AstraZeneca pays $185M to rejoin oral GLP-1 race

Today’s Big News

Nov 9, 2023

Novavax plans for second round of layoffs, cost cuts as weak vaccine uptake pummels manufacturers


AstraZeneca pays $185M upfront to reenter oral obesity gold rush, drops phase 2 sickle cell drug


'Difficult, but necessary, steps': SQZ lays off 80% of staff, Regenxbio cuts 15%


Adaptimmune, Monte Rosa and Intellia discontinue programs


Atara's stock sinks as multiple sclerosis cell therapy fails in phase 2, prompting rethink


Potent new drug has all the power of nature's strongest antibiotic, without the toxicity


Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2023: Novavax to cut more staff in new $300M savings plan; Regenxbio, Gilead and more

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

 

Featured

Novavax plans for second round of layoffs, cost cuts as weak vaccine uptake pummels manufacturers

Novavax is looking to shave off an additional $300 million in costs in addition to reductions announced six months ago. The company's R&D and SG&A spend on the year is expected to be roughly 30% lower than in 2022.
 

Top Stories

AstraZeneca pays $185M upfront to reenter oral obesity gold rush, drops phase 2 sickle cell drug

AstraZeneca is buying its way back into the obesity drug gold rush. Months after dropping its own oral GLP-1 agonist, the Big Pharma has agreed to pay Eccogene $185 million for a similar small molecule that it believes can stake a claim to a market targeted by Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and others.

'Difficult, but necessary, steps': SQZ lays off 80% of staff, Regenxbio cuts 15%

By far the most brutal cutbacks were at SQZ, which is letting go of fully 80% of its workforce as the cell therapy company seeks a long-term survival plan.

How digital twins help improve biomanufacturing quality and security

Digital twins can help biomanufacturing organizations spot and avoid failures that lead to costly delays. Explore this article to find out how.

Adaptimmune, Monte Rosa and Intellia discontinue programs

Adaptimmune Therapeutics, Monte Rosa Therapeutics and Intellia Therapeutics are all throwing programs to the discard pile.

Modeling patient insights to make the most of clinical trials

Greg Lever, Director within the IQVIA Applied Data Science Center, reveals how modeling technology is being used to unlock value and enhance the experience of trial participants.

Atara's stock sinks as multiple sclerosis cell therapy fails in phase 2, prompting rethink

This time, it’s conclusive. Sixteen months after saying it lacked the results to draw firm conclusions, Atara Biotherapeutics is back with data showing its multiple sclerosis cell therapy was hammered by placebo, prompting the biotech to outline plans to slash its spending on the program.

Potent new drug has all the power of nature's strongest antibiotic, without the toxicity

Like many powerful things, amphotericin B is also very toxic. Now, researchers have developed a derivative of the famous fungicidal that prevents it from harming the kidneys, with implications for other antimicrobial drugs.

Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2023: Novavax to cut more staff in new $300M savings plan; Regenxbio, Gilead and more

We had hoped that our Layoff Tracker would stay retired for a while, but 2023 is starting to look a lot like our old friend 2022 when it comes to layoffs in biotech.

It's the end of the line for Bayer's P13K Aliqopa and Novo's insulin Levemir after 2 market pulls

While Bayer's P13K Aliqopa couldn't prove its worth in a confirmatory trial, Novo's Levemir faced manufacturing issues and troubles with patient coverage, leading the two to separately withdraw their products.

Sygnature Discovery pumps £3.75M into data management system

Sygnature Discovery,  a U.K.-based preclinical contractor, is pumping 3.75 million pounds sterling ($4.6 million) into Azenta Life Sciences’ compound management storage system that will allow it to store customer libraries.

Acutus Medical lays off two-thirds of staff to focus solely on left-heart access deal with Medtronic

Acutus Medical is planning to cut a majority of its jobs as it narrows its focus to only the most potentially profitable pursuits.

Moderna tells health-conscious consumers to 'Spikevax that body'

Moderna wants you to “Spikevax that body.” In an ad that contrasts sharply with Pfizer’s celeb-loaded TV spot, the mRNA specialist is pitching its COVID-19 vaccine as another part of a healthy lifestyle in a bid to counter falling sales.
 
Fierce podcasts

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'Podnosis': Leading with empathy amid crisis

Hello Heart is a U.S.-based company with offices in California and New York, and it also has a significant presence in Israel, with the majority of its roughly 80 employees there working from the Tel Aviv office. In this week’s episode of “Podnosis,” Hello Heart CEO Maayan Cohen, who resides in Tel Aviv, shares her personal experience during a challenging moment when she was on her way to the annual HLTH conference in Las Vegas and heard about the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel.
 

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