Employers Warm Up to Remote Workers Again: BioSpace Report
Biopharma employers are warming to remote hiring again, with 28% saying they will recruit candidates regardless of location in 2026 – up from 20% in 2024 and 16% in 2023. The share of firms focused solely on local talent fell to 20%, while 52% of those who prefer local hires remain open to remote candidates for specific roles. Remote hires made up at least 26% of new hires in 2025, reflecting a reversal of the post‑pandemic office‑centric swing. Yet candidate demand for remote work has softened, dropping to roughly 32% who rate it very important.
Sarepta Saga Has 'Gone on Too Long' As Competitors Catch Up
Sarepta Therapeutics’ one‑time gene therapy Elevidys, priced at $3.2 million, is under intense scrutiny after three patient deaths in 2025 and a steep 80% stock decline. The company’s three‑year efficacy data failed to reassure analysts, and quarterly sales missed expectations, leaving...
AbbVie’s I&I Portfolio Sells $30 Billion but Execs Again Underline Other Areas
AbbVie’s immunology portfolio generated roughly $30 billion in 2025, accounting for nearly half of its $61.1 billion total sales, driven by Skyrizi, Rinvoq and residual Humira revenue. Executives used the earnings call to spotlight under‑appreciated neuroscience and oncology assets, highlighting Parkinson’s drug...
Amgen Wants MariTide To Change Obesity Paradigm With Longer Dosing Periods
Amgen is positioning its investigational bispecific antibody‑peptide, MariTide, as a differentiated obesity therapy by offering monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly dosing without compromising efficacy. Phase II data revealed an average weight loss of up to 20 % after 52 weeks, and the company...
GSK Says No to GLP-1s, Prioritizes ‘Downstream Effects’ of Obesity
GSK’s new CEO Luke Miels announced the company will not pursue GLP‑1 obesity drugs, citing a crowded market and pipeline misalignment. Instead, GSK is concentrating on the downstream complications of obesity, particularly liver disease, after acquiring Boston Pharmaceuticals’ efimosfermin alfa...
Lilly’s GLP-1s Mounjaro, Zepbound Push Revenue up 46% in Q4
Eli Lilly reported fourth‑quarter revenue of $19.3 billion, driven by a 46 % surge in volume of its GLP‑1 drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound. Earnings per share rose to $7.54, comfortably beating the $6.91 consensus. The two drugs together generated $11.7 billion, lifting the company’s...
From Awareness to Acceleration: Rare Disease Drug Development Enters a Pivotal Era
Rare disease drug development is poised for rapid expansion, with the market projected to reach $400‑600 billion by the early‑to‑mid 2030s. Recent FDA guidances, including the plausible‑mechanism approval pathway, aim to accelerate cell and gene therapy approvals for ultrarare conditions. Executives...
2021 Sparked a Banner Year for Biotech IPOs. Where Are They Now?
In 2021 a pandemic‑driven gold rush produced 99 biotech IPOs that raised $15.6 billion, dwarfing the combined proceeds of 2023‑24. The surge created a “logical gap,” with many companies going public before their science was mature, leading to bankruptcies, pivots, and...
Novo Slides 14% as Early Q4 Results Predict Sales Decline for 2026
Novo Nordisk previewed its early Q4 results, showing a 5% sales decline forecast for 2026 driven by lower U.S. drug prices. The company beat analyst expectations in the quarter, with Ozempic and Wegovy outperforming by 9% and 3% respectively. Shares...
Pfizer’s Early Metsera Data Leaves Analysts Wanting More
Pfizer disclosed early Phase IIb data for its Metsera‑acquired obesity drug PF’3944, showing a 12.3% average weight loss at week 28 in the 3.2‑mg and 4.8‑mg monthly dosing arms. Analysts noted the placebo‑adjusted loss is roughly 12%, trailing Eli Lilly’s Zepbound 16%...
Merck Bats Away ‘Modest Growth’ Accusations, Touts Broad Pipeline
Merck met its 2025 sales guidance, reporting fourth‑quarter revenue of $16.4 billion, slightly above expectations. The company’s HPV vaccine Gardasil saw a 35% global decline, driven by weak demand in China and Japan. CEO Robert Davis countered modest‑growth criticism by highlighting...
BioNTech’s Multi-Modality Play Outpaces Moderna’s mRNA-Focused Pipeline
BioNTech is outpacing Moderna by expanding beyond mRNA into a multi‑modality oncology pipeline, highlighted by its $3.5 billion pumitamig partnership and several Phase III candidates. Moderna, still anchored to mRNA, has seen COVID‑19 vaccine revenues plunge from $18.4 billion in 2022 to $3.1 billion...
