Moderna extends antibody ambitions with new deal

Today's Big News

Nov 11, 2022

Biotechs shed dead wood from pipelines amid cash crunch and disappointing data

Nabriva halts R&D, lays off 40% of staff in commercial-focused pivot for survival

Moderna's appetite for antibody tech spurs $6M bet on Nona's heavy chain only platform

New SEC charges allege insider trading related to Merck’s acquisition of Pandion was a family affair

Tiziana prioritizes 'lowest hanging fruit,' shelves unripe assets as threat of Nasdaq delisting looms

Making melanoma cells immortal comes down to previously unknown gene mutation synergies

'The Top Line'A recap of Fierce Biotech's Cell & Gene Therapy Forum

Chutes & Ladders—Seagen finds new leader after 6-month vacancy

 

Featured

Biotechs shed dead wood from pipelines amid cash crunch and disappointing data

Deep into the fall season, biotechs are freeing themselves of dead wood at a rapid pace. The latest batch of quarterly updates saw Atreca, aTyr Pharma, Histogen, Lisata Therapeutics, Poseida Therapeutics and Rain Therapeutics trim their pipelines.
 

Top Stories

Nabriva halts R&D, lays off 40% of staff in commercial-focused pivot for survival

Irish biotech Nabriva Therapeutics has responded to the tough financial climate by putting all its chips on the approved bacterial skin medicine Sivextro, meaning that its R&D projects and 40% of staff are now surplus to requirements.

Moderna's appetite for antibody tech spurs $6M bet on Nona's heavy chain only platform

Moderna has struck another deal with an antibody specialist, paying Nona Biosciences $6 million upfront and committing up to $500 million in milestones for access to the fruits of a heavy chain only discovery platform.

New SEC charges allege insider trading related to Merck's acquisition of Pandion was a family affair

New charges from the SEC allege that an insider trading scheme related to Merck & Co.'s acquisition of Pandion was a family affair. The brother of one of the two men first charged in July was also tipped off about the deal, the agency has alleged.

Tiziana prioritizes 'lowest hanging fruit,' shelves unripe assets as threat of Nasdaq delisting looms

Tiziana Life Sciences is following biotech’s third-quarter cull trend, though it’s attempting to do so more covertly by putting several of its pipeline programs on the shelf in a “near-term focus” strategic update.

Making melanoma cells immortal comes down to previously unknown gene mutation synergies

Thanks to the right mix of science and serendipity, researchers found that mutations in the promoter regions of a pair of genes are key to creating the extra-long telomeres that turn skin cells into cancer.

'The Top Line': A recap of Fierce Biotech's Cell & Gene Therapy Forum

This week on “The Top Line,” we share some highlights from Fierce Biotech's Cell and Gene Therapy Forum in case you missed it.

Chutes & Ladders—Seagen finds new leader after 6-month vacancy

After a tumultuous few months for Seagen, the company has tapped former Novartis Pharmaceuticals CEO David Epstein to lead.

Biogen's incoming CEO Viehbacher gets mixed reviews—and lots of advice—in investor survey

How did investors receive news of Biogen’s hire of Christopher Viehbacher as the company’s CEO? The reaction is decidedly mixed, with lots of strong opinions on both sides, according to an anonymous survey conducted by Mizuho Securities.

Nurses plan to picket outside of 22 Kaiser Permanente locations

Nurses feel that Kaiser Permanente doesn’t do enough to ease the burdens brought on partly by COVID-19. So, they’re going on strike for three days.

Eli Lilly issues rare apology as fake Twitter Blue account proclaims free insulin for all

Eli Lilly has become the first Big Pharma to fall victim to the uptick of fake Twitter handles that are cropping up under the new Twitter Blue paid accounts that Elon Musk recently pushed through. A user pretending to be the Indianapolis company tweeted out a message saying: “We are excited to announced insulin is free now.”

Telehealth took off during COVID. Here's how companies like Sprinter Health and TytoCare are trying to close the loop on remote care

As preventive care remains out of reach for millions, several companies are harnessing technology to support the in-home care model while also enabling virtual primary care.

