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Jef Akst

Jef Akst

Managing Editor

Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) is an award-winning journalist and editor specializing in the life sciences and biopharma. In 2026, she was awarded the Marianne Dekker Mattera Mentor Award for exceptional mentorship in B2B journalism.

Jef joined BioSpace as managing editor in early 2023 with a mission to grow the news desk with quality journalism serving the biopharma industry. Stories published the following year, as well BioSpace‘s new website, took home 2025 AZBEE accolades—the brand’s first journalism awards. In 2026, BioSpace was named winner of a prestigious Jesse H. Neal Award for the Best Government, Legislative and Regulatory Coverage and took home National and Regional Golds for Industry News Coverage in the 2026 Azbee Awards of Excellence. Additionally, the BioSpace team was named as a Neal Award finalist for Best Industry Coverage and Best Commentary.

Jef earned her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses and spent the first 13-plus years of her career at The Scientist, where she edited features and oversaw the production of the publication’s digital and print magazines. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.

Jef lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with her husband, two young kids, wild coonhound and aging cat. Her hobbies including hiking, camping, and shooting pool. You can reach her at jef.akst@biospace.com.

FDA
Capricor’s DMD therapy still alive, Merck/Moderna’s cancer vax shines, FDA’s future revealed
FDA extends its review of Capricor Therapeutics’ Duchenne muscular dystrophy cell therapy as an unhappy shareholder advocates for change; Merck and Moderna tout positive data for their mRNA-based cancer vaccine; Trump nominates White House aide Heidi Overton as FDA commissioner; and the oral obesity market heats up with rivals Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk going head-to-head.
August 26, 2026
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2 min read
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Jef Akst
Hand Marking Calendar Reminder Illustration. A professional hand uses a pen to circle a date on a red and white calendar, representing schedule planning and important reminders
FDA
Capricor’s Duchenne therapy has new life after FDA grants 3-month extension
The FDA has granted a three-month extension for Capricor Therapeutics’ Duchenne muscular dystrophy hopeful deramiocel in order to review additional data and consider a refined indication. The new target action date for the therapy is November 22.
August 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
FDA
Amylyx’s redemption story, Summit’s survival woes, Definium’s anxiety win, more
Amylyx shares good news for its investigational GLP-1 blocker; Definium announces positive data for its LSD-based therapy in anxiety; Summit/Akeso’s ivonescimab shows degrading survival benefits; patients treated with Neurocrine’s Prader-Willi drug experience serious adverse events; and Eli Lilly cracks down on the black market for next-gen obesity asset retatrutide.
August 19, 2026
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2 min read
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Jef Akst
FDA
Replimune finally wins approval, Q2 earnings wrap up, psychedelics stay in spotlight
After two rejections, Replimune has made it across the regulatory finish line with its advanced melanoma therapy. Meanwhile, the last of the major pharmas, including Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, reported second quarter earnings, and psychedelics made headlines once again.
August 12, 2026
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1 min read
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Jef Akst
FDA
Rumors of biggest pharma merger ever drop amid Q2 earnings, contentious FDA adcomms
The industry has been abuzz since the weekend when talks of a potential mega-merger between Bristol Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca were reported. Meanwhile, Pfizer, Merck and others release second quarter earnings, with some disclosing pipeline discontinuations and cost-cutting measures. Finally, all eyes turn to the FDA in the wake of heated advisory committee meetings for Capricor Therapeutics and Replimune.
August 5, 2026
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1 min read
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Jef Akst
Creative concept of leadership and innovation with a glowing blue light bulb leading paper planes. Symbol of advanced technology, AI-driven strategy, and visionary direction in a digital future.
FDA
Biotech leaders call for streamlining of INDs as FDA’s TrialBlazer rolls out
The FDA’s new investigational new drug pilot program—one part of HHS’s broader clinical trial modernization initiatives—has lofty goals to expedite first-in-human trials of novel drugs, but experts say it won’t tip the scales much on its own.
August 3, 2026
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9 min read
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Jef Akst
Podcast
Q2 earnings underway, FDA’s CRL kerfuffle, IPOs full speed ahead in H2
Second quarter earnings continue to roll with Novartis and Roche reporting this week; Eli Lilly’s AtaiBeckley buy for up to $3.8 billion offers clear “validation” for the fledgling psychedelics space; more drama unfolds at FDA as the agency goes back and forth on its policy of publishing complete response letters in real-time; and IPO fever continues.
July 22, 2026
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1 min read
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Jef Akst
Podcast
Biogen validates anti-tau approach at AAIC, psychedelics full speed ahead, ATTR-CM shakeup
Biogen’s new data, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, supports a tau-focused approach to the intractable neurodegenerative disease; psychedelics are back in the news with more positive data from Compass Pathways and final guidance from the FDA; and the ATTR-CM space got a major shakeup with the late-stage failure of AstraZeneca and Ionis’ antisense therapeutic.
July 15, 2026
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1 min read
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Jef Akst
Job Trends
Bonus: Q2 2026 Job Market Update
In this bonus episode, BioSpace Managing Editor Jef Akst and Angela Gabriel, content manager, life sciences careers, look at the Q2 job market and discuss encouraging signs for job seekers.
July 14, 2026
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1 min read
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Angela Gabriel
Podcast
Vertex carries M&A uptick into H2, IPOs and VC raises also grow, FDA on pace despite turmoil
A surprising deal from Vertex Pharmaceuticals adds to Big Pharma’s acquisitive streak as Crinetics folds into the cystic fibrosis drugmaker. Meanwhile, IPOs and venture capital raises trend upward, but mostly for derisked companies. Plus, FDA decisions slow only slightly as the hunt for a permanent leader drags on.
July 8, 2026
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1 min read
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Jef Akst
Editorial
Biotech’s China problem: An issue of national security or economic value for the US?
Congressional letters sent to the CEOs of Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Merck, BMS and AbbVie this week voicing concerns about the pharmas’ clinical trials in China highlight an ongoing discrepancy in how government and industry think about the rise of the Asian country’s biotech industry.
July 2, 2026
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6 min read
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Jef Akst
Podcast
Sentiment at BIO soars as FDA resets, dealmaking evolves; Amgen’s Tavneos in hot water
The vibe at BIO 2026 in San Diego last week was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees observing noticeable changes at the FDA and an uptick in dealmaking and IPOs. Plus, a top medical journal this week retracted a pivotal study for Amgen’s rare disease drug Tavneos, which has been in the FDA’s crosshairs since January.
July 1, 2026
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2 min read
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Jef Akst
Plan to buying new house or renovation, mortgage loan or housing expense, property maintenance or real estate insurance concept, smart businessman put jigsaw to complete or finishing house puzzle.
FDA
BIO 2026: FDA’s IND initiative is a step toward normalization after slipshod year
Policymaking at FDA has been anything but business as usual under the Trump administration, but former regulators cite the agency’s new investigational new drug pilot program as a sign of normalcy.
June 25, 2026
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3 min read
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Jef Akst
From left to right: Lowell Zeta, acting chief of staff and deputy commissioner; Karim Mikhail, acting CBER director; Michael Davis, acting CDER director; John Crowley, president and CEO of BIO
Policy
FDA hiring 2,200 people to staff up after last year’s DOGE cuts
The FDA has so far secured 600 new hires and is looking for 1,600 more as interim leadership at the agency aims to rebuild the workforce and morale after more than a year of intense attrition.
June 24, 2026
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3 min read
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Jef Akst
Podcast
AbbVie keeps M&A rolling, FDA’s reversal train chugs along, BIO 2026 dispatch, more
AbbVie scooped up immunology player Apogee Therapeutics for nearly $11 billion in one of the year’s top deals to-date, while Sanofi made a big play to survive its upcoming Dupixent patent cliff; FDA uncertainty continues as the agency changes direction on gene therapies by uniQure and REGENXBIO; and Jef Akst and Annalee Armstrong report back from San Diego.
June 24, 2026
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1 min read
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Jef Akst