| 12.01.21 | Sanofi doubles down on mRNA, but with a twist; Vertex gets bullish backing after posting new kidney disease data

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Today's Rundown

Sanofi snaps up Origimm for early-phase acne vaccine, opening new front in mRNA strategy Vertex once again talks up a tiny trial with positive read-throughs, this time for a genetically driven approach to kidney disease J&J cell therapy head exits to take up post at fledgling biotech Sponsored: Optimize Scale-Up for Vaccine and Therapeutic Manufacturing 'What it takes': Genentech's Rachelle Doody recalls 'great sadness' of Alzheimer's failures but sees a future of options for patients Apollo's mission to extend human health span gets $180M boost, giving VC fund a launchpad for age-related disease biotechs Curie Therapeutics lines up $75M to tackle radiopharmaceuticals with former Ra Pharma execs Britain led the way in COVID trials, but overall clinical study activity still lags: report Merck's COVID-19 antiviral narrowly clears FDA panel—but committee echos support for revoking nod in favor of superior option Insilico Medicine begins first human trial of its AI-designed drug for pulmonary fibrosis Survey: Many employers rolling out vaccine mandates despite ongoing legal challenges

Featured Story

Sanofi snaps up Origimm for early-phase acne vaccine, opening new front in mRNA strategy

By Nick Paul Taylor

Sanofi is adding another thread to its mRNA strategy. Having already bagged Translate Bio’s mRNA platform, Sanofi is now snapping up Origimm Biotechnology to land a therapeutic acne vaccine it plans to pair with the red-hot technology.

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Vertex once again talks up a tiny trial with positive read-throughs, this time for a genetically driven approach to kidney disease

By Ben Adams

Vertex in October gained plaudits and criticism in equal measure when it released data showing a single patient in a trial of its diabetes cell therapy stopped needing insulin; this time around, it’s plugging another major breakthrough in a tiny test in kidney disease.

J&J cell therapy head exits to take up post at fledgling biotech

By Nick Paul Taylor

Johnson & Johnson has lost its global head, cell therapy platform and discovery. Tamas Oravecz took up the post at J&J’s Janssen earlier this year, only to leave to become chief scientific officer at the newly minted cancer biotech Parthenon Therapeutics.

'What it takes': Genentech's Rachelle Doody recalls 'great sadness' of Alzheimer's failures but sees a future of options for patients

By Annalee Armstrong

Fierce Biotech profiles three women breaking barriers in Alzheimer's disease R&D at leading pharmaceutical companies. Today, Genentech's global head of neurodegeneration, Rachelle Doody.

Apollo's mission to extend human health span gets $180M boost, giving VC fund a launchpad for age-related disease biotechs

By Nick Paul Taylor

Apollo Health Ventures has positioned itself to place a fresh round of bets on age-related disease biotechs, raising $180 million to funnel into companies targeting everything from cardiovascular conditions to neurodegenerative diseases.

Curie Therapeutics lines up $75M to tackle radiopharmaceuticals with former Ra Pharma execs

By Kyle LaHucik

Curie Therapeutics launched with $75 million to tackle solid tumors using radiopharmaceuticals after 18 months of incubation. The new biotech is backed by three venture capital shops and is led by former Ra Pharma and BridgeBio Pharma executives.

Britain led the way in COVID trials, but overall clinical study activity still lags: report

By Ben Adams

The so-called RECOVERY trial program undertaken in the U.K. since 2020 to assess how well treatments may or may not work against COVID was lauded as truly world-leading, but the country’s general clinical trial activity is struggling.

Merck's COVID-19 antiviral narrowly clears FDA panel—but committee echos support for revoking nod in favor of superior option

By Kevin Dunleavy

On Tuesday, an FDA advisory committee voted by the narrow margin of 13-10 to endorse the use of Merck's molnupiravir for use in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients who are at high risk of progressing to a severe form of the disease. The recommendation comes despite a host of concerns, including over efficacy and safety.

Insilico Medicine begins first human trial of its AI-designed drug for pulmonary fibrosis

By Conor Hale

The former Fierce 15 winner announced that the first healthy volunteer in an Australian study has received a limited, intravenous dose of the company’s ISM001-055, a small-molecule inhibitor aimed at the chronic lung disease.

Survey: Many employers rolling out vaccine mandates despite ongoing legal challenges

By Paige Minemyer

While the Biden administration's vaccine mandate remains in legal limbo, a new survey suggests many employers are rolling out such requirements anyway.

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