Rubius dumps lead assets, lays off 75% of staff

Today's Big News

Sep 13, 2022
 

The saga of Bayer’s beleaguered CEO Werner Baumann may soon come to a close as a hunt for his successor quietly kicks off, reports Bloomberg News.   

The American Medical Association has joined a class-action lawsuit against Cigna. The lawsuit, initially filed in June, alleges that the insurer underpaid for claims filed by providers in the contracted MultiPlan network.

After a data review, Rubius Therapeutics is dropping its lead assets and laying off 75% of staff. The biotech ended January with 269 full-time employees, suggesting around 200 people will lose their jobs. - Gabrielle Masson

 

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Bayer's hunt for a new CEO is on, suggesting Werner Baumann could be headed for an early exit: report

Following years of investor push-and-pull over Bayer's CEO, a hunt for Werner Baumann’s successor has quietly kicked off,  Bloomberg News reported Tuesday, citing people close to the matter. The new CEO search may portend an early departure for Baumann, whose contract with Bayer isn’t set to expire until April 2024.
 
 
 
 

Top Stories

 

AMA, 2 state medical societies join class-action suit against Cigna

The American Medical Association has joined a class-action lawsuit against Cigna, alleging that the insurer underpaid for claims filed by providers in the contracted MultiPlan network.
 
 
 

Rubius makes hard pivot after reviewing clinical data, dumping lead assets and laying off 75% of staffers

Rubius Therapeutics has torn up its strategy. After reviewing human data on its lead candidates, the cell therapy biotech concluded investment in its two clinical prospects “is no longer justified,” leading it to stop studies and lay off 75% of its workforce. Shares in Rubius fell 25% to $0.80.
 
 
 

Sony dives into nascent over-the-counter hearing aid market with WS Audiology partnership

After the FDA opened the door to over-the-counter hearing aids last month, Sony is walking through it, in partnership with the Denmark-based WS Audiology.
 
 
 

AstraZeneca beats back investor lawsuit over COVID-19 vaccine testing woes

AstraZeneca stumbled several times during the testing and rollout process for its COVID-19 vaccine and never secured authorization in the U.S. Upset over investing losses, some AZ shareholders opted to sue the drugmaker, but their effort has now been rebuffed.
 
 
 

Oramed phase 2 insulin drug data ‘paint an exciting picture’ in rocky NASH landscape

Oramed Pharmaceuticals has posted encouraging phase 2 results for its oral insulin candidate designed to treat diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The company now awaits phase 3 readouts for the candidate that holds potential to become the first commercial oral insulin capsule for treating diabetes.   
 
 
 

Akero hits endpoints in midphase NASH trial, linking candidate to improvements in fibrosis

Akero Therapeutics has delivered the strongest evidence yet that its nonalcoholic steatohepatitis candidate can improve liver fibrosis. After impressing investors with liver scarring data in phase 2a, the biotech has followed up with a primary endpoint hit against fibrosis in a larger midphase study.
 
 
 

Takeda splashes €300M to expand plasma-derived therapies production site amid pandemic recovery

Riding on fast growth after a temporary pandemic-related slowdown, Takeda’s plasma-derived therapies department is investing heavily to boost its manufacturing capabilities.
 
 
 

Most physicians unclear on 'life-threatening emergencies' under abortion bans: survey

Most doctors are confused about what constitutes a "life-saving emergency" to overrule state abortion bans, a recent Sermo poll found. In the poll, 70% indicated they were unclear about what constitutes a “life-threatening emergency” allowing a physician to legally perform an abortion in states where the procedure is otherwise banned. Currently, 12 states have banned the procedure entirely, with Georgia and Ohio instituting six-week bans.
 
 
 

Edwards grabs FDA green light for calcium-blocking, dry-storage TAVR heart implant

Edwards Lifesciences has received an FDA approval for the latest generation of its Sapien 3 transcatheter aortic valve, equipped with materials the company says will form the basis of its heart valve implants going forward.
 
 
 

Biden looks to beef up US biomanufacturing amid pressure from China

The Biden Administration, after setting its sights on America’s pharmaceutical supply chains last winter, is telegraphing its next move to restore the United States' drugmaking prowess.
 
 
 

Acelyrin scores series C that brings total raised in less than a year past $500M

Any biotech that can rake in half a billion dollars from investors in 12 months is clearly doing something right. The $300 million series C funding round Acelryin announced this morning means the inflammatory-disease-focused drug developer has reached that marker and now has its sights set on entering late-stage trials.
 
 
 

YouTube, KFF and others team on health equity educational videos

YouTube on Monday rolled out a new program to help nonprofit organizations create educational videos about health inequities in mental health, maternal care and health access.
 
 
 
 
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'The Top Line': Sarepta's DMD trial set to regain momentum, Illumina's quest for Grail sees opposing results

This week on "The Top Line," we discuss Sarepta's phase 2 Duchenne muscular dystrophy clinical trial that was green-lit earlier this week after a clinical hold in June. We also chat the opposing results on either side of the pond for Illumina quest for Grail.
 
 

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