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Today's Rundown

Featured Story

AstraZeneca's $39B Alexion buyout bears fruit, yielding late-phase win for potential blockbuster rare disease drug

The chances of AstraZeneca’s $39 billion bet on Alexion paying off just ticked up a notch. ALXN1840, a drug Alexion has hailed as a potential blockbuster, has hit the primary endpoint in a phase 3 rare disease trial, clearing the path for filings for approval.

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Top Stories

Inovio heads to Brazil for phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial, months after U.S. sent biotech packing

Inovio will take a trip to sunny Brazil to run a phase 3 trial testing a COVID-19 vaccine, months after the U.S. turned off the lights for the late-stage study. The Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania-based company received authorization from Brazilian health officials to run the phase 3 portion of the phase 2/3 trial called Innovate which will test the company’s vaccine INO-4800.

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Sesen, still reeling from FDA rejection, pulls filing for EU approval of cancer drug

The rapid unraveling of Sesen Bio goes on. Two weeks ago, the biotech was on the cusp of winning FDA approval for cancer drug Vicineum and working its way toward authorization in Europe. Now, with the FDA rejecting Vicineum days before a media report of misconduct, Sesen has pulled its filing to the European Medicines Agency. 

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Replimune axes CMO role and CMO Pirzkall along with it

In a strange and seemingly out of nowhere change-up, immuno-oncology biotech Replimune is culling its chief medical officer role and its incumbent.

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Neurogastrx assembles ex-Ironwood team with $60M to take on jam-packed gastrointestinal market

Neurogastrx is attempting to go up against a long-standing class of GERD drugs and others in the gastrointestinal disorder space. The biotech now has $60 million to bankroll a phase 3 study in erosive esophagitis and an ongoing phase 2 trial in patients with gastroparesis.

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Preclinical DiCE Molecules will roll its dice to Wall Street amid biotech IPO frenzy

DiCE Molecules raised $60 million in a series C extension on Tuesday. The next day, the eight-year-old preclinical biotech filed for an initial public offering to take its oral small-molecule therapeutics into the clinic.

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NovaRock takes stomach cancer program global through Flame BioSciences deal worth up to $640M

NovaRock Biotherapeutics is taking its antibody programs global through a new partnership. For $7.5 million upfront and a potential $633 million in milestones, the New Jersey-based biotech is licensing a treatment it’s developing for pancreatic and stomach cancers to Pennsylvania’s Flame BioSciences.

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Unraveling the link between migraines and protection against diabetes

University of Tennessee researchers found that the peptides behind migraine pain can trigger insulin production in mice, and the study could lead to better methods for preventing or treating diabetes.

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Pfizer taps McKinsey veteran Malik as its new dealmaking czar

Pfizer has found a new top dealmaker to manage its war chest, rapidly swelling with cash from its COVID-19 vaccine. Aamir Malik from McKinsey & Company will replace retiring Chief Business Officer John Young, who helped orchestrate the BioNTech pact.

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Insurers take cue from providers, begin requiring vaccines for employees

Major insurers are beginning to follow in the footsteps of big-name providers in mandating COVID-19 vaccines for their workforces.

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Synchron bags $10M NIH grant to kick off U.S. trial of brain implant that uses thoughts to navigate digital apps

A newly awarded grant from the National Institutes of Health is just the cherry on top of an already groundbreaking year for Synchron, which received the go-ahead from the FDA to begin the first U.S. trial of its brain-computer interface technology last month, mere weeks after reeling in $40 million to fund the study.

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Resources

eBook: Accelerate recruitment with a decentralized clinical trial strategy

Learn how a decentralized clinical trial strategy improves patient recruitment, reduces drop-out rates, and ultimately streamlines the path to the next trial phase.

Whitepaper: How to build a robust packaging strategy for rapid commercialization

Learn how to build a robust packaging strategy and the key technical considerations in packaging design and operational planning to enable rapid commercialization of pharmaceuticals.

Whitepaper: Understanding the CMC regulatory landscape for cell and gene therapy products

Learn how regulations are changing and key considerations for commercializing cell and gene therapies without sacrificing quality.

Whitepaper: Navigating the Digital Transformation Journey

Uncover the real impact of “digital transformation” with practical advice to help you plan your own transformative journey to a harmonized digital ecosystem.

eBook: Get solutions to market faster

Read Get to Know Cloud Content Management for Life Sciences and learn how to eliminate silos across all workflows, from R&D to commercialization.

eBrief: Drug Product Process Development: Ensuring a Consistent, High-quality Biologic

Learn about drug product process development challenges and risks, the difference between innovator and biosimilar drug product process development, and more during the drug product process development phase.

Whitepaper: Achieving a Successful Drug Product Technology Transfer

Get insights on key considerations for a successful tech transfer process for manufacturing a biologic drug product, including a case study on overcoming challenges in a process transfer for a sterile diluent.

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