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Today's Big News

May 22, 2023

Novartis to buy Avrobio gene therapy for $88M, leaving rest of the biotech on the shelf


Eager for Linzess successor, Ironwood pays $1B for VectivBio and its phase 3 GI drug


It's time for Fierce Biotech's 2023 Fierce 15—nominations are NOW OPEN


Concentra rebounds from Jounce buy with a shot at COVID-19-focused Atea


Let the Rain fall down: Biotech's shares tumble 80% as lone asset fails to improve survival in liposarcoma


Hepion shares midphase NASH data that leave questions unanswered ahead of key clinical readout


Apnimed cracks sleep apnea puzzle, hits primary goal in phase 2 study


RedHill drops phase 3 lung disease program amid ‘negative sector sentiment’

 

Featured

Novartis to buy Avrobio gene therapy for $88M, leaving rest of the biotech on the shelf

Novartis is buying a gene therapy candidate from the cash-constrained Avrobio, striking an unusual deal that will see it pay $87.5 million without committing milestones or royalties to land the clinical-phase asset. The news comes months after Novartis was reported to be lining up a takeover of Avrobio.
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Top Stories

Eager for Linzess successor, Ironwood pays $1B for VectivBio and its phase 3 GI drug

Having tasted blockbuster success with its IBS drug Linzess, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals is willing to pay $1 billion for the chance to make lightning strike twice.

It's time for Fierce Biotech's 2023 Fierce 15—nominations are NOW OPEN

Fierce Biotech is once again seeking your nominations for the best, most exciting and innovative private biotechs.

Concentra rebounds from Jounce buy with a shot at COVID-19-focused Atea

Weeks after closing a deal to buy Jounce Therapeutics, Concentra Biosciences is rebounding to pick up another struggling biotech, this time COVID-19-focused Atea Pharmaceuticals.

Let the Rain fall down: Biotech's shares tumble 80% as lone asset fails to improve survival in liposarcoma

Storm clouds are brewing for Rain Oncology after its lead asset failed to improve progression-free survival versus chemotherapy in a phase 3 trial of patients with liposarcoma.

Hepion shares midphase NASH data that leave questions unanswered ahead of key clinical readout

Hepion Pharmaceuticals is claiming success for its phase 2 nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) trial. But with the study lacking a control arm, relying on an investigational diagnostic and mostly only achieving significant results at the highest dose, plenty of questions about the candidate remain unanswered.

Apnimed cracks sleep apnea puzzle, hits primary goal in phase 2 study

Apnimed is maintaining its momentum, hitting the primary endpoint in a phase 2 study testing its oral sleep apnea med. The company is now planning on launching a phase 3 trial in the second half of the year.

RedHill drops phase 3 lung disease program amid ‘negative sector sentiment’

Hoping to lighten its load, RedHill Biopharma has thrown a phase 3 lung disease program from its pack in attempts to save resources and carry its COVID-19 med to the top.

Most expensive drugs in the US in 2023

Many of the drugs on this list will be well known to industry watchers. Last year, bluebird, plus CSL Behring and uniQure, nabbed three gene therapy nods in quick succession. Elsewhere, Novartis’ established gene therapy Zolgensma continues to orbit the top of the price rankings.

Novo Nordisk pauses Wegovy marketing projects to dampen demand

Any publicity, even bad publicity, is good. So goes the old saying, but, for Novo Nordisk, too much publicity for its popular weight-loss drug Wegovy is becoming a bad thing, forcing the Danish drugmaker to turn off the marketing tap for the drug.

FDA clears Beta Bionics’ insulin pump and automated dosing software to create artificial pancreas

According to the FDA, Beta Bionics’ system is not only an improvement over standard, non-algorithm-guided insulin pump therapy, but is also easier to set up than other currently available artificial pancreas systems.

With Dupixent leading the way, Sanofi’s taking on the 'big players' in respiratory diseases: exec

Sanofi is touting the advantages of Dupixent in COPD, along with the prospects of its other pipeline treatments for respiratory disorders. These include SAR’765, which targets two pathways and has the potential to become the most effective biologic in asthma, the company said.

Elevance Health experts offer advice on how to effectively use payers' price transparency data

The CMS deadline for health insurance plans to make all healthcare price data consumer friend-ly is Jan. 1, 2024. Elevance Health argues that all elements in the cost equation need to be considered.
 
Fierce podcasts

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'The Top Line': 2023's biopharma layoffs, plus the headlines

This week on "The Top Line," we''ll discuss the recent biopharma layoff trends, plus Elizabeth Holmes, Sarepta Therapeutics, Abbott's FDA approval, and the rest of the week's headlines.

 

Resources

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ChatGPT in Drug Discovery: Rise of Large Language Models

ChatGPT shows promise in drug discovery for information extraction, scientific text authoring, hypothesis prediction, and chemical entity prediction. This whitepaper explores its potential to streamline research, delving into its technology, applications, and limitations.
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Discovering High-Affinity, Functional Anti-GLP-1R Antibodies

Learn how a GPCR-focused library with a cell-based biopanning strategy led to the discovery of 13 high-affinity and selective anti-GLP-1R antibodies with highly developable therapeutic properties.
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Decentralized Clinical Trials: The Complete Guide for 2023

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How Lilly’s Legal and Library Services Empower Teams Across the Drug Development Pipeline

What role do the Library and Legal teams play in the drug development pipeline at Lilly? An import one – find out how.

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Medical Affairs Metamorphosis VI: The Changing Face of Stakeholder Engagement

This paper focuses on stakeholder engagement and how Medical Affairs teams’ responsibilities, goals, tools, and techniques are changing.
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Maximizing Clinical Trial Success

Strategies for Optimal Site Selection and Feasibility Research in Novel Therapies and Geographies
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Running Decentralized Trials at Scale

Explore how clinical supply can be scaled up as decentralized programs progress, and how technological solutions can accelerate trial deployment.
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Key Clinical Supply Issues Sponsors Should Consider with their CRO

As sponsors increasingly look to CROs to support their clinical studies, making and addressing certain clinical supply considerations at the outset of the relationship can reduce the risk of potentially unforeseen impact to budget and time later. Discover key issues sponsors should consider to help their CRO or partner of choice better understand their clinical supply needs.

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Specialized Expertise for Management of Clinical Supply Budgets

For sponsors, cost is a key concern when it comes to managing the supply of their clinical trials. A financial project analyst (FPA) is a specialized expert who can help control clinical supply costs and keep the project within budget. Explore the critical role that a Financial Project Analyst plays in clinical trial supply and budget management.
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Clinical Supply Solutions for the Asia-Pacific Region

Learn how Catalent’s extensive network across APAC can meet a wide range of clinical supply needs for sponsors conducting trials within the region.
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Designing an Optimal APAC Clinical Supply Chain

Discover key considerations that every trial sponsor should know when navigating the complex clinical supply distribution landscape across Asia-Pacific.
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Roles and Responsibilities of Specialized Clinical Supply Experts

How can specialized expertise help you optimize your clinical supply chain? Learn about the roles and responsibilities of unique experts such as clinical supply management, project management, and financial project analysis.
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Supply Services to Support Clinical Trials in Japan & Beyond

Explore Catalent’s newest clinical supply facility in Japan, including the comprehensive services & solutions it offers to help support trials both in-country & around the world.
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Questions You Need to Ask Your CRO About Clinical Supply

Planning on using a CRO to support your next clinical study? This infographic outlines critical areas to address at the start of the relationship in order to ensure that budget and timelines keep on track for the duration of the trial.
 

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