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This Week

Feb 28, 2025

Procedural ‘loophole’ leaves NIH grants frozen, despite orders from federal judge: reports


Once valued at $10B, bluebird bio sold to private equity firms for $29M


FDA works to reverse layoffs, rehire lost staff: reports


Deputy director of FDA's CBER departs amid mass exodus at federal health agencies


As Trump targets DEI practices, 4 pharmas reaffirm commitment to diversifying clinical trials


Compounders sue FDA again over declaring end of shortage for Novo's semaglutide


Pfizer discontinues hemophilia treatment Beqvez, emptying its gene therapy portfolio

 

Featured

Procedural ‘loophole’ leaves NIH grants frozen, despite orders from federal judge: reports

The Trump administration is exploiting an administrative loophole to keep federal research funding frozen, despite a federal judge ordering for a halt to the action, according to Nature.
 

Top Stories

Once valued at $10B, bluebird bio sold to private equity firms for $29M

Private equity firms Carlyle and SK Capital have agreed to pay $29 million to acquire bluebird bio, which has struggled to commercialize three gene therapy products.

FDA works to reverse layoffs, rehire lost staff: reports

After hundreds of FDA employees were suddenly laid off last weekend, including dozens at the agency’s device center, the government has begun rescinding some of those cuts and attempting to rehire lost workers.

Deputy director of FDA's CBER departs amid mass exodus at federal health agencies

Celia Witten, M.D., Ph.D., is no longer deputy director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, joining a long list of health agency leaders who have departed since President Donald Trump began his second term in office.

As Trump targets DEI practices, 4 pharmas reaffirm commitment to diversifying clinical trials

Even as President Donald Trump wages a very public fight against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the government and beyond, several large drugmakers say running diverse clinical trials is not optional or extraneous, but a core part of the work they do.

Compounders sue FDA again over declaring end of shortage for Novo's semaglutide

Compounding pharmacies aren’t surrendering their ability to create cheaper knockoff versions of Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk’s weight loss drugs without a fight. The Outsourcing Facilities Association and a Texas-based compounder have filed a lawsuit against the FDA in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth for declaring the shortage over for Novo's semaglutide.

Pfizer discontinues hemophilia treatment Beqvez, emptying its gene therapy portfolio

Pfizer is pulling further away from the gene therapy field with its decision to discontinue hemophilia B product Beqvez. The move leaves no active gene therapy programs in Pfizer's portfolio.

With $27B plan to build 4 new plants, Eli Lilly doubles down on US drug manufacturing

At a press conference in Washington, D.C. dubbed “Lilly in America,” the Indianapolis drugmaker said it will begin construction on four new production facilities in the U.S. The effort will more than double what the company has earmarked for domestic drug manufacturing since 2020, bringing the total outlay to more than $50 billion.

PMCPA brings the buzzkill to LinkedIn celebration, laying into GSK over employee’s clicks

The PMCPA has turned party pooper, coming down on GSK after learning that a U.K. employee celebrated a post about a prescription drug on LinkedIn.

Antibodies stop tissue damage and reduce virus levels in mice with deadly Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Researchers studying a deadly virus discovered a key protein behind its lethality and successfully used antibodies to stop that protein from causing dangerous fluid leakage in mice.
 
Fierce podcasts

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AI, AI & more AI: The biggest topics from ViVE 2025

Senior Editor Heather Landi, Senior Writer Paige Minemyer and Staff Writer Emma Beavins reflect on their trip to the ViVE conference in Nashville and what they learned.
 

Resources

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The Oncology Market: 2024 Year in Review

This paper reviews key developments in the oncology market during 2024 and outlines what they mean for the future.
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Standout in a crowded oncology landscape

There’s so much that goes into making sure your therapy maximizes impact every step of the way.
 

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