Follow along as BioSpace tracks job cuts and restructuring initiatives throughout 2025.
The panelists flagged safety concerns with Blenrep and GSK’s failure to optimize its dosing regimen for the antibody-drug conjugate in multiple myeloma.
In advance of CMS’ negotiated price for the blood thinner taking effect next year, partners Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer pitched the direct-to-consumer program as a way to allow uninsured, underinsured and self-pay patients to pay less out of pocket.
Sarepta Therapeutics appears to have right-sized itself after laying off over a third of its staff, announcing a significant pipeline shift and adding a black box warning to its Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys.
In this episode presented by IQVIA, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the evolving role of local qualified persons for pharmacovigilance with Ana Pedro Jesuíno, global head local QPPV network at IQVIA.
In its Q2 earnings call Thursday, Novartis said it is moving quickly to reshore its drug manufacturing operations, but CEO Vas Narasimhan told reporters that for most medicines, it typically takes three to four years to completely relocate production.
FEATURED STORIES
Participants in trials of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics’ NurOwn filed a Citizens’ Petition with the FDA earlier this month seeking a new review of the stem cell therapy that was rejected in 2022 based on real-world data and 90% survival in an expanded access program.
From Wall Street to real estate to a “big, ugly” pharma building, Mayo Venture Partner Audrey Greenberg reflects on a career defined by taking a leap at just the right moment.
Some of the most high-profile acquisitions in recent years have involved women-fronted biotechs. BioSpace reviews five of the most notable here.
Seven biotech unicorns are advancing AI-powered drug discovery and development—but must contend with a difficult investing environment where competition is steep and the usual roads to exit are uncertain.
More than thirty years since its 1993 founding, Catherine Owen Adams and Elizabeth Thompson—the R&D combo that has led Acadia since last year—are managing two products on the market and a pipeline estimated to be worth an additional $12 billion in sales.
New data and analyses presented at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting highlight the priorities for the next generation of weight loss medicines: muscle preservation, limited side effects and novel targets.
FROM BIOSPACE INSIGHTS
The life sciences job market continues to shift. BioSpace’s Q2 2025 U.S. Life Sciences Job Market Report is now available, offering exclusive insights into the latest hiring trends, layoffs, and workforce dynamics across the life sciences industry.
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode presented by IQVIA, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses the evolving role of local qualified persons for pharmacovigilance with Ana Pedro Jesuíno, global head local QPPV network at IQVIA.
Around 3,500 FDA employees received termination emails; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary suggests lowering industry user fees and tying review times to drug prices; the regulator opens its trove of complete response letters in the name of transparency; and two companies receive rejections for rare disease therapies.
In this bonus episode, BioSpace’s Vice President of Marketing Chantal Dresner and Careers Editor Angela Gabriel take a look at Q2 job market performance, layoffs and wider employment trends and policies impacting the biopharma workforce.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
BioSpace did a deep dive into executive pay, examining the highest compensation packages, pay ratios and golden parachutes—what a CEO would get paid to leave.
A new generation of checkpoint inhibitors is emerging, with some showing more promise than others. From recent TIGIT failures to high-potential targets like VEGF, BioSpace explores what’s on the horizon in immuno-oncology.
Peter Marks, the venerable head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has been forced out. In this special edition of BioPharm Executive, BioSpace takes a deep dive into the instability of the HHS.
DEALS
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The deal, which involves a $700 million upfront payment, gives AbbVie access to ISB 2001, a clinical-stage first-in-class trispecific antibody currently being tested for certain kinds of multiple myeloma as well as autoimmune indications. -
The deal gives AstraZeneca’s rare disease unit Alexion access to specialized capsids developed by the Japanese biotech JCR Pharmaceuticals for use in up to five of Alexion’s gene therapies. -
In the second biggest acquisition of the year, Merck gains the commercial COPD drug Ohtuvayre, which could help offset the loss of revenue when Keytruda’s patent expires later this decade. -
Analysts said the deal with Novo was likely giving Hims “‘credibility’ or increased consumer traffic,” adding that the “litigation risk is back on the table” now that the Danish pharma has stepped away. -
The deal marks an end for CAR T company Cargo Therapeutics, which has been slashing its workforce and cutting programs since the January decision to halt its lead candidate for a certain type of aggressive large B cell lymphoma.
WEIGHT LOSS
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Around 3,500 FDA employees received termination emails; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary suggests lowering industry user fees and tying review times to drug prices; the regulator opens its trove of complete response letters in the name of transparency; and two companies receive rejections for rare disease therapies. -
The molecule, developed in collaboration with Massachusetts-based Kailera Therapeutics, is headed for a new drug application in China and global clinical trials. -
H2 2025 catalysts to watch, biopharma implications of President Trump’s tax law, KalVista’s new hereditary angioedema drug that Marty Makary reportedly tried to reject, another lawsuit aimed at Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a plea from patients with ALS for access to BrainStorm’s NurOwn.