As Amgen and Lilly Recommit, Puerto Rico Seeks To Regain Manufacturing Momentum
Amgen and Eli Lilly have pledged more than $1.8 billion to expand their Puerto Rico facilities, with Amgen allocating $650 million to its Juncos biologics plant and Lilly committing over $1.2 billion to modernize its Carolina site for oral GLP‑1 production. These investments arrive as...
Wave To Work Alone on RNA Editor as AATD Picture Becomes Clearer
Wave Life Sciences will continue developing its RNA‑editing candidate WVE‑006 for alpha‑1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) after GSK relinquished its stake, aiming for accelerated regulatory feedback by mid‑2026. The AATD market, valued at $2.6 billion today, is projected to reach $6.2 billion by...
GSK Hands RNA Editor Back to Wave After Underwhelming Early AATD Data
GSK has returned Wave Life Sciences' RNA‑editing oligonucleotide WVE‑006 after a modest Phase Ib/IIa readout for alpha‑1 antitrypsin deficiency. The September data showed 11.9 µM AAT, slightly below analyst expectations, prompting GSK to refocus on larger indications like COPD. Despite the...
FDA Warned Corcept of ‘Significant Review Issues’ for Rejected Drug in Early Meetings
The FDA issued a complete response letter rejecting Corcept Therapeutics' relacorilant for hypercortisolism, citing significant review issues identified early in the submission process. While the Phase III GRACE trial met its primary endpoint, the agency questioned the hypertension data and warned...
Opinion: Pricing Transparency Is Coming to the Pharma Industry
The article argues that the pharmaceutical sector must abandon its long‑standing secrecy on drug pricing as recent U.S. executive orders intensify pressure for transparency. While companies cite R&D costs and complex payer negotiations, they rarely disclose how individual drug prices...
Psychedelics Space at a ‘Tipping Point’ as Compass, Definium Gear Up To File for Approval
Compass Pathways and Definium (formerly MindMed) are poised to file FDA applications for their psychedelic therapies—Compass' psilocybin‑based COMP360 for treatment‑resistant depression and Definium's LSD‑based MM120 for anxiety—following late‑stage Phase III readouts. Analysts predict filings by Q3 2025 and potential approvals by 2027,...
Despite Wide Support for Rare Disease, Voucher Program Caught Up in Senate's ICE Fight
The Senate’s failure to pass the omnibus spending bill left the rare‑pediatric priority review voucher (PRV) program without reauthorization, prompting biotech CEOs to intensify lobbying. Without a renewal, about 200 rare‑disease therapies could lose eligibility, threatening up to $4 billion in...
FDA’s Multiple Myeloma Guidance Highlights Decade of Success
The FDA released draft guidance urging sponsors of multiple myeloma drugs to use minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity as the primary endpoint for accelerated approval, moving beyond traditional overall response rates. The agency defines MRD‑negative as one cancer cell per...
TrumpRx Delayed Amid Potential Anti-Kickback Concerns
The White House postponed the rollout of TrumpRx, the federal direct‑to‑consumer drug marketplace. Officials cite potential violations of the federal anti‑kickback statute as a key factor, prompting HHS to issue a guidance bulletin outlining required safeguards. Major manufacturers including Pfizer,...
Moderna Teams With Recordati on Rare Disease mRNA Therapy for up to $160M
Moderna has signed a partnership with Italy’s Recordati to advance mRNA‑3927, a therapy for the rare metabolic disorder propionic acidemia. The agreement provides up to $160 million, including a $50 million upfront payment and milestone fees, with Recordati taking charge of commercialization....
Sanofi Moves Away From mRNA Flu Vaccine as CEO Projects Confidence
Sanofi announced it has deprioritized its SP0237 mRNA‑based seasonal flu vaccine, removing the candidate from near‑term launch plans. The hexavalent shot was in a Phase I/II safety and immunogenicity trial for adults over 50, which remains active but is not recruiting...
Summit’s Potential Keytruda Rival Gets November FDA Decision Date
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has set a November 14 deadline to rule on Summit Therapeutics’ bispecific antibody ivonescimab, which targets PD‑1 and VEGF in EGFR‑mutant non‑small cell lung cancer. Summit’s Phase III HARMONi trial demonstrated a roughly 50% improvement in...
