By Kyle LaHucik
The biotech industry is "getting there" in terms of advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion, but it's an effort that remains in the early innings. Fierce Biotech spoke with more than 20 LGBTQ+ leaders in biopharma to learn where the industry stands on incorporating the LGBTQ+ community into its diversity and inclusion work.
read more
By Conor Hale
BD has settled on a new name for its new company, the independent spinout that will house its billion-dollar diabetes care business. Embecta is set to launch as its own, publicly traded brand in the second quarter of 2022 after almost a century of supplying a portfolio of insulin pens and syringes under the BD banner.
read more
By Dave Muoio
Several health systems said they will not require employees to be vaccinated as the Biden administration's industry-wide mandate plays out in court.
read more
By Kyle LaHucik
Researchers at the University of Maryland say a genetic variant linked to the Old Order Amish community in Pennsylvania reduce levels of LDL cholesterol and a blood-clotting protein. The findings could lead to new paths for preventing or treating cardiovascular disease.
read more
By Joseph Keenan
Merck & Co. signed a deal under which molnupiravir production will be conducted at Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Ontario, Canada, facility. If approved, the drug will be distributed to Canada, the U.K. and markets in the European Union, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Ontario plant is one of only three production sites for the therapy in the world.
read more
By Conor Hale
An initial analysis by the FDA of commonly used COVID-19 tests found that while the omicron variant may produce an identifiable pattern in their results, that pattern alone is not enough to make a definitive omicron diagnosis. The agency recommended healthcare providers prioritize the full sequencing of those positive samples.
read more
By Ben Adams
Biohaven is eyeing filing for approval early next year for its experimental pain spray after new data showed it hit its primary endpoints in a phase 3 test.
read more
By Rebecca Torrence
A cyberattack on Planned Parenthood’s Los Angeles branch exposed the personal information of about 400,000 patients between Oct. 9 and Oct. 17. The Los Angeles affiliate didn’t find any evidence the stolen information had been used for “fraudulent purposes,” the branch said in a letter to its patients.
read more
By Arlene Weintraub
Using stem cell models derived from Alzheimer's patients, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic discovered that the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (sildenafil) targets tau, one of the proteins implicated in the disease. They're now planning a phase 2 trial of Viagra in Alzheimer’s patients.
read more
By Andrea Park
In the course of its combination with special purpose acquisition company Odyssey—which went public in a 300 million euro IPO of its own earlier this year—BenevolentAI will rake in up to 390 million euro in net proceeds.
read more
By Kevin Dunleavy
On Thursday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a hearing to present its findings on an investigation of the pricing strategies of U.S. companies producing the world's most expensive drugs. The committee also will assess how President Biden’s Build Back Better Act will reduce drug prices.
read more
By Robert King
A new HHS study found that telehealth use in traditional Medicare increased 63-fold in 2020 compared to 2019, but did not fully offset a decline in healthcare utilization fueled in part by the pandemic.
read more
By Nick Paul Taylor
Adicet Bio has laid down a marker for the nascent gamma delta CAR-T cell therapy space, reporting its off-the-shelf candidate ADI-001 triggered responses in a small clinical trial of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients. Shares in Adicet jumped 45% to above $14 in premarket trading.
read more