Chinese Biotechs Lead Licensing as M&A Surges
M&A is sizzling right along, with the Q1 numbers looking good for biotech. IPOs got started on the year with a spike in offerings and some mixed results on the Street. Dealmaking remains solid. And shall we just call it and say Chinese biotechs now hold the pole position in the licensing world? My Q1 report: https://t.co/bo7wlJQ5Ot
WSJ Defends Replimune Drug Amid Mounting Criticism
@WSJ is not giving up the fight for Replimune's cancer drug. Second CRL draws another rebuke and a direct attack on @MartyMakary (Prasad gets another swipe as well, but he's about out the door now.) I often disagree with the...
Trump Targets NIH Funding Amid $1.5T War Spend
Trump once again going for draconian cuts to NIH, though not as catastrophic as he sought for the last round (and didn't get). Meanwhile, he wants $1.5T for war. I doubt he'll be any more successful with NIH cuts than...
Insurers' AI Denials Delay Life‑saving Cancer Care
The mother of an angiosarcoma patient reached out this weekend to see if I could help her daughter get a second opinion at Dana-Farber after it was rejected by her insurer. I'll do what I can. Dana-Farber has made a...
In‑vivo CAR‑T Achieves 4/5 MRD‑Negative Remissions
Outstanding piece here from @leilei_wuu on AstraZeneca's in vivo CAR-T for multiple myeloma. There's data on 5 patients, which is pretty lean, but 4 come out MRD negative in two months, which is extraordinary. We're going to see a lot...
Pfizer's Lyme Vaccine Data Remains Ambiguous, FDA Review Looms
As someone who lived in Vermont and still spends the summer there, it's disappointing to see the ambiguity in Pfizer's data on a new Lyme disease vaccine. It's a serious threat. Now we can move on to speculating on the...
FT's Iran War Analysis Illuminates Europe's Strategic Dilemma
I'm biased, of course, but hats off to the @FT for some truly groundbreaking work on the Iran war. Ed Luce's commentary has been essential to understanding the dilemma Europe finds itself in as its leaders try to edge away...
Patients Should Drive Aggressive Immunotherapy Post-Remission
Merkel cell carcinoma log, day #594. Yesterday, I was at Dana-Farber for my first infusion of avelumab in more than 3 months. Aside from two botched blood tests — the buzz is the blood tests are being done with recently...
Healthcare Costs Forcing Debt, Hunger, and Retirement Delays
Such a dismal conclusion. Taking on debt, skipping meals, delaying retirement, etc, etc, in order to cover healthcare costs. When does America come to grips with healthcare costs? Something has to give. https://t.co/L48u4W2CDG
BioNTech Founders Launch New Biotech, Eye FDA Acceptance
Sticking with the science. I find that really impressive. BioNTech founders Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci are leaving the biotech they founded to start a new one. Maybe by the time they have something for the clinic, the FDA will...
Senior FDA Official’s Attack Sparks Debate Over Leadership
Gee, who could this "senior FDA official" be? It's a head scratcher. But he might tell Vinay Prasad that thinly veiled attacks against, oh, UniQure, and going off on advisory councils is a great way of keeping the political pot...
FDA Guidance Boosts Biotech, HHS Calls It Fake
Did the FDA’s individualized therapy guidance put a spike in the heart of a startup biotech? Fake news, says the HHS. Yeah, it did, says an insider. Exclusive from @RLCscienceboss and @Jared_Whitlock https://t.co/IN9o4VIp03
Watch Webinar Linking Top 100 Biotech VCs Insights
Here's the link to watch yesterday's webinar on venture capital, a companion to this year's top 100 biotech VCs list with @ChrisDoko Lots of positive feedback here. Post your thoughts. https://t.co/c16y04mFsD
Novo's Missteps Echo Bristol Myers' Strategic Failure
Elizabeth Cairns' piece on $Novo is reminiscent of Bristol Myers' strategic fail against Merck and Keytruda. They were focused on the wrong things, made bad trial design decisions and got stuck in the mud of their own making. Everyone should...
Biotech VC Webinar Launches with Top Experts, Thousands Registered
We'll be gearing up today's webinar on biotech venture capital at the top of the hour. Great guests, great topics. If this is a central issue in your life, tune in. Thousands have signed up already. https://t.co/c16y04mFsD
