23andMe ends cancer research, lays off 40% of staff

Today’s Big News

Nov 12, 2024

AstraZeneca CEO defends corporate oversight, $80B revenue target amid China probes


AstraZeneca, Daiichi withdraw lung cancer approval application for Enhertu follow-up and try again


23andMe shutters cancer drug research programs, lays off 40% of staff


GSK inks Parkinson's pact with Flagship's Vesalius for $570M-plus biobucks


GSK, with survey highlighting challenges facing gynecological cancer patients, kicks off initiative to close gaps in care


Roche teams up with transcription factor trailblazer Flare in new $1.8B+ cancer pact


FDA rejects Intercept’s ask for Ocaliva full nod in rare liver disease, but accelerated approval remains


PhRMA TV spot calls on lame-duck Congress to pass PBM reforms, secure savings for patients


Syndax’s small molecule underwhelms investors in midstage acute leukemia trial, sending stock down 22%

 

Featured

AstraZeneca CEO defends corporate oversight, $80B revenue target amid China probes

Despite China’s investigations that have implicated senior executives, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot argued that the company did not lose oversight and remains on track to achieve his ambitious $80 billion-by-2030 revenue goal.
 

Top Stories

AstraZeneca, Daiichi withdraw lung cancer approval application for Enhertu follow-up and try again

Months after filing their Enhertu follow-up Dato-DXd with the FDA, Daiichi Sankyo and its antibody-drug conjugate partner AstraZeneca have taken the agency’s advice and pulled their lung cancer application to try their luck in a related indication.

23andMe shutters cancer drug research programs, lays off 40% of staff

The genetics testing company plans to seek out new homes for its in-house pipeline of DNA-informed immuno-oncology antibodies.

GSK inks Parkinson's pact with Flagship's Vesalius for $570M-plus biobucks

GSK is paying $80 million to ink a multi-target neurodegenerative pact with Flagship-founded Vesalius Therapeutics that includes a preclinical small molecule initially targeting Parkinson’s disease.

GSK, with survey highlighting challenges facing gynecological cancer patients, kicks off initiative to close gaps in care

GSK unveiled its “Your Cancer Is Our Challenge” initiative with an aim of raising awareness of and breaking down the barriers to care and support that many people with gynecological cancers experience.

Roche teams up with transcription factor trailblazer Flare in new $1.8B-plus cancer pact

Roche and Flare Therapeutics are igniting a partnership worth more than $1.8 billion in biobucks with hopes of discovering new small molecule cancer treatments via previously undruggable transcription factor targets.

FDA rejects Intercept's ask for Ocaliva full nod in rare liver disease, but accelerated approval remains

Intercept received a complete response letter from the FDA, dashing the company’s hopes of turning Ocaliva’s accelerated green light into a traditional approval for the rare autoimmune disease primary biliary cholangitis.

PhRMA TV spot calls on lame-duck Congress to pass PBM reforms, secure savings for patients

PhRMA is pushing to get pharmacy benefit manager reform over the line in Congress’ lame-duck session, using its first TV spot since the U.S. election to rail against a familiar, rebate-snaffling adversary.

Syndax's small molecule underwhelms investors in midstage acute leukemia trial, sending stock down 22%

While awaiting an FDA decision for its small molecule revumenib in one form of acute leukemia, Syndax Pharmaceuticals is trying to build a case for its candidate in another. Though the drug met its primary endpoint in the phase 2 portion of a phase 1/2 trial, the results failed to impress investors, sending Syndax’s stock down 22%.

Pfizer explores sale of hospital drugs unit amid activist investor’s call for accountability: Reuters

After a series of acquisitions and an activist investor's accusation of overspending, Pfizer is exploring an opportunity to slim down by divesting its hospital drugs unit, Reuters reports.

J&J gets FDA thumbs-up to begin clinical trials for its Ottava surgical robot

Johnson & Johnson MedTech has received a go-ahead from the FDA to begin human clinical trials of its Ottava surgical robot, with plans to explore its uses in laparoscopic, hybrid and open procedures.

Havas Health hires Pfizer veteran as CEO of Europe

Havas Health has appointed Anna Maria Marra CEO of Europe. Marra is joining the healthcare agency after a 22-year run at Pfizer that culminated in her leading the launch of the antibiotic Emblaveo.

With high hopes for the economy, AstraZeneca adds $2B to US investment in manufacturing, R&D

AstraZeneca on Tuesday revealed that it’s adding $2 billion more to its current outlay in the U.S., representing a total capital investment of $3.5 billion. The cash will be used to grow the company’s research and production footprint in the States by the end of 2026, generating more than 1,000 new jobs along the way.

Insilico's AI-designed med tied to respiratory health improvements in midstage lung disease trial

Insilico Medicine plans to push its computer-designed drug into pivotal clinical trials after a phase 2a study demonstrated improvements in a respiratory health measure for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

StrideMD touts remote patient monitoring tech in National Diabetes Month awareness campaign

As National Diabetes Month gets underway, StrideMD is among the diabetes care providers, tech developers and drugmakers helping raise awareness of the condition.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

Dig into this year’s Fierce Biotech Graveyard, layoff numbers

This week on "The Top Line," we take a closer look at this year’s biotech graveyard, which tracks biotechs that have closed or are winding down. 
 

Resources

Whitepaper

Straight to Market in an Autoinjector

The use of prefilled syringes to administer biotherapeutics is beginning to gain traction because they offer a range of stability, efficacy, and patient safety benefits. Download this white paper to learn how Lonza has developed a novel workflow to ensure confidence regarding functionality in PFS and autoinjectors.
Whitepaper

Single Cell RNA Profiling FFPE Tissue

Explore the robust cross-platform agreement between scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq, ensuring consistent and reproducible data on immune cell presence.
Whitepaper

7 “Make or Break” Factors for Emerging Biopharma Companies

This e-book explores 7 factors that are critical to the success of emerging biopharma companies, whether they plan to out-license, partner, or launch & commercialize products. It’s an essential resource for emerging companies with products in all stages of development.
Whitepaper

Intensified Biomanufacturing

Unlock the secrets to faster, cost-effective biologics production with intensified biomanufacturing – download the whitepaper and power up your bioprocessing game!
Whitepaper

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.
Whitepaper

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.
 

Industry Events

On Helix

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

 

Upcoming Fierce Events

18-19
Nov
Free Virtual Event
20
Nov
Free Virtual Event
4
Dec
Free Virtual Event
5
Dec
The Lighthouse at Pier 61 in New York City
14-15
Jan
San Francisco, CA

View all events