FDA flags new safety concern for Amgen's Prolia

Today’s Big News

Jan 19, 2024

Novo Holdings plans to ramp up dealmaking amid Wegovy windfall: Bloomberg 


FDA, CMS issue joint letter supporting increased oversight of lab-developed tests 


FDA slaps boxed warning on Amgen's osteoporosis drug Prolia


Chutes & Ladders—Hardy replaces BioMarin’s commercial chief in first big move as CEO 


Senators threaten to subpoena CEO testimony while J&J, Merck claim retaliation amid IRA legal fight 


Medtronic touts success of new spinal cord stimulation approaches in study data 


Novartis eyes $1B Lutathera acceleration with trial win in newly diagnosed neuroendocrine tumors 


Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2024: Ikena lays off 35% staff; Bayer overhauls business

 

Featured

Novo Holdings plans to ramp up dealmaking amid Wegovy windfall: Bloomberg

Novo Holdings is fattening up as patients slim down. Boosted by the Wegovy windfall, the fund manager's CEO Kasim Kutay expects to do “a fair amount” more deals in 2024 and to open a second office in Asia.
 

Top Stories

FDA, CMS issue joint letter supporting increased oversight of lab-developed tests

“CMS does not have the expertise to assure that tests work; the FDA does,” wrote leaders from both federal agencies.

FDA slaps boxed warning on Amgen's osteoporosis drug Prolia

Use of Amgen’s osteoporosis drug Prolia by those with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) can increase the risk of calcium loss in the blood, according to the FDA. The U.S. regulator has added a boxed warning for the blockbuster treatment, which has been on the market for 14 years and loses patent protection next year.

Chutes & Ladders—Hardy replaces BioMarin’s commercial chief in first big move as CEO

BioMarin's new CEO Alexander Hardy is wasting no time overhauling the company, sending Chief Commercial Officer Jeffrey Ajer for the exits.

Senators threaten to subpoena CEO testimony while J&J, Merck claim retaliation amid IRA legal fight

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will vote on issuing subpoenas at the end of the month after the Johnson & Johnson and Merck CEOs refused to testify at an upcoming hearing.

Medtronic touts success of new spinal cord stimulation approaches in study data

Spinal cord stimulation has been available as a chronic pain treatment for decades, but even now, Medtronic—which was the first to make the implants commercially available in the late 1960s—is still improving on the technology.

Novartis eyes $1B Lutathera acceleration with trial win in newly diagnosed neuroendocrine tumors

Novartis hopes new data will open a $1 billion market opportunity for its radioligand therapy, Lutathera, as a first-line treatment. Friday, the company's ambition received a boost from the phase 3 readout of the NETTER-2 trial. 

Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2024: Ikena lays off 35% staff; Bayer overhauls business

We really didn't want to have to create another Layoff Tracker this year. But here we are, launching the third annual iteration tracking biopharma layoffs. 

Former Pfizer statistician found guilty of insider trading on Paxlovid trial results

A federal jury has found a former Pfizer statistician guilty of insider trading after a two-week trial in Manhattan. The jury convicted Amit Dagar, 44, of Hillsborough, N.J., of using advance information on successful trial results for Pfizer’s COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid to make more than $270,000 in stock trades.

Kyverna accelerates into another FDA fast track following IPO plans

Kyverna has nabbed FDA fast track designation for its lead asset to treat multiple sclerosis, adding momentum to its IPO roadshow days after declaring plans to go public.

Dexcom kicks off construction on 1st European manufacturing site, to bring 1,000+ jobs to Ireland

Dexcom has joined the scrum of major U.S.-based medtech companies flocking to Ireland as a European home base.

AstraZeneca charts new course for Imfinzi in liver cancer, but FDA path remains uncertain

With the metastatic liver cancer field getting increasingly crowded for immunotherapies, AstraZeneca is trying to reach new ground with Imfinzi in locoregional disease. But a regulatory hurdle lies ahead.
 
Fierce podcasts

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'The Top Line': A closer look at new drug approvals in 2023

At Fierce Pharma, the arrival of a new year is synonymous with the release of our annual special report on drug approvals. This week on “The Top Line,” Fierce Pharma’s Eric Sagonowsky and Kevin Dunleavy, both instrumental in creating the special report, are breaking down the numbers and sharing key insights into the landscape of drug approvals in 2023. 

 

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