During this webinar BioSpace sits down with former FDA Chief Information Officer Vid Desai to discuss the potential advantages and pitfalls of deregulation stemming from one of President Donald Trump’s first executive orders. Together, they uncover what this shift means for drugmakers, compliance and patient safety.
Follow along as BioSpace tracks job cuts and restructuring initiatives.
In this episode presented by PII, BioSpace’s head of insights discusses decentralized clinical studies and how connected technology can improve patient compliance with guests Oliver Eden and Travis Webb.
Due largely to CSL, Merck and Novo Nordisk’s reorganizations that could total about 19,350 people, Q3 cuts rose significantly year over year and quarter over quarter, based on BioSpace tallies.
This webinar, tailored for scientists in academia, biotech, and pharma, explores how intelligent mRNA designs can reduce experimental workloads and improve mRNA performance and efficacy.
Novo Nordisk strikes another deal, this time with Omeros, amid a broader pipeline restructuring that recently claimed its cell therapy work.
FEATURED STORIES
Despite announcing a broad pivot to siRNA earlier this year, Sarepta is following through with an investigational gene therapy: its limb-girdle muscular dystrophy candidate. But the treatment’s path forward, analysts say, is highly uncertain.
While the benefits of AI are clear, the amount data sets needed for effective AI integration is proving to be a challenge. This is particularly true for cell therapy companies as they are eagerly seeking ways to reduce development costs. Two experts at Charles River Laboratories provide insights by giving their takeaways from their own AI integrations.
The market outlook is full of uncertainty and pitfalls. Experts weigh in on how to mitigate risks.
Sheila Gujrathi, former CEO of Gossamer Bio, has written a new book that aims to offer the type of leadership manual she never had in her early career.
The startup, launched out of CEO Kevin Parker’s grad school idyll during the COVID lockdowns, is primed to find new targets where Big Pharmas won’t dare.
J&J reports today, just two weeks after Pfizer secured certainty on tariffs and drug pricing. Analysts expect to hear about plans from the rest of the industry during third period earnings calls.
LATEST PODCASTS
In this episode presented by PII, BioSpace’s head of insights discusses decentralized clinical studies and how connected technology can improve patient compliance with guests Oliver Eden and Travis Webb.
Johnson & Johnson has yet to make a drug pricing deal with Trump; Novo makes more moves under new CEO; more than 1,000 laid off from CDC, though many immediately hired back; the BIOSECURE Act is back and more.
In this bonus episode, BioSpace’s Vice President of Marketing Chantal Dresner and Careers Editor Angela Gabriel take a look at Q3 job market performance, layoffs and wider employment trends and policies impacting the biopharma workforce.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS
In this deep dive, BioSpace explores the next big thing in obesity.
BioSpace did a deep dive into biopharma female executives who navigated difficult markets to lead their companies to high-value exits.
BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the second quarter of 2025, with increased pressure from further layoffs.
DEALS
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Bristol Myers Squibb and insitro first partnered in 2020 to develop induced pluripotent stem cell models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Last December, BMS exercised its option for an ALS target. -
The acquisition will give BioCryst an investigational injectable drug for hereditary angioedema, potentially complementing its FDA-approved oral drug Orladeyo. -
AviadoBio will have the option to exclusively license UGX-202, a vision-restoring gene therapy for the rare eye condition retinitis pigmentosa. -
Novo will add Akero’s efruxifermin to its MASH portfolio, which includes Wegovy after the GLP-1 gained an FDA nod in the indication earlier this year. -
The centerpiece of the deal is orelabrutinib, a BTK inhibitor in late-stage development for multiple sclerosis that Biogen once paid $125 million for but abandoned after less than two years of testing.
WEIGHT LOSS
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After beating Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide last month, Lilly’s much anticipated oral candidate orforglipron has taken down AstraZeneca’s Farxiga in a head-to-head trial. -
Kailera’s lead asset, KAI-9531, elicited an average weight loss of more than 17% in a Phase III study in China. The biotech expects to launch a global late-stage program for the drug this year. -
The U.S. government remains shut down, with the FDA closed for new drug applications until further notice; cell and gene therapy leaders gather for the annual meeting in Phoenix with the field in a state of flux; Pfizer and Amgen will make drugs available at a discount as President Donald Trump’s tariffs still loom; and new regulatory documents show how Pfizer beat out the competition for Metsera. -
Skye Bioscience’s nimacimab fell short of investor and company expectations, but showed encouraging weight-loss results when combined with Wegovy, according to analysts at William Blair. -
M&A headlined for a second straight week as Genmab acquired Merus for $8 billion; Pfizer strikes most-favored-nation deal with White House; CDER Director George Tidmarsh caused a stir with a now-deleted LinkedIn post; GSK CEO Emma Walmsley will step down from her role; and uniQure’s gene therapy offers new hope for patients with Huntington’s disease.
