takeda taps internal leader as head of US oncology business

The Top Line Podcast: Don’t miss out on the newest episode. Listen now.

 

Featured

Vir gains T-cell engagers from Sanofi, loses 25% of staff in another pipeline switch-up

The “strategic restructuring” is designed to push more resources into Vir’s hepatitis programs “and focus on the highest near-term value opportunities,” the biotech explained.
 

Top Stories

Galapagos pauses CAR-T cell therapy trial over Parkinsonism case

Galapagos has paused enrollment in a trial of a BCMA-directed CAR-T cell therapy, pumping the brakes in response to an adverse event also seen in recipients of Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson’s rival drugs.

Vertex, beaten by rare disease again, drops 2 assets on growing discard pile

Vertex’s attempt to treat a rare genetic disease has hit another setback. The biotech tossed two more drug candidates onto the discard pile in response to underwhelming data but, following a playbook that has worked in other settings, plans to use the missteps to inform the next wave of preclinical prospects.

InMed’s INM-901 Demonstrates Potential as a Multi-factorial Approach to Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

InMed Pharmaceuticals recently released preclinical data indicating its proprietary, small molecule compound, INM-901, targets multiple biological pathways associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Venture capital veteran venBio raises $528M for life sciences investment

Veteran venture capital firm venBio has raised another half billion dollars to invest in biotechs working on diseases with unmet need.

Chutes & Ladders—Takeda taps internal leader as head of US oncology business

Takeda has tapped Pallavi Garg to serve as the head of U.S. for the oncology business unit, a role previously held by Stefanie Granado, Ph.D.

FDA signs off on Adaptimmune's Tecelra as the first engineered cell therapy for a solid tumor

Adaptimmune has won accelerated FDA approval for Tecelra (afami-cel), a treatment for metastatic or unresectable synovial sarcoma which becomes the first engineered cell therapy for a solid tumor and the first new treatment in the indication in more than a decade.

Paige publishes open-source AI pathology models for cancer R&D

Aimed at oncology researchers and the makers of cancer drugs and diagnostics, the pair of foundation models were developed through a collaboration with Microsoft Research.

Another IRA lawsuit bites the dust with ruling on Novo Nordisk case; company pledges to appeal

The ruling from the New Jersey federal court marks the latest in a string of rejections as various drugmakers have taken to the courts to fight the drug pricing legislation.

CMS finalizes 2.9% pay bump for inpatient hospitals in FY2025

The Biden administration has finalized proposed payment rates for inpatient services in the coming year, and they're not likely to be welcomed by hospitals.

Fierce Pharma Asia—Merck's surprise hiccup in China; Leqembi's slow ramp; Lawmakers' new biosecurity target

Merck is trying to determine the reasons behind the surprise decline of Gardasil in China. Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi was rejected by European authorities amid a continued slow sales ramp. Lawmakers behind the BIOSECURE Act are trying to block drugmakers from working with certain Chinese clinical trial sites. And more.
 
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Resources

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Launching a Product in Europe: Understanding Supply Chain Cost Drivers

This paper explores the costs of setting up a supply chain in Europe for a new biopharma therapy. It outlines key cost drivers & the various levers decision makers can use to affect those costs.
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Efficient-Pro Medium and Feed 1 enable rapid and seamless upstream process development and scale-up for CHO-K1 cells

Download the white paper to learn how this innovative solution can help optimize your mAb production processes. The findings demonstrate the system's robust capability to sustain strong cell growth and high productivity, facilitating a smooth transition from laboratory to production scale.
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An Integrated End-to-End Approach to Antibody Drug Conjugate Development and Manufacturing

In this white paper, Lonza experts delve into the common challenges encountered by ADC developers. They explore new drug product capabilities in relation to cytotoxic drug development and manufacturing, therefore fully completing Lonza’s integrated ADC offering. Further, they discuss how this end-to-end approach can significantly accelerate the timeline to investigational new drug filing and beyond. Read this white paper to learn more.
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.
Whitepaper

The “Best Practice Organization” & Its Importance for Success in Today’s Biopharma Industry

In a complex industry like biopharma, being a “Best Practice Organization” (BPO) is essential to success. But what is a BPO & how do you build one? This eBook provides the answers.
 

Industry Events

On Helix

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

 

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