Lilly execs welcome obesity competitors

Today’s Big News

Aug 9, 2024

Merck pays $700M for bispecific, spying autoimmune opening and chance to challenge Amgen in cancer


AN2 halves head count, stops phase 3 trial after data disappoint


'All hands on deck' at Lilly as competitors come for obesity market


On doorstep of FDA decision, Gilead pays J&J $320M to exit licensing deal for seladelpar


Chutes & Ladders—Biogen CMO Maha Radhakrishnan joins Sofinnova

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Featured

Merck pays $700M for bispecific, spying autoimmune opening and chance to challenge Amgen in cancer

Merck & Co. is paying $700 million upfront to challenge Amgen in a blood cancer market. The deal will give Merck global rights to Curon Biopharmaceutical’s CD3xCD19 bispecific, positioning the Big Pharma as a rival to Amgen and AstraZeneca in oncology and Cullinan Therapeutics in autoimmune disease.
 

Top Stories

AN2 halves head count, stops phase 3 trial after data disappoint

AN2 Therapeutics is rethinking its business in response to lackluster midphase data, vowing to lay off half its employees and stop a phase 3 study as part of a pivot to early-stage projects.

'All hands on deck' at Lilly as competitors come for obesity market

CEO David Ricks can see the companies setting up tents at basecamp behind Eli Lilly in an attempt to get a foothold of the obesity market. But Lilly's already been to the summit and is coming back down for another trip.

On doorstep of FDA decision, Gilead pays J&J $320M to exit licensing deal for seladelpar

With Gilead on the verge of an FDA decision for its liver disease drug seladelpar, the company has paid Johnson & Johnson $320 million to exit an 18-year-old licensing agreement on the compound. The buyout removes Gilead’s obligation to pay an 8% royalty on sales of seladelpar.

Chutes & Ladders—Biogen CMO Maha Radhakrishnan joins Sofinnova

Former Biogen Chief Medical Officer Maha Radhakrishnan, M.D., is now an executive partner at healthcare investment firm Sofinnova Investments.

A closer look at Fierce Biotech's Fierce 15

In this week's episode of "The Top Line," we’re diving into Fierce Biotech’s annual Fierce 15 special report.

NovAliX brings Bruker on board to advance drug discovery methods

French preclinical CRO NovAliX has found a new partner across the pond. Massachusetts-based manufacturer Bruker Corporation has announced a minority investment of an undisclosed amount in the drug discoverer.

Legend Biotech CEO takes ‘close look at business’ amid geopolitical risk, M&A rumor

Legend Biotech CEO Ying Huang, Ph.D., already had a lot on his plate when speculations of a potential geopolitical crackdown and the option of a buyout emerged.

Fierce Pharma Asia—The TROP2 ADC race; Another Merck-Daiichi cancer deal; Eisai's molecular glue pact

Three large pharma companies are locked in a high-stakes antibody-drug conjugate race. Merck and Daiichi Sankyo teamed up on a DLL3 T-cell engager. Eisai inked a molecular glue degrader deal with BeyondSpring that could be worth up to $1.5 billion. And more.

Many want employer benefits for substance, alcohol use issues—but few have them, survey finds

The survey found that about a third of the workforce—or 60 million Americans—experience personal or family issues related to substance or alcohol use. This causes losses in productivity and increases in healthcare costs.
 
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A closer look at Fierce Biotech's Fierce 15

In this week's episode of "The Top Line," we’re diving into Fierce Biotech’s annual Fierce 15 special report.
 

Resources

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

 

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