Aclaris, Asher lay off staff

Today’s Big News

Dec 20, 2023

GSK heads back to Hansoh, paying $185M upfront for another ADC


Sanofi-backed Sudo scores $116M for TYK2 MS, psoriasis candidates


Aclaris lays off 46% of staff, resurrects zunsemetinib as potential cancer treatment


Asher drops 60% of staff as immunotherapy biotech zeroes in on lead candidate


Compass shows safety in first psilocybin trial for PTSD, but efficacy data still to come


Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker '23: Carmot spinoff Kimia raises $55M; Lassen fuels for fibro-inflammatory mission

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

 

Featured

GSK heads back to Hansoh, paying $185M upfront for another ADC

The antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) fever of recent months still shows no signs of abating, with GSK heading back to Hansoh Pharmaceutical to pick up another candidate for $185 million upfront.
 

Top Stories

Sanofi-backed Sudo scores $116M for TYK2 MS, psoriasis candidates

With Sanofi Ventures in tow, Sudo Biosciences has secured $116 million to advance programs in multiple sclerosis and psoriasis into the clinic.

Aclaris lays off 46% of staff, resurrects zunsemetinib as potential cancer treatment

Aclaris Therapeutics has decided to give its MK2 inhibitor zunsemetinib a second chance—unfortunately, almost half of the biotech’s workforce won’t be so lucky.

Asher drops 60% of staff as immunotherapy biotech zeroes in on lead candidate

Small immunotherapy biotech Asher Bio has reduced its workforce by 60%, sending 34 employees on their way and pivoting to focus on a single immunotherapy. Chief Operating Officer Kyle Elrod confirmed the layoffs to Fierce Biotech Tuesday afternoon.

Compass shows safety in first psilocybin trial for PTSD, but efficacy data still to come

Less than a week after the first-ever request for approval of an MDMA treatment landed on the FDA’s desk, Compass Pathways has reported phase 2 safety data from the first clinical trial of psilocybin in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker '23: Carmot spinoff Kimia raises $55M; Lassen fuels for fibro-inflammatory mission

Alongside the new year, we've launched a new Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker to keep the pulse on the industry's financing.

Clemson University unit teams up with CRO Precia to reach out to underserved rural communities

Clemson Rural Health, a unit of Clemson University’s College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, is linking up with Seattle-based CRO Precia Group to bring more clinical trials to underserved rural populations.

After Amryt buyout, Chiesi scores with FDA nod for rare skin disease treatment Filsuvez

Seven months after Krystal Biotech became the first company to gain FDA approval to treat the rare, devastating skin disease epidermolysis bullosa (EB), Chiesi Farmaceutici has followed suit. On Tuesday, the U.S. regulator gave a thumbs up to Chiesi’s Filsuvez (birch triterpenes) to treat both junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) and dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) in patients 6 months and older.

Few health plans have dedicated Alzheimer’s and dementia care management strategy: survey

Only a small fraction of health plans and value-based care organizations have a fully developed care management model for its enrollees with dementia or Alzheimer's, a new survey shows.

Submit your nominations now for Fierce Medtech's 2023 Fierce 15

We're looking for the fiercest and most innovative private medtech companies and startups from around the globe and in every healthcare area for our annual list of the Fierce 15.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

'Podnosis': Navigating the AI hype in healthcare

This week on "Podnosis," Dr. Nigam Shah, Chief Data Scientist at Stanford Health Care, shares insights into the direction of the industry and anticipated developments as AI adoption gains momentum.
 

Resources

Whitepaper

The Essential Roadmap to Drug Development for Bioanalytical Success

Download this whitepaper to discover the 3 pillars of successful PK testing and conquer bioanalytical challenges.
Whitepaper

Digital Health Innovation: From Concept to Commercialization

The road to digital health innovation is exciting but complex and requires thoughtful navigation; this whitepaper serves as your guide through this process.
Whitepaper

Quantify microbial biomarkers with high sensitivity and dynamic range

qPCR Assay Design - Quantify microbial biomarkers with high sensitivity and dynamic range
Whitepaper

Pathway to GMP Expectations for Gene-Modified Cell Therapies

Streamline your clinical cell therapy with our GMP-compliant ribonucleoprotein (RNP) manufacturing as you scale up without compromising on quality to tackle complex regulatory requirements.
Executive Summary

Transitioning from using RUO to cGMP chemicals for clinical trials

By 2030, the global demand for biologics is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.7% and the challenges, risks, and costs of bringing large molecule products to market are growing exponentially.
Whitepaper

The Potential of Predictive Algorithms for Pharma

Learn about the untapped power of AI-driven insights — where innovation meetings precision, effortlessly unlocking benefits for your organization.
Whitepaper

The Convergence of Consumer Wearables & Medical Devices

Medical devices & consumer wearables are starting to overlap, creating risks & opportunities for traditional medical device companies as well as consumer wearables manufacturers. This paper explores pros and cons from both perspectives.

Whitepaper

Fed-Batch Intensification To Increase Titer In Biologics Manufacturing

Improving efficiency and productivity in biologics manufacturing is a longstanding goal within today’s industry, especially now as new and increasingly complex molecules are fundamentally changing technological and operational approaches to drug development. Process intensification can help accelerate this pace of innovation through advanced process development techniques and high productivity manufacturing platforms.

Whitepaper

Effective Technology Transfers for Mammalian-Derived Biologics

As a leader of technology transfer activities in the industry, Lonza understands the challenges associated with this critical step. Download this White Paper today to learn more. 

eBook

An Introduction to Organ-on-a-Chip Technology

Emulate in vivo biology with next-generation in vitro technology.
 

Industry Events

 

Upcoming Fierce Events

9-10
Jan
San Francisco, CA
16-18
Jan
Virtual Event
11-12
Mar
San Francisco, CA
18-20
Mar
Savannah, GA
6-8
May
Jersey City, NJ

View all events