2seventy's job cuts burst honeymoon phase
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Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Former Pfizer staffers counter pharma giant's ‘belated and ill-founded’ trade secrets case

Denied, denied, denied—and a countersuit. That’s the response Regor Therapeutics has offered to Pfizer’s lawsuit claiming two former employees who now run the Chinese biotech committed “treachery” by claiming the Big Pharma’s work on a diabetes and obesity program as their own.

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Top Stories

After ‘masterful’ development of Keytruda, Merck’s CMO follows Roger Perlmutter to Eikon

Not only does Roger Perlmutter, M.D., PhD., have the pull to lock down a fundraising round worth a half a billion dollars, he's now poached a former Merck & Co. colleague over to his new biotech Eikon Therapeutics.

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2seventy bio's honeymoon phase is over as job cuts hit 6% of staff

Slimmed-down 2seventy bio is getting even slimmer, with 6% of its workforce heading out the door less than five months after formally spinning off from bluebird.

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Sponsored: Bridging the preclinical to clinical divide: practical considerations for biomarker success

To successfully advance preclinical biomarker assays from the bench to the bedside, it is crucial to develop a clear plan for delivering assays that can be used within the clinical trial setting. Learn strategies for assessing and optimizing biomarker feasibility and utility to support study success.

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Despite 0% response rate, 4D hits primary endpoint in Keytruda combo trial, sending stock skyward

Can a 0% response rate represent success in an oncology clinical trial? Investors said yes on Wednesday, sending shares in 4D pharma up 30% after enough patients in its Keytruda combination trial had stable disease for the study to hit its primary endpoint.

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Sponsored: Unlocking the power of AI-driven pathology in drug development: An Interview with Bristol Myers Squibb

Learn how Bristol Myers Squibb is unlocking new insights in translational research and development by transforming pathology with artificial intelligence

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LifeMine locks down $70M 'dream scenario' fungi partnership with GSK—and a fundraising, too

GlaxoSmithKline’s scientific champions, Hal Barron and Tony Wood, were with LifeMine Therapeutics before the small, fungi-focused biotech knew what it does now. But those early conversations, which began two years ago, have led to today: a $70 million upfront deal to develop three candidates based on LifeMine’s fungi-based drug discovery engine.

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Pfizer's $7B bet delivers phase 3 success, advancing bid to establish new drug in ulcerative colitis Arena

Pfizer’s $6.7 billion bet on Arena Pharmaceuticals has delivered a phase 3 success. The late-phase trial of S1P receptor modulator etrasimod in ulcerative colitis patients met its primary endpoint, although the drug’s prospects will only come into focus once details of the data and results from an ongoing study are available. 

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Ocelot Bio gets a cool $36M series A and a new CEO to boot

With a new CEO and a phase 2 trial ready to go, Ocelot Bio has snagged $36 million in a series A financing led by RA Capital Management, Venrock and Vivo Capital.

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NIH-backed HDT Bio sues Indian partner for $950M, alleging it stole trade secrets

Seattle-based biotech HDT Bio is suing its manufacturing partner Emcure Pharmaceuticals for $950 million, alleging that the Indian company stole trade secrets and co-opted HDT's COVID vaccine as its own. Emcure says it's been wrongly added to the suit and is looking to get it dismissed.

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Moderna seeks FDA nod for COVID vaccine in children under 6, starts delayed filing for older kids

Moderna has new data backing the use of its COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax at a low dose in the youngest children under the age of 6. The mRNA specialist is moving forward with global regulatory submissions in that age group, and it's advancing a delayed FDA filing in children ages 6 to 11.

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Anthony Fauci predicts uptick in US COVID cases from BA.2 subvariant: 'We can't claim absolute victory'

It's likely the U.S. will see an uptick in COVID-19 cases similar to a current surge in Europe as a result of the spread of a more contagious subvariant of omicron called BA.2. "The extent of it and the degree to which it impacts seriousness of disease like hospitalizations and death remains to be seen," Anthony Fauci, M.D., said Tuesday.

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UK watchdog slaps AZ, Allergan, GSK, Sanofi and Brittania for marketing breaches

AstraZeneca and Allergan are among five pharma companies in hot water with the UK's Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority for marketing activities that ran afoul of industry standards.

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FDA clears Quantum Surgical's liver-cancer-focused ablation robot

The company’s Epione system helps plan and perform minimally invasive ablation surgery as an outpatient procedure by deploying computer-guided needles through the skin to single out and destroy tumors.

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NAMSA buys Spain's AKRN Scientific Consulting in 4th deal in 2 years

Medtech contractor NAMSA has shown it is still on the takeover trail by buying Madrid-based medical device services organization AKRN Scientific Consulting.

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Resources

Industry Report: The Top Four Barriers to Successful KOL Engagement

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eBook: Leveraging Clinical Data for Study Success

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Whitepaper: Autologous CAR T-Cell Manufacturing: Semiautomatic, Closed, Modular Workflow

Learn how to navigate the top manufacturing challenges and achieve a seamless transition from discovery to clinical manufacturing across the CAR T-cell therapy workflow.

Whitepaper: Top 5 Challenges Of Decentralized Clinical Trials And How To Overcome Them

How to overcome top challenges faced in decentralized trials.

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Whitepaper: Lipid-Based Drug Delivery System to Bring Poorly Soluble Drugs to Market

How can Lipid-Based Drug Delivery System help bring poorly soluble drugs to market?

Whitepaper: Versatility of Softgel Technology - Encapsulation of a Volatile Compound

Learn more about how the versatility of Softgel Technology helped a customer with a volatile compound.

Whitepaper: The Most Suitable Dosage Form Technologies for the Oral Delivery of Lipid-Based Formulations

What is the most suitable dosage form technology for the Oral Delivery of Lipid-Based Formulations?

Webinar: The Faster Path From Pre-Filled Syringe to Auto-Injector

Ypsomed and Catalent Biologics experts discuss strategies for integrated PFS manufacturing and auto-injector assembly to accelerate timelines and more in this webinar.

Whitepaper: Formulation Strategies When Transitioning From Vial to PFS

Learn how formulation development for a PFS affects manufacturing to drive the industry toward optimizing delivery of injectable products and, ultimately, improving patient care.

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