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After a season of regulatory upheaval, obesity and rare genetic diseases will likely remain major themes for biopharma in 2025, according to Jefferies. -
With PN-477, Protagonist is directly going up against Eli Lilly, which is advancing retatrutide, also a triple-G agonist, in a Phase II trial.
POLICY
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Thousands of employees across HHS were terminated Monday evening after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that the Trump administration could move forward with its sweeping reorganization of the agency. -
According to Makary, reducing user fees—which make up just under half of the FDA’s budget—could make it easier for smaller companies, individual investors and academics to participate in the process. -
Despite the FDA commissioner’s promises of partnership and collaboration, personnel changes and continued federal cuts create uncertainty for an industry already struggling with nearly half a decade of investment scarcity.
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A journey through the FDA’s newly released complete response letters gave glimpses into the journeys to market for Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s antibody Kisunla, Sarepta’s DMD gene therapy Vyondys 53 and Gilead’s HIV drug Sunlenca. -
The trove of more than 200 letters is part of a pledge of transparency from the agency, with the intention to increase public insight into the reasons new drug and biologics applications got rejected.
Tapping into the hidden job market can be challenging but is important in today’s employer-driven market. Three talent acquisition experts share tips for accessing hard-to-find roles.
In the latest installment of his column, Kaye/Bassman’s Michael Pietrack shares five ways leaders can help their teams after a layoff, from acknowledging emotions to reestablishing culture.
Looking for a new opportunity in New Jersey? These nine companies have open roles that could be a great fit for you.
Whether you’re moving on or being moved out, how you leave can shape your reputation more than how you led.
Year-over-year BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the first quarter of 2025.
Learn how to extract the full value from executive coaching, starting with being open and honest with your coach.
HOTBEDS
REPORTS
In this Employment Outlook report, BioSpace explores current workforce sentiment, job activity trends and the prospective job and hiring outlook for 2025, particularly as it compares to the previous year.
BioSpace’s third report on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in life sciences examines dramatic shifts in attitude around diversity initiatives.
CANCER
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Johnson & Johnson’s $23.7 billion in second-quarter earnings, driven by cancer and neuroscience drugs, exceeded analyst expectations, while CEO Joaquin Duato set a target of $50 billion in oncology sales by 2030. -
In advance of this week’s adcomm, the FDA flags ocular toxicities associated with the antibody-drug conjugate, which received accelerated approval in August 2020 but was pulled from the market two years later after a confirmatory trial failed to improve progression-free survival. -
Shanghai-based LaNova Medicines—which has captured the attention of some of the biggest Western pharmas—will be folded into fellow Chinese company Sino Biopharmaceutical in a deal worth up to $951 million. -
Only with the adoption of digital imaging and AI-powered analysis will next-generation precision oncology therapies reach their full potential and ensure no eligible patient is overlooked. -
In this episode presented by Eclipsebio, BioSpace’s head of insights Lori Ellis discusses mRNA and srRNA with Andy Geall of Replicate Bioscience and Alliance for mRNA Medicines, and Pad Chivukula of Arcturus Therapeutics.
NEUROSCIENCE
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FDA reviewers flag “discordant results” in a briefing document published ahead of Friday’s advisory committee meeting for the partners’ application for the antipsychotic in post-traumatic stress disorder. -
The development saga for the depression molecule has been rocky for years, unable to ease symptoms in multiple late-stage trials. -
Market reaction to recent readouts from Compass Pathways and Beckley Psytech/atai in treatment-resistant depression speaks to the hurdles psychedelic therapies must clear to quell concerns about commercial viability. -
The FDA will allow a new dosing schedule for Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla that could lessen a known side effect of the monoclonal antibody drug class that has led to several deaths. -
Armed with the latest biological knowledge and cutting-edge computational techniques—and, of course, investor dollars—these six biotechs are playing in the largely underappreciated longevity space, developing therapies that may improve the quality of aging.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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Following the death of two teenage patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy following Elevidys treatment, Sarepta Therapeutics adds a black box warning to the gene therapy for acute liver injury and failure and parts with more than a third of employees. -
The FDA cited manufacturing issues but did not flag problems with Ultragenyx’s data package for UX111, with the biotech noting that the regulator found its neurodevelopmental findings for the gene therapy to be “robust.” -
The high court sides with HHS on HIV PrEP drugs; Health Secretary RFK Jr.’s newly appointed CDC vaccine advisors discuss thimerosal in flu vaccines, skip vote on Moderna’s mRNA-based RSV vaccine; FDA removes CAR T guardrails; AbbVie snaps up Capstan for $1.2B to end first half; and psychedelics take off again with data from Compass and Beckley.
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Cell and gene therapy leaders say the agency’s decision to remove the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies that had been attached to approved CAR T cancer therapies reflects “thoughtful consideration of real-world evidence” and “regulatory trust.” -
The pivotal trial for Neurogene’s Rett syndrome gene therapy makes use of baseline controls and a rigorous endpoint that could help ensure a broader label for the drug product, if approved, according to analysts.