POLICY
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The last few months have been tumultuous for the CDC, which has seen the ouster of Director Susan Monarez and all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. -
A new version of the controversial bill removes the specific company names that were included in a previous iteration but still requires the industry to ditch Chinese biotech contractors in order to receive federal dollars. -
The British proposal to increase support for pharma is “clearly positive,” according to analysts at Leerink, who noted that the NHS’ move will improve patient access to treatments. -
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was scheduled to convene Oct. 22 to 23, but this meeting has been postponed, with no new date specified. The delay comes as the VA published new research showing that COVID-19 shots prevented hospitalizations and death.
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The $48 million award, granted through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, will help Kernal take its in vivo mRNA-encoded CAR T therapy forward.
Looking for a biopharma job? Check out the BioSpace list of 12 top companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
Transparency doesn’t drive people away. It attracts the right ones and keeps them committed. Leadership coach Angela Justice discusses the problem with leaders only selling the upside and the value of setting accurate expectations from the start.
Media coverage can help biopharma executives connect with, inform and inspire the public. In this column, Kaye/Bassman’s Michael Pietrack and three communications experts share how to make the most of these opportunities.
What if loyalty is holding you back? While it’s a sign of character, consistency and belief in a mission bigger than yourself, it can also keep you stuck in a job when you should be moving on.
It’s easy to get caught up in defending yourself against critique that feels unfair. Leadership coach Angela Justice recommends a different approach that can help you better align how you want to be seen with how you’re showing up.
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.
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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2025 has been a busy year for Boehringer Ingelheim, which has so far inked at least five hefty partnerships—including its latest one with South Korea’s AimedBio for an antibody-drug conjugate therapy for cancer. -
The business separation, expected to be completed by the end of 2026, will result in two new companies, one focused on biopharma operations and the other on royalty management. -
The centerpiece of the acquisition is petosemtamab, Merus’ bispecific antibody targeting EGFR and LGR5, which in May demonstrated best-in-class potential for head-and-neck cancer. -
The FDA in September issued two rejections for spinal muscular atrophy therapies—both linked to manufacturing problems—and granted approvals in Barth syndrome and for a subcutaneous version of Merck’s Keytruda that could be key to the blockbuster’s future earnings. -
From more than 30 target action dates in the last three months of the year, BioSpace has narrowed the list to six regulatory decisions that could have far-reaching implications for biopharma and patients.
NEUROSCIENCE
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Elecsys’ approval could help boost the uptake of currently approved Alzheimer’s disease therapies, including Biogen’s Eisai-partnered Leqembi, with CEO Chris Viehbacher recently noting that such biomarker-based tests could “remove some of the bottlenecks” in uptake. -
MapLight laid out the terms of its planned IPO in a regulatory filing on Monday, providing greater detail about what the funds will be used for. -
The hold was placed earlier this year when the FDA asked for more preclinical data, but the agency was slow to respond due to ‘strain’ on its capacity, according to Neurizon. -
While Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors are often hailed as the next big breakthrough in multiple sclerosis, Immunic Therapeutics and others are leveraging neuroprotective targets and remyelination to keep the disease at bay. -
Acadia Pharmaceuticals was testing the drug, an intranasal formulation of the oxytocin analogue carbetocin, for its potential to ease hyperphagia in the rare neurological condition.
CELL AND GENE THERAPY
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After the FDA revoked Sarepta Therapeutics’ platform designation in July, Krystal Biotech is “poised to be the first major beneficiary” of this program, according to analysts at William Blair. -
Johnson & Johnson has yet to make a drug pricing deal with Trump; Novo makes more moves under new CEO; more than 1,000 laid off from CDC, though many immediately hired back; the BIOSECURE Act is back and more.
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Novo had around 250 employees working on cell therapies, all of whom will be laid off, though a spokesperson declined to reveal which offices and locations will be affected. -
Investor reaction to the deal was muted, with BMO Capital Markets analysts saying they “continue to look for more” from Bristol Myers Squibb before they can “get excited about the near term turnaround story.” -
Takeda wanted to create something new in the cell therapy world by combining the technology with T cell engagers. A series of acquisitions in 2021 started the process.
