MRNA Is Poised to Rise Beyond Infectious Diseases, if It’s Not Derailed by R&D Cuts
mRNA technology, once celebrated for COVID‑19 vaccines, now faces heightened political and regulatory scrutiny, including the cancellation of roughly $500 million in BARDA contracts. A new JAMA Network Open study shows NIH has invested $1.65 billion in 178 mRNA grants since 1997, with only 75 aimed at vaccines and the remainder covering cancer, neurological, cardiovascular and rare‑disease research. The analysis highlights over 2,300 publications and significant involvement of small biotech firms through SBIR and STTR programs. Ongoing anti‑mRNA sentiment could jeopardize decades of progress across these therapeutic areas.
Novartis Acquisition Spin-Off Pioneers RNA Therapeutics for the Heart
Novartis spun out Avidity Biosciences' RNA‑delivery platform into Atrium Therapeutics, a publicly traded company focused on precision RNA medicines for rare genetic cardiomyopathies. Atrium secured $270 million in funding and a licensing deal to use the validated siRNA‑antibody platform that targets...
As Chinese Biotechs Recognize Their Value, the Bargain Era May Be Over
Chinese biotech licensing activity surged in 2025, with 92 deals—a jump from 64 the prior year—and total deal value reaching a record $137.7 billion. The average upfront payment climbed from $102 million to $141 million, signaling that Chinese assets are no longer deep‑discount...
What’s at Stake for Bayer in Its Supreme Court Showdown?
Bayer’s 2018 acquisition of Monsanto brought a wave of glyphosate lawsuits, prompting a proposed $7.25 billion class settlement and an undisclosed additional pact. The company’s CEO, Bill Anderson, is steering a restructuring that includes 12,000 layoffs and a focus on pharma...
340B: When the Safest Move Can Feel Like No Move at All. Why ‘Waiting’ Is No Longer a Viable Strategy.
The article warns that passive waiting on 340B policy shifts is no longer safe, as it hands compliance risk and margin pressure to regulators and competitors. Manufacturers must shift from guesswork to data‑driven oversight, especially by capturing claims‑level utilization across...
New FDA Guidance Could Elevate Pharma’s Biosimilar Market
The FDA issued draft guidance that could lower biosimilar testing requirements by permitting foreign comparator data, potentially cutting development costs by about half. Over 80 biosimilars have been approved in the U.S. since the first approval 11 years ago, yet...
Keytruda and Padcev Could Become Cancer’s Power Couple
Oncology is moving toward combination regimens, and Merck's Keytruda paired with Pfizer/Astellas' Padcev has emerged as a leading duo. A phase 3 trial in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer showed the combo cut the risk of recurrence, progression and death roughly in half,...
Executives Want in, but Researchers Want Out — How Pharma’s US Job Picture Is Changing
U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing is booming, with companies pledging over $370 billion in new facilities through 2030, prompting senior executives to relocate to the United States. At the same time, U.S. academic and research funding has been slashed, leading a majority of...
The First KRAS Drugs Have Been Sluggish on the Market. Will the Next Generation Fare Better?
Amgen’s Lumakras earned accelerated FDA approval in 2021 as the first KRAS‑targeted therapy, but sales have been modest, reaching $92 million in Q4 2025 with only an 8% year‑over‑year increase. A second G12C inhibitor, Krazati, entered the market in 2022, narrowing Amgen’s...
Biopharma’s Recent String of CEO Splits
Three biopharma firms—Bavarian Nordic, Sarepta Therapeutics, and Alkermes—announced the departures of long‑standing CEOs, prompting short‑term share declines. Bavarian Nordic’s Paul Chaplin steps down after a blocked $3 billion buyout, while Sarepta’s Doug Ingram leaves amid family health issues and recent product...
Inside the Race to Thwart the Dramatic Rise in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer
Early‑onset colorectal cancer now accounts for about 13% of U.S. cases, with roughly 20,000 new diagnoses each year in patients under 50. The disease is more aggressive, often presenting at later stages because routine screening starts at age 45. Researchers...