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This Week

Oct 25, 2024

UPDATED: Starboard wants to hold Pfizer leadership 'accountable' for overpaid M&A deals, poor return on R&D investment

BioNTech-OncoC4 phase 3 cancer trial under partial hold after varying results reported

Takeda details another round of layoffs in Massachusetts as restructuring drive rolls on

Merck-Gilead long-acting oral combo suppresses HIV for 48 weeks, setting stage for pivotal program

Gilead pulls Trodelvy's approval in bladder cancer after trial flop, FDA discussions

Merck sets sights on brain cancer with $30M Modifi acquisition

Featured

UPDATED: Starboard wants to hold Pfizer leadership 'accountable' for overpaid M&A deals, poor return on R&D investment

By Angus Liu

Activist investor Starboard Value is baring its teeth at Pfizer management, more openly going after CEO Albert Bourla’s job in a new presentation.

BioNTech-OncoC4 phase 3 cancer trial under partial hold after varying results reported

By Gabrielle Masson

The FDA has implemented a partial hold on a phase 3 non-small cell lung cancer trial run by BioNTech and OncoC4 after seeing varying results among patients.

Takeda details another round of layoffs in Massachusetts as restructuring drive rolls on

By Fraiser Kansteiner

As part of a new round of layoffs, certain Takeda staffers at two Massachusetts sites are set to lose their jobs. This marks the third round of job cuts Takeda has initiated in the state since it revealed a large restructuring drive in May.

Merck-Gilead long-acting oral combo suppresses HIV for 48 weeks, setting stage for pivotal program

By Nick Paul Taylor

Gilead and Merck & Co. have guided their once-weekly HIV combination therapy past another milestone, linking the cocktail to sustained suppression of the virus out to 48 weeks in a midphase clinical trial.

Gilead pulls Trodelvy's approval in bladder cancer after trial flop, FDA discussions

By Angus Liu

After falling short in a confirmatory clinical trial, Gilead Sciences has decided to withdraw Trodelvy as a bladder cancer treatment in the U.S.

Merck sets sights on brain cancer with $30M Modifi acquisition

By Darren Incorvaia

Merck & Co. is putting down $30 million cash to buy Yale spinout Modifi Biosciences, a deal that includes a preclinical asset designed to take on the tough-to-treat brain cancer glioblastoma.

Senators probe whether Pfizer, Lilly DTC platforms create 'potential for inappropriate prescribing'

By Andrea Park

A group of U.S. senators are digging into the direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms launched by Eli Lilly and Pfizer this year, in search of any indication that the services could create conflicts of interest for prescribers.

It's official: Michelle Tarver named director of the FDA's devices center

By Conor Hale

Tarver had held the interim position since late July, when Jeff Shuren announced his retirement after 15 years in the post.

Radiopharma CDMO Nucleus lays out plan to triple manufacturing capacity, add 100 jobs

By Kevin Dunleavy

Two years after emerging with its initial funding round, CDMO Nucleus RadioPharma is going bicoastal, revealing expansions at two sites that the company believes will "significantly improve” market access to the promising cancer treatments.

GSK and Boston scientists team up to study pulmonary fibrosis and develop new treatments

By Darren Incorvaia

London-based GSK is crossing the pond to form a new lung disease research collaboration with Boston scientists. The Big Pharma is joining forces with researchers from the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Boston University and Boston Medical Center to develop new models for lung diseases like pulmonary fibrosis.

Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

Beyond the silo: How engagement fuels healthcare innovation

This week on "Podnosis," we examine why diverse viewpoints are essential for tackling the industry’s toughest challenges and how building real engagement serves as the bedrock for innovation.

Where are they now? Catching up with past Fierce 15 honorees

How HIV prevention stays out of reach for many

A revival in neuro therapeutics

Resources

Whitepaper

Direct-To-Patient Cash Solutions for Pharma Manufacturers

Direct-To-Patient Cash Solutions for Pharma Manufacturers – learn how to leverage cash models strategically to mitigate access challenges and overcome the hurdles faced in today’s retail pharmacy environment.

Is That Heart Attack Really an Adverse Event?

Discover how independent adjudication can safeguard your clinical trials from misidentified adverse events and enhance the credibility of your results.

Planning for success in cell-based manufacturing

Learn how to evaluate quality documentation to help you select the right raw materials at early decision points for your cell-based manufacturing processes.

Presented by: Thermo Fisher Scientific

Survey

Emerging Compliance Monitoring Trends in Life Sciences

Explore the latest trends in compliance monitoring to help your team embrace proactive strategies in key areas of risk management. Stay ahead of the ever-evolving landscape and new policies to enhance your compliance program.

Elevating Your Omnichannel Strategy with Programmatic EHR Advertising

Read this case study to discover how programmatic EHR advertising can transform your omnichannel marketing strategy.

Decoding the data

Need the superpowers to select the right lab equipment?

Sponsored by: PHC Corporation of North America

Whitepaper

Strategies to Optimize Expression Challenges of Multi-chain and Bispecific Antibodies

Take a brief journey through some of the efforts that Lonza has made to optimize the manufacturability of bsAbs and other formats, and take a glance towards future directions with an emphasis on the upstream aspects.

Communicating the Value of Biopharma Assets to Potential Investors

How can an emerging company attract the right partner for a therapeutic asset (& optimize its value in a transaction)? This paper offers some insights.

Presented by: Blue Matter

Whitepaper

The Future of MedTech: The Role of AI

Cognizant, in partnership with Microsoft, have interviewed 200 medtech decision makers across the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and the USA to find out about what the future holds. A responsible AI framework is going to be key. Read our report to learn more.

Accelerating Timelines to Clinic with GPEx® Lightning

Unlock the Future of Biotherapeutics with Catalent Biologics!

Switching Treatments: Pharma's Opportunity to Drive Action

Open up unexpected opportunities. This digital story offers pharma marketers proactive strategies for helping patients discover and switch to treatments, even if they aren’t actively looking to make a change.