Biotech’s Next Chapter: Asset-Centric Deals and Shifting Alpha at JPM 2026
Biotech is emerging from a multi‑year slump into a new cycle driven by late‑stage, asset‑centric deals, as highlighted at JPM 2026. While headline megadeals were scarce, rumors around Revolution Medicines and Abivax and announced transactions such as Eli Lilly‑Ventyx and GSK‑RAPT underscored...
AstraZeneca Pledges $15B More in Chinese Investments for Cell Therapies, Radiopharma
AstraZeneca announced a $15 billion investment in its China operations through 2030, aimed at bolstering capabilities in cell therapies and radioconjugates. The funding will support the full drug development chain, from design to manufacturing, and expand existing production sites in Wuxi,...
Sanofi Suffers Another Sales Dip For 'Gift to Public Health' Vaccines
Sanofi reported a 2.5% decline in 2025 vaccine revenue to €2 bn, marking a continued sales dip amid rising U.S. vaccine skepticism. The drop was offset by a 31.5% surge in flu and COVID‑19 vaccine sales, driven by higher virus circulation...
Lilly Establishes up to $2.7B Repertoire Deal in Second Immune Play of 2026
Eli Lilly has signed a strategic alliance with Repertoire Immune Medicines, providing $85 million upfront and up to $1.84 billion in milestone payments to develop T‑cell‑targeted therapies for autoimmune diseases. The collaboration will use Repertoire’s DECODE platform to pinpoint T‑cell antigen interactions, aiming...
10 Companies Hiring IT Professionals Now
Biotech firms are aggressively recruiting IT talent as the sector’s digital transformation accelerates. After a mid‑year dip in 2025, job postings rebounded in the last four months and January 2026 listings already surpass December’s total. Ten companies—including AbbVie, Amgen, Lilly...
REGENXBIO Delay Could Put Denali in Pole Position for Hunter Syndrome Approval
The FDA placed a clinical hold on REGENXBIO’s RGX‑111 and RGX‑121 after a tumor was found in a five‑year‑old patient potentially linked to the AAV vector. The hold jeopardizes REGENXBIO’s Feb. 8, 2026 PDUFA deadline for its Hunter syndrome gene therapy. Denali...
J&J’s Darzalex Faspro Notches Another Multiple Myeloma Indication, Pushing Into Frontline
The FDA approved Johnson & Johnson’s Darzalex Faspro as part of a four‑drug regimen for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who cannot undergo stem cell transplantation. This is the drug’s twelfth overall and fifth frontline indication. Phase III CEPHEUS data showed 52.3%...
Advanced Therapies Week 2026: ‘Solving for Science’ and Weathering Global Complexity
Advanced Therapies Week 2026 in San Diego will spotlight the accelerating yet turbulent landscape of cell and gene therapies. New FDA guidance, including the plausible‑mechanism pathway, promises faster approvals, while recent U.S. cuts to mRNA projects and a wave of...
Cardiff Craters Amid Executive Exits, Mixed Mid-Stage Data
Cardiff Oncology announced the departure of its CEO and CFO while releasing mixed Phase II data for its PLK1 inhibitor onvansertib. In the CRDF‑004 trial, the 30 mg dose combined with FOLFIRI + bevacizumab achieved a 72.2% objective response rate and a 62% reduction...
Roche Makes Obesity Splash, Moderna Cans Vaccine Trials, Sarepta’s New Data, More
Roche announced that its GLP‑1/GIP candidate CT‑388 achieved a 22.5% average weight loss in a Phase II study and will launch a Phase III trial early this year, pairing the drug with a Zealand Pharma therapy to curb gastrointestinal side effects. Baseline...
FDA Lifts One of Two Clinical Holds on Intellia’s ATTR Gene Editing Program
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted its clinical hold on Intellia Therapeutics' MAGNITUDE‑2 Phase III trial of the CRISPR‑based therapy nex‑z for hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (ATTRv‑PN). The company announced that patient enrollment will resume, prompting a 10 % rise...
Baseline Debuts To Challenge GLP-1 Giant Lilly in Alcohol Use Disorder
Baseline Therapeutics, a San Francisco biotech, has launched its GLP‑1 analog BT‑001 to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD). The company has secured FDA alignment and will begin two randomized, placebo‑controlled Phase III trials this year. Baseline also plans to expand BT‑001 into...
Big Pharma Tight-Lipped on Details of API Stockpile Deals
Pharma giants Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK and Merck have agreed to contribute large quantities of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve (SAPIR) as part of the Trump administration’s supply‑chain resilience push. The deals, sealed at...
