Fierce Biotech's top 10 editor's picks for 2021
To view this email as a web page, click here

Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Pfizer reports patient death in early-stage Duchenne gene therapy trial, halts enrollment

Pfizer reported the death of a young male patient who was participating in an an early-stage trial for the Big Pharma’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy. The company paused screening and dosing in the study while it works with the trial site investigator to figure out what happened.

read more

Top Stories

Sanofi gambles $1B upfront on preclinical oncology biotech, bagging Amunix for its pipeline of T-cell engagers

Sanofi is betting $1 billion on a preclinical pipeline of anti-cancer T-cell engagers. The upfront outlay, plus up to $225 million in milestones, is set to give Sanofi ownership of West Coast immuno-oncology player Amunix Pharmaceuticals.

read more

Fierce Biotech's top 10 editor's picks for 2021

Senior Editor Annalee Armstrong recaps her top 10 best stories of the year produced by the Fierce Biotech team.

read more

The Alzheimer's debate may not seem positive, but AC Immune's CEO promises it's been a breakthrough year

After showing for the first time the potential of an anti-tau therapy in Alzheimer’s disease, Roche-partnered AC Immune is capitalizing on the massive moment underway in research for the neurodegenerative disease.

read more

Lilly's atopic dermatitis med scores another late-stage win in attempt to outdo Dupixent

Watch out, Sanofi and Regeneron. Eli Lilly’s Dupixent rival has posted another round of data showing improvement in atopic dermatitis when combined with topical corticosteroids in a phase 3 trial.

read more

PhaseBio blames COVID-19 disruption as cardiovascular study axed

PhaseBio is blaming the impact of COVID-19 on manufacturing for the decision to end development of a mid-stage cardiovascular disease treatment.

read more

Abandoned by Amgen, Cy­to­ki­net­ics lands $50M upfront deal for Chinese rights to heart failure prospect

Cy­to­ki­net­ics has found another company that still sees a future for its heart failure prospect omecamtiv mecarbil. After losing partnerships with Amgen and Servier in quick succession, Cy­to­ki­net­ics has sold the Chinese rights to the candidate to Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals.

read more

No data, no problem. Senti will go public in $296M SPAC deal before hitting the clinic

Senti Biosciences is hopping on the SPAC track with a deal that will provide $296 million in proceeds for the preclinical biotech to move its gene circuit engineered cell and gene therapies toward human trials.

read more

Aptose finally ditches APTO-253 after 3-year clinical hold, phase 1 dud

The writing was perhaps on the wall for this one back in 2018: Aptose Biosciences has decided to end clinical development of the c-Myc inhibitor APTO-253, a therapy that was the subject of a three-year FDA clinical hold.

read more

Takeda-backed Ambys tops out series A with $47M more to test liver cell therapy in 2023

Ambys Medicines wants to go after diseases impacting the liver, a key regenerative organ, with cell therapies. The Takeda-partnered biotech snagged $47 million from the Japanese Pharma and venture shops to test its asset in human trials in 2023.

read more

Acadia slims Nuplazid label expansion bid in hopes of clinching Alzheimer's dementia nod without extra studies

After suffering a surprise rejection from the FDA in April, Acadia Pharmaceuticals is making another bid to expand the scope of its Parkinson’s disease med Nuplazid—and it hopes to do so without running additional trials.

read more

Goldman Sachs forecasts positive outlook for insurers in 2022, buoyed by shift to value-based care

Global investment bank Goldman Sachs projects that the pursuit of value-based care could potentially bring significant payoff for big insurers in 2022. For the next two years, analysts Nathan Rich and Lindsay Golub estimate a potential 13% annual earnings per share growth for large-cap managed care organizations, more than double the firm’s 6% projection for S&P EPS growth, according to a recent report.

read more

Resources

Research: How Buffer Prep Services Alleviate Sudden Spikes in Campaign Volume

Learn how a CDMO partnered with Thermo Fisher Scientific to manage high-volume process liquid and buffer preparation scale-up. Download the free case study from Thermo Fisher Scientific

Whitepaper: Tailored, Dedicated Support Expedites COVID-19 Vaccine Trial

Sites receiving augmentation support enroll more than 30,000 patients in just over three months. See how additional site resources can make a difference.

Whitepaper: Patients Want Choice Offered through Hybrid Clinical Trials

New survey results and insights help clinical trial sponsors improve diversity and inclusion, enroll faster, and keep participants engaged longer.

Whitepaper: Healthcare Technical Due Diligence: Assessing a New Cancer Treatment

A major Korean biopharmaceutical company wanted to gather unbiased opinions on a new cancer treatment product. Fill out our form to learn more.

Whitepaper: Demand Planning for New Drug/Device Combination

Download now to learn how GLG helped a biotech company plan for the demand of a new drug/device combination by commissioning a forecasting study.

Whitepaper: QC for ex vivo manipulated cell lines and tissues

A variety of genetic analysis methods are valuable in ensuring that ex vivo human cells to be used for cell-based therapies are correctly identified, have the correct characteristics, and are free of contaminants.

Whitepaper: Modernizing Key Clinical Trial Processes with Artificial Intelligence

This whitepaper addresses where AI can make the biggest impact in clinical trials. The stakes are too high for patients to leave decision-making to machines, but AI can lend administrative support that empowers staff and medical experts alike to carry out their jobs more effectively.

Whitepaper: Medable was able to cut costs in multiple clinical trials by over US$25,000,000

Find out how to improve clinical protocol adherence, and thus patient outcomes, by 15%+ with Medable’s latest White Paper.

Webinar: Using Next Best to Elevate your Omnichannel Marketing Strategy

Learn how to elevate your omnichannel marketing strategy with Next Best - a combination of data and analytics, deployed to facilitate decision making.

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: 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: Enhance the cost-effectiveness of your cGMP chemical supply chain

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

eBook: Get solutions to market faster

Read Get to Know Cloud Content Management for Life Sciences and learn how to eliminate silos across all workflows, from R&D to commercialization.

Events