Biotech’s layoff wave won't let up

Today's Big News

Nov 30, 2022

Facing a familiar side effect problem, Eisai makes the case for its next Alzheimer's drug after patient deaths


Sanofi's sleeping sickness drug cures 95% of people in phase 2/3 trial, boosting plan to stop transmission


J&J unit, happy with AC Immune's progress on Alzheimer's vaccine, moves development to next step


BioNTech adds STING to oncology portfolio in €40M small molecule licensing deal with Ryvu


Fresh off layoffs, X4 scores a phase 3 win for immune deficiency disorder drug


Sana lays off 15%, trims pipeline to keep funding flowing to off-the-shelf CAR-Ts


Nimbus on cloud 9 as psoriasis data support taking rival to Bristol Myers' Sotyktu into phase 3


Enzyme engineers Codexis cut short several programs, lay off 18% of staff


Oncorus drops HSV solid tumor prospect, lays off 15% of workforce

 

Featured

Facing a familiar side effect problem, Eisai makes the case for its next Alzheimer's drug after patient deaths

Two deaths have dimmed the initial glow surrounding Eisai and Biogen’s next Alzheimer’s disease therapy lecanemab. But the Japanese company now has more answers on the risks patients may need to learn to accept to receive treatment.
 

Top Stories

Sanofi's sleeping sickness drug cures 95% of people in phase 2/3 trial, boosting plan to stop transmission

Sanofi’s oral sleeping sickness candidate acoziborole has achieved 95% efficacy in a late-phase clinical trial, delivering a boost to a global push to interrupt transmission of the parasitic disease by 2030.

J&J unit, happy with AC Immune's progress on Alzheimer's vaccine, moves development to next step

Janssen has picked a tau vaccine from its collaboration with neurodegenerative-focused biotech AC Immune to advance into further development.

Slope’s Hope Meely on the importance of a fully enabled clinical supply platform

Slope is revolutionizing the different levels of clinical trials through an all-in-one collaborative tool. Learn how Slope’s eClinical Supply Chain Management platform provides robust technology to the clinical trial space, covering all areas of supply management without losing sight of the chain of custody.

BioNTech adds STING to oncology portfolio in €40M small molecule licensing deal with Ryvu

With infectious disease and cancer vaccines in various stages of development, BioNTech has now licensed a variety of small-molecule programs from Poland’s Ryvu Therapeutics.

The future of Alzheimer’s disease research needs solutions that benefit trial patients

As leaders of clinical drug development, we owe it to trial patients to continuously innovate randomized control trial (RCT) designs that help to assuage fears of placebo by reducing the number of patients required to be enrolled in a control group — and to run faster trials that get answers sooner.

Fresh off layoffs, X4 scores a phase 3 win for immune deficiency disorder drug

Four months after laying off a chunk of its staff, X4 Pharmaceuticals has some good news to share, as the biotech’s WHIM syndrome therapy improved white blood cell counts in patients during a phase 3 trial.

Potential Modifier Gene Therapy for Degenerative Retinal Diseases

Nuclear hormone receptors are master regulators of multiple molecular pathways. When used as a modifier gene therapy they could reverse the pathological phenotypes of multiple inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs).

Sana lays off 15%, trims pipeline to keep funding flowing to off-the-shelf CAR-Ts

So-called off-the-shelf cell therapies may be one of the hotter areas of biotech right now, but that doesn’t mean these companies are immune to the wave of layoffs spreading across the sector. The latest is Sana Biotechnology.

Nimbus on cloud 9 as psoriasis data support taking rival to Bristol Myers' Sotyktu into phase 3

Nimbus Therapeutics is ramping up its pursuit of Bristol Myers Squibb’s plaque psoriasis drug Sotyktu, committing to moving a rival TYK2 inhibitor into phase 3 after hitting the primary endpoint in a midstage study.

Enzyme engineers Codexis cut short several programs, lay off 18% of staff

Enzyme engineering company Codexis has joined the crowd of biotechs culling staff and cutting programs in efforts to stay alive.

Oncorus drops HSV solid tumor prospect, lays off 15% of workforce

Less than a month ago, Oncorus was gearing up to report on a phase 1 trial of its herpes simplex virus (HSV) drug in combination with Keytruda in solid tumors. Now, the biotech has dropped the asset, sparking layoffs and leaving the future of other candidates hanging in the balance.

Argenx hands bluebird $102M for FDA speedy review voucher

Bluebird bio has sold argenx a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher for $102 million, the companies said Wednesday. Argenx says the voucher will go toward a future marketing application for its first-in-class Fc receptor blocker efgartigimod, which snagged its initial U.S. green light as Vyvgart in generalized myasthenia gravis late last year.

Amazon Web Services launches genomics-focused cloud that can store, analyze petabytes of data

Amazon Web Services unveiled a new cloud computing service this week that aims to give researchers and scientists in life sciences and healthcare a sturdier option for storing and analyzing mass amounts of individual health data.
 
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'Podnosis': Is virtual-first care here to stay, and what can be done about skyrocketing US drug prices

This week on "Podnosis," we talk about the rise of virtual care since the pandemic started and what its role will be moving forward. We also discuss some tactics to control rising drug prices in the U.S., like changing PBMs' business model and new companies like the one from billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban.
 

Resources

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

Enhance the cost-effectiveness of your chemical supply chain

Learn how to develop a high-performing supply chain for GMP-manufactured chemicals used throughout your biologics workflow. Download the free whitepaper from Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Whitepaper

Plan for scalable process liquid and buffer preparation

Preparation of critical process liquids and buffer components shifts resources away from core activities and can be filled with inefficiencies and risks that can increase time and costs across your workflow. Learn about the framework to help reduce your total costs beyond capital and operational expenditures and set a solid foundation for successful scale-up of buffer preparation.
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.

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.
Executive Summary

Scale-Up Strategies for Late-Stage Cell Therapies

Readers will learn manufacturing by Design Builds on Quality by Design, De-risking the Tech Transfer Process, and more.

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

Linear Compression vs. Parallel Processing: Speeding Biologics Through Development and Into Clinical Trials

Download this paper to learn considerations on how to move a biologic through clinical trials faster, advantages of Parallel Processing, and more.

Whitepaper

Intranasal Drug Product Development: Formulation to Manufacturing

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

Supply Services to Support Clinical Trials in Japan & Beyond

Explore Catalent’s newest clinical supply facility in Japan, including the comprehensive services & solutions it offers to help support trials both in-country & around the world.
Whitepaper

Clinical Supply Solutions for the Asia-Pacific Region

Learn how Catalent’s extensive network across APAC can meet a wide range of clinical supply needs for sponsors conducting trials within the region.
Research

A Strategy to Standardize Process Characterization & Late Phase Development

Learn more on an approach for process characterization for the production of a monoclonal antibody, which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process by targeting the right design and number of experiments.

 

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