FDA Inspections Should Not Be Source of Stress
FDA inspections often trigger frantic, short‑term fixes that hide deeper operational flaws. A reactive approach can lead to costly citations, product recalls, and even multi‑million‑dollar losses, as illustrated by a pump‑contamination incident. Proactive inspection readiness ties asset reliability, documentation, and...
Sarepta’s DMD Gene Therapy Staves Off Disease Three Years After Treatment
Sarepta Therapeutics reported three‑year data from the Phase III EMBARK trial showing that Elevidys, its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), continues to stabilize disease progression in ambulatory patients. Motor function measures improved, with a 73% slowdown in time‑to‑rise and...
Merck Backs Off Revolution After Failing To Agree on Price: WSJ
Merck and Revolution Medicines ended acquisition talks after failing to agree on a purchase price, with proposals hovering between $28 billion and $32 billion. The biotech’s lead drug, daraxonrasib, has generated strong early‑stage data and earned an FDA priority voucher, making it...
To Accelerate Rare Disease Progress, Take a Sandbox Approach
A sandbox framework is proposed to overhaul rare‑disease drug development, allowing regulators, sponsors, patients and academics to collaborate in real time. The model groups therapies into small‑molecule, biologic and complex sandboxes, enabling a continuous IND that spans Phase 1‑3 and eliminates...
Rare Disease Vouchers Caught in Political Abyss. It Didn’t Have To Be This Way
The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act, which would re‑authorize the rare pediatric disease priority‑review voucher (PRV) program, is stuck in a $1.2 trillion appropriations bill, jeopardizing its passage despite bipartisan support. The PRV program, created in 2012, grants vouchers...
BMS Bets $850M on Janux’s Tumor-Activated Drugs, Deepening Cancer Investments
Bristol Myers Squibb has signed a partnership with San Diego‑based Janux Therapeutics, committing up to $850 million in upfront payments and milestone funding to co‑develop a tumor‑activated immunotherapy. The investigational drug targets an undisclosed solid‑tumor antigen and employs a proprietary masking...
FDA Sets Feb. 1 Launch Date for PreCheck Pilot To Strengthen Domestic Supply Chain
The FDA will begin accepting applications for its PreCheck pilot on Feb. 1, 2025, with a one‑month window to submit proposals for new domestic drug‑manufacturing facilities. The program, slated for a June 30 selection deadline, offers early regulatory feedback and a streamlined...
Lexicon Opens Path to $1B+ Opportunity as FDA Greenlights Phase III for Non-Opioid Pill
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals received FDA clearance to advance its non‑opioid analgesic pilavapadin into Phase III trials for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, following a smooth end‑of‑Phase II meeting. The agency raised no additional study requirements and agreed on a 12‑week, placebo‑controlled design using a...
‘Almost Like a Religion’: Pfizer CEO Slams RFK Jr.’s 'Anti-Science' Vaccine Policies
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla publicly denounced U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as "anti‑science" for his vaccine rhetoric, a remark made at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Since Kennedy assumed the HHS role in February 2025, he has questioned...
From Sound Bites to Signals: Editors Parse Executive and Investor Chatter at JPM
BioSpace’s Denatured podcast released a post‑JPM episode where senior editor Annalee Armstrong and news editor Dan Samorodnitsky dissect conversations with pharma and biotech executives and investors. Hosted by Jennifer Smith‑Parker, the discussion highlights emerging industry themes and offers forecasts for...
Increasingly Competitive Job Market Worries, Frustrates Biopharma Professionals
BioSpace’s 2026 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook reveals a sharp rise in job‑search activity among biopharma professionals. In the latest survey, 52 % of employed or contract respondents are actively looking, up from 46 % in 2024, while 93 % of the unemployed...
The New Gold Rush in Brain Science
Venture capitalists are aggressively targeting the brain, with billions flowing into CNS drug development and neurotechnology after breakthroughs in biomarkers, imaging and patient stratification. Big‑pharma deals—Johnson & Johnson’s $14.6 billion acquisition of Intra‑Cellular Therapies and Sanofi’s $470 million purchase of Vigil Neuroscience—signal...
JPM26: Filling C-Suites, Union Square—And Elevators—With Pink
The Biotech CEO Sisterhood’s pink‑themed gathering at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference drew up to 1,000 participants, underscoring a growing movement to spotlight women executives in biopharma. Since its 2022 launch, the group has expanded to about 350 members and...