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Heather McKenzie

Heather McKenzie

Senior Editor

Heather McKenzie is a professional journalist with more than five years experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Since joining BioSpace, she has written more than 200 features and breaking news articles with a particular focus in neuroscience and gene therapy. She has also traveled internationally to cover global biotech hubs such as Israel. In previous roles, she has covered current affairs, sports, education and politics. She previously spent eight years as a senior content producer for executive-level business conferences in the pharma/biotech, legal, energy and business strategy sectors. In her free time, Heather enjoys creative writing, spending time with family and playing with her energetic Russian Blue cat Roofus. She hails from Toronto and has also lived in Chicago and Chesapeake, Virginia. You can reach her at heather.mckenzie@biospace.com.

Daniel and Kaori Barvin sharing their story of lay leadership at the Seattle Jewish Federation's Fall Fundraiser.
ALS
Coya Exec Daniel Barvin Is on a Mission To End Genetic ALS and FTD
The BioSpace 40 Under 40 winner opens up about his very personal career transformation from wealth management to biotech—and what it’s like to develop a drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia as a potential patient himself.
October 27, 2025
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
The journey forward, the successful forward progress and advancement of a business or profession, the achievement of success or the attainment of a goal, a group of businessmen running forward with arrows in their hands
Huntington’s disease
4 Huntington’s Therapies Chasing UniQure
Last month, “historic positive results” from uniQure’s gene therapy snapped the Huntington’s community out of years of failure. As the biotech prepares to submit for FDA approval, BioSpace looks at four more candidates on the near horizon.
October 27, 2025
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Brain , concept idea art of thinking, surreal portrait painting, conceptual artwork, 3d illustration
Huntington’s disease
UniQure’s Huntington’s Breakthrough Brings Hope to Patients but Experts Urge Caution
Pivotal results from uniQure’s gene therapy for Huntington’s disease have brought new light to patients who have known only disappointment in recent years—but one expert worries that communication of the results is creating “false expectations.”
October 27, 2025
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Marburg, Germany - July 6, 2013: Marburg Office of Swiss multinational company Novartis AG
M&A
Novartis To ‘Bolster’ Neuromuscular Pipeline With $12B Avidity Acquisition
The deal, announced early Sunday afternoon, will see Novartis gain access to Avidity’s neuroscience assets, while the San Diego biotech spins out a new company to shepherd its early-stage precision cardiology programs.
October 26, 2025
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: Eli Lilly's headquarters in Indianapolis
Deals
Lilly Dives Deeper Into Gene Therapy With up to $262M Adverum Buy
The cornerstone of the deal is Ixo-vec, an intravitreal gene therapy currently in Phase III development for wet age-related macular degeneration. Eli Lilly made another foray into genetic medicine in June, picking up Verve Therapeutics for up to $1.3 billion.
October 24, 2025
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Podcast
Novo Board Upended, ESMO Excitement, FDA Awards, Replimune’s U-Turn
Novo Nordisk’s leadership gets another shake-up as President Trump promises to significantly slash prices for its GLP-1 drugs; Summit/Akeso, Exelixis and more present new data at ESMO 2025; Replimune pops as FDA accepts resubmitted BLA; FDA names first winners of Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program; and more.
October 22, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
The white plane flies against the blue sky, leaving a white trail. Vector illustration
FDA
Replimune Soars Upon FDA Resubmission for Advanced Melanoma Drug
Last month, investors’ hopes were dashed as Replimune suggested alignment had not yet been reached with the FDA on RP1’s future. Now, the regulator has accepted a refiled application after all.
October 20, 2025
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
business symbol for teamwork as abstract symbol
FDA
FDA’s Lost Leaders: Where Are They Now?
After a chaotic year that has seen the attrition of over half the FDA’s senior leadership, many of these individuals have landed new roles—at Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Iovance and more. The FDA’s loss, it seems, is largely the pharmaceutical industry’s gain.
October 20, 2025
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8 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Podcast
Q3 Earnings Are Here, Novo Ditches Cell Therapy but Buys Akero, Gov’t Shutdown Hits CDC
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.
October 15, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Same goal. Two businesses on the growth graph. vector
FDA
Consistency in the Chaos: FDA Approvals Within Average Range as Q4 Kicks Off
Heading into the final quarter of a year that has seen dramatic upheaval at the FDA—from the exodus of numerous senior leaders to unclear policy changes and a safety saga that engulfed the gene therapy space—drug approvals appear roughly on par with recent years.
October 13, 2025
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4 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Podcast
Shutdown Pauses New Drug Reviews, CDC Issues New COVID Guidance, CGT Meets on Mesa
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.
October 8, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Regulatory
Marks Finds His Next Role as Lilly Snags Another Former FDA Regulator
Six months after his controversial departure from the top spot at the FDA’s biologics division, Peter Marks has landed at Eli Lilly, joining former colleague Rachael Anatol, who was ousted from the agency not long after Marks.
October 7, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: CDC signage at its headquarters in Georg
CDC
CDC Adopts ACIP Recommendations on Chickenpox, COVID-19 Vaccines
A new group of CDC advisors voted last month to separate the chickenpox vaccine from the measles, mumps, rubella components of the MMRV shot due to concerns over febrile seizures, while recommending a more risk-based approach to COVID-19 immunizations that mirrors recent FDA approvals.
October 6, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
External view of the U.S. Capitol building
Government
US Government Shuts Down, FDA Closed for New Applications
Due to policies regarding industry user fees, the FDA will not be able to accept any new drug applications for the duration of the government shutdown, according to Leerink Partners.
October 1, 2025
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4 min read
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Annalee Armstrong
Podcast
M&A Picks Up, Walmsley Moves On, Pfizer’s MFN Deal and Hope for Huntington’s
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.
October 1, 2025
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
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