AstraZeneca inks $200M cell therapy buyout

Today's Big News

Nov 29, 2022

2023 preview: Despite Biden's drug pricing win, the biopharma industry is not 'anywhere near done with this conversation'

Seeing double: Canon carves out 2nd US medtech subsidiary with $300M investment

AstraZeneca forges deeper into cell therapies with $200M takeover of solid tumor TCR biotech

Amwell exploring $200M buyout of online therapy provider Talkspace: media report

AstraZeneca sells US plant to Resilience, forging manufacturing pact in the process

 

Featured

2023 preview: Despite Biden's drug pricing win, the biopharma industry is not 'anywhere near done with this conversation'

While the pricing measures in Biden's Inflation Reduction Act slowly begin to come into effect starting next year, there are still major unknowns for pricing experts and industry watchers.
 

Top Stories

Seeing double: Canon carves out 2nd US medtech subsidiary with $300M investment

Canon is seeing stars (and stripes). The tech giant is making plans to open up its second medtech-focused subsidiary in the U.S., a move that it’s hoping will in turn bolster its position within the global medical device industry.

AstraZeneca forges deeper into cell therapies with $200M takeover of solid tumor TCR biotech

AstraZeneca is stepping up its pitch for a slice of the cell therapy space, paying $200 million upfront for a solid tumor player that recently hustled an autologous, fully individualized, multispecific prospect into the clinic.

Amwell exploring $200M buyout of online therapy provider Talkspace: media report

Shares of online therapy company Talkspace jumped 40% Monday on news that telehealth provider Amwell is exploring a buyout. Reports of a possible deal come as Talkspace's shares have plummeted amid financial struggles and key executives leaving the company.

AstraZeneca sells US plant to Resilience, forging manufacturing pact in the process

AstraZeneca has locked in a sale of its site in West Chester, Ohio, to busy biomanufacturing newcomer National Resilience. In tandem with the sale, the drugmakers forged a “long-term” biomanufacturing accord under which Resilience will continue to crank out “select AstraZeneca medicines."

Bristol Myers has change of heart on cardiovascular gene therapy pact, terminating uniQure deal

Bristol Myers Squibb is breaking off its collaboration and license agreement with uniQure, calling time on a pact that was intended to deliver gene therapies against multiple cardiovascular disease targets.

Boston Scientific snatches up gastro-focused Apollo Endosurgery for $615M

Boston Scientific has laid down a deal to acquire the gastrointestinal device company Apollo Endosurgery, with a cash offer totaling about $615 million.

Providers in Direct Contracting Model saved Medicare $70M in 2021, CMS reports

The Direct Contracting Model saved Medicare $70 million in 2021 as the Biden administration plans a major overhaul to the value-based care program next year.

Roche pulls another FDA accelerated approval for cancer drug Tecentriq

A week after GSK sidelined its multiple myeloma drug Blenrep, following a confirmatory trial failure, Roche has done the same for a key indication of its blockbuster cancer drug Tecentriq. Following consultation with the FDA, Roche has withdrawn Tecentriq's use as a first-line treatment for a form of advanced bladder cancer. The move is another in a growing list of accelerated approvals that have been overturned.

BigHat, cherry-picking opportunities amid stormy market, pens pact with Merck & Co.

While other biotechs are culling staff and programs to stay afloat, BigHat Biosciences has remained dry under its ever-expanding umbrella, this time inking a multiproject deal with Merck & Co. while growing its team 30% since the summer.

Philips unveils AI-powered platform to improve diagnoses from imaging scans

The latest version of Philips’ diagnostic imaging platform adds a handful of artificial-intelligence-powered programs that aim to hugely cut down on the time and effort it takes to turn a preliminary scan into a solid diagnosis.

Google Health strikes deal with iCAD to commercialize mammography AI

Google Health struck a deal with medical technology company iCAD to integrate its artificial intelligence technology into the company's breast imaging solutions.

Even after Supreme Court snub, Bristol Myers pleads for rehearing in bid to revive $1.2B award

After Amgen's recent advance in its patent feud with Regeneron and Sanofi, Bristol Myers Squibb is turning to the Supreme Court—yet again—in a bid to revive a blockbuster verdict.

Full-Life wants more, acquires New Jersey biotech in efforts to dominate radiopharmaceutical R&D

In efforts to dominate radiopharmaceutical R&D, Full-Life Technologies is set to acquire New Jersey biotech Focus-X Therapeutics for a price tag that could max out at $245 million.
 
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'Podnosis': How public-private employer coalitions can force innovation, and how to fix the healthcare system

This week on "Podnosis," we discuss the challenges companies face in trying to provide healthcare coverage for their workers. We also talk about how to fix the broken healthcare system.
 

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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.
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Scale-Up Strategies for Late-Stage Cell Therapies

Strategies to help scale-up for commercial manufacturing are critical to getting cell and gene therapies to patients as more advanced therapies reach late-stage clinical studies and regulatory decisions.

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