J&J trims pipeline

Today's Big News

Jan 24, 2023

The rise of venture debt and when biotechs should—and shouldn't—use it


Frosty funding forecast forces Finch to stop phase 3 trial, lay off 95% of staff and seek buyers for assets


J&J trims the edges of its pipeline with the company mum on timing of looming readouts


Cassava claims win in open-label Alzheimer's study, but shares decline 15%


Behind the deal: AstraZeneca’s eagerness for CinCor acquisition revealed in larger initial offer  


Law firms target Spectrum over lung cancer trial statements


CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna looks to tech's past and future in new review

 

Featured

The rise of venture debt and when biotechs should—and shouldn't—use it

There's a time and a place for everything, and right now might be the time for venture debt as biotechs operate on razor-thin margins.
 

Top Stories

Frosty funding forecast forces Finch to stop phase 3 trial, lay off 95% of staff and seek buyers for assets

Finch Therapeutics is throwing in the towel. Shortly after getting its phase 3 clinical trial back on track, the microbiome biotech has decided to stop the study and seek to offload assets in the face of a frosty funding forecast and slow enrollment.

J&J trims the edges of its pipeline with the company mum on timing of looming readouts

Johnson & Johnson continued to trim away at early-stage cancer prospects, culling a prostate and solid tumor asset, respectively. The decision comes as the company was quiet on the specific timing of looming 2023 readouts.

Enhancing Clinical Trials with More Diverse Recruitment

We initiate a discussion focused on the relation of clinical trials and the need for geographical inclusion versus societal exclusivity. With some trial sites including only 20% of the disease population in the United States, innovation is needed.

Cassava claims win in open-label Alzheimer's study, but shares decline 15%

Cassava Sciences, which spent 2022 trying to prove the integrity of its Alzheimer’s disease program, is trumpeting a phase 2 win for simufilam in an open-label study—but investors aren’t convinced.

Behind the deal: AstraZeneca’s eagerness for CinCor acquisition revealed in larger initial offer

An SEC filing released this week gives far greater insight into the dealings that went into the first major M&A deal of 2023 between AstraZeneca and CinCor.

Law firms target Spectrum over lung cancer trial statements

The shiver of sharks circling Spectrum Pharmaceuticals is growing bigger and bigger. Another law firm joined the pack on Tuesday, filing a class-action suit that accused the biotech of misrepresenting clinical trial data and failing to enroll patients in a confirmatory phase 3 study.

CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna looks to tech's past and future in new review

Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., who was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing CRISPR technology, foresees a bright future for the tech—and potential sticker shock for patients, unless manufacturing costs come down.

Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes labeled a ‘flight risk’ as she asks to delay prison sentence during appeal

Prosecutors have asked a judge not to allow convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to stay out of prison during her upcoming appeal process, citing an instance ahead of her sentencing last year where she appeared to be preparing to flee the U.S.

Amazon Pharmacy rolls out service for unlimited generic drug prescriptions for $5 a month

Amazon's pharmacy business is rolling out a new subscription service that enables Prime members to get unlimited generic medications for a flat fee of $5 a month.

Investors kibosh Midatech merger, triggering scramble for cash

Midatech Pharma’s plans to pivot past its cash crunch have come unstuck. After securing financing and striking a deal to buy Bioasis Technologies, Midatech put its plans to a vote—only for investors to shoot down the proposals and leave the drug delivery specialist with weeks to find an alternative option.

Bayer’s oncology business looks to collect $10B in sales by 2030, exec says

Shooting for the stars, up-and-coming oncology player Bayer is starting 2023 riding high on Nubeqa's recent progress. The company aims to pull in $10 billion from oncology products by 2030.

268K people who died from COVID-19 in first 2 years of pandemic not included in official tally: study

Officially, about 1.1 million individuals died from COVID-19 so far in the U.S. Researchers argue the number might be much, much higher because of flaws in recording the cause of death.

Call for nominations: The most influential people in biopharma in 2023

As the biopharma industry moves beyond its groundbreaking pandemic response, we're looking for leaders with ideas that'll shape the future of the industry.
 
Fierce podcasts

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'The Top Line': Panelists at Fierce's JPM Week event talk drug pricing policy, and Bayer's oncology head discusses cancer strategy

This week on "The Top Line," we take you inside Fierce's JPM Week event. Listen in on snippets from a lively panel discussion on how companies will navigate the drug pricing policies the Biden administration rolled out just last year. And hear from Christine Roth, head of Bayer's oncology strategic business unit, about the company's plans to become a strong competitor in cancer.
 

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Linear Compression vs. Parallel Processing: Speeding Biologics Through Development and Into Clinical Trials

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Clinical Supply Solutions for the Asia-Pacific Region

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Supply Services to Support Clinical Trials in Japan & Beyond

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