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Nick Paul Taylor

Nick is a freelance writer who has been reporting on the global life sciences industry since 2008. With a BSc in biology, Nick writes about the science and business of biopharma and medtech for numerous healthcare publications. He can be reached at nick.paul.taylor@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.

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Manufacturing
Repligen strikes $1.5B BioLife buyout to bag cell therapy product pharmas rely on
Top-selling cell therapies from BMS, J&J and Gilead depend on a BioLife product, positioning Repligen to use the takeover to increase its exposure to the modality.
July 22, 2026
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2 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Business
Wainua flop narrows AstraZeneca’s path to $80B goal ahead of high-risk readouts
With a Phase 3 failure denting the rare disease drug’s prospects, AstraZeneca has little room for error as it plots a path toward its ambitious 2030 sales target.
July 22, 2026
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4 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Manufacturing
Samsung Biologics targets $1.8B PolyPeptide buyout to expand in obesity
With PolyPeptide manufacturing peptides such as GLP-1 medicines, Samsung Biologics has identified the deal as a way to tap into fast-growing demand for obesity drug production services.
July 21, 2026
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2 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Complete response letters
FDA’s radical transparency policy for rejections runs into legal uncertainty
Having started to publish CRLs without consulting the public, the FDA is under pressure to change course amid concerns it failed to openly and fully evaluate a complex issue.
July 20, 2026
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5 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Manufacturing
Manufacturing issues prompt FDA to reject Hengrui-Elevar filings for third time
An inspection of a facility making Elevar’s rivoceranib uncovered deficiencies, leading the FDA to reject a combination therapy that includes the drug. The rebuff is the third strike for the partners after the agency issued manufacturing-related denials for the other drug in the combo.
July 15, 2026
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1 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Manufacturing
FDA proposes streamlined requirements for ‘hub-and-spoke’ manufacturing models
Through the proposal, the FDA could clear barriers to distributed manufacturing approaches intended to enhance emergency preparedness and supply chain resilience.
July 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Regulatory
Amgen continues to defend Tavneos as global regulatory pressure mounts
Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic are pushing for the withdrawal of the rare disease treatment that accounted for just 1% of Amgen’s 2025 revenue. Nevertheless, Amgen continues to defend the medicine, which was acquired in the $3.7 billion buyout of ChemoCentryx.
July 10, 2026
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4 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Artificial intelligence
Biopharma R&D needs ‘structural redesign’ to maximize AI impact: report
Biopharma companies won’t fully capture the benefits of AI unless they reorganize their R&D units, according to McKinsey.
July 9, 2026
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2 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Manufacturing
Tanabe pens deal to sell plants to Towa in post-buyout pivot
After being bought by Bain for $3.3 billion, Tanabe has reached a deal to sell its manufacturing unit and 17 products.
July 8, 2026
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2 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Manufacturing
Amgen recalls almost 1 million bottles of heart failure drug over quality issue
The discovery of a foreign substance prompted Amgen to voluntarily recall batches of the medicine Corlanor made in Italy.
July 8, 2026
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1 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Manufacturing
Eli Lilly and Regeneron among 7 companies picked for FDA PreCheck pilot program
Teams at facilities being developed by Eli Lilly, Regeneron and other companies will receive early technical guidance and additional perks from the FDA.
July 1, 2026
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2 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Manufacturing
FDA rejects Unicycive and Sobi filings over contract manufacturing deficiencies
Unicycive Therapeutics and Sobi received complete response letters for kidney disease and gout filings, respectively, after the FDA found fault with their manufacturing partners.
June 30, 2026
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2 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
Big fish eats small, takeover of the company. Art collage.
M&A
Merck KGaA inks $11B Bio-Techne buyout to expand into cell therapy production
The company is “especially excited” about an immune cell therapy manufacturing technology included in the deal, a Merck KGaA executive said.
June 26, 2026
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2 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Manufacturing
Jubilant draws FDA rebuke for delayed mold investigation and quality unit lapses
Jubilant HollisterStier received a warning letter over problems that the FDA said necessitate an immediate and comprehensive assessment of the contract manufacturing organization’s global operations.
June 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor
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Manufacturing
With onshoring ‘having a moment,’ Aquestive CEO shares lessons from 20 years of US manufacturing
Having stuck with local production in the years when offshoring to lower-cost locations was in fashion, Aquestive’s CEO is well placed to explain what the recent reshoring drive means for manufacturers.
June 23, 2026
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4 min read
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Nick Paul Taylor