Fierce Pharma Asia—German CEOs visit China; Sanofi, Insilico's $1.2B pact; Sumitomo's job cuts

The CEOs of BioNTech, Bayer and Merck KGaA visited China as part of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's business delegation. Insilico Medicine became the latest AI drug discovery shop to partner with Sanofi. Sumitomo Pharma is launching a round of layoffs in Massachusetts. 
 
Fierce podcasts

Don't miss an episode

'The Top Line': A recap of Fierce Biotech's Cell & Gene Therapy Forum

This week on “The Top Line,” we share some highlights from Fierce Biotech's Cell and Gene Therapy Forum in case you missed it.
 

Resources

Webinar

Webinar: Writing the Future of Antibody Discovery Solutions

Twist Bioscience CSO Dr. Aaron Sato shares how Twist's tools for antibody discovery have been applied to identify antibodies against diverse and challenging targets. See how high-throughput DNA synthesis combined with antibody engineering expertise provides end-to-end antibody discovery solutions.

Research

Optimizing Trial Efficiency with Bayesian Dose Escalation Designs

Learn more about adaptive ascending dose escalation designs and considerations for determining the optimal approach to meet your drug development objectives
Whitepaper

Scaling life sciences companies: Discover resources to support growth and innovation

Read through this library of resources to find out how you can strengthen innovation and efficiency, improve safety and quality, and prioritize resources to support your long-term goals.
Research

Optimizing Trial Efficiency with Bayesian Dose Escalation Designs

Learn more about adaptive ascending dose escalation designs and considerations for determining the optimal approach to meet your drug development objectives
Whitepaper

Commercializing Gene Therapies – Supply Chain Considerations

This paper outlines how gene therapy supply chains are different from traditional biopharma products, as well as the factors that are essential to success.
Video

Discover why you should choose the Gibco™️ Efficient-Pro™️ system

Revolutionize your monoclonal antibody (mAb) manufacturing process with the Gibco™️ Efficient-Pro™️ Medium and Feed System. Watch our how-to video.
Whitepaper

The Most Suitable Dosage Form Technologies for the Oral Delivery of Lipid-Based Formulations

What is the most suitable dosage form technology for the Oral Delivery of Lipid-Based Formulations?
Research

Versatility of Softgel Technology - Encapsulation of a Volatile Compound

Learn more about how the versatility of Softgel Technology helped a customer with a volatile compound.
Whitepaper

Lipid-Based Drug Delivery System to Bring Poorly Soluble Drugs to Market

How can Lipid-Based Drug Delivery System help bring poorly soluble drugs to market?
Whitepaper

Formulation Strategies When Transitioning From Vial to PFS

Learn how formulation development for a PFS affects manufacturing to drive the industry toward optimizing delivery of injectable products and, ultimately, improving patient care.
Webinar

The Faster Path From Pre-Filled Syringe to Auto-Injector

Ypsomed and Catalent Biologics experts discuss strategies for integrated PFS manufacturing and auto-injector assembly to accelerate timelines and more in this webinar.
Whitepaper

Softgel Formulation Enables Oral Delivery of Testosterone

Clarus Therapeutics (Clarus) is a men’s specialty pharmaceutical company that partnered with Catalent to develop a unique and convenient drug delivery form for their hormone replacement therapy.
Whitepaper

Strategies for the Optimal Scale-up & Tech Transfer of Oral Small Molecules

Learn more about how the transition from early to late phase of a small molecule program plays a pivotal role in a program’s ultimate success.
eBook

Orally Inhaled & Nasal Drug Delivery: A Pipeline of Opportunities

Orally Inhaled & Nasal Drug Delivery: A Pipeline of Opportunities
Whitepaper

Catalent Pulmonary & Nasal Delivery Capabilities Sheet

Did you know Catalent has newly expanded in-house capabilities spanning clinical and commercial scale manufacturing for DPIs, unit-dose, bi-dose and preserved multi-dose nasal sprays?
Whitepaper

Intranasal Drug Product Development: Formulation to Manufacturing

What are key considerations for intranasal delivery in the treatment of acute and chronic conditions?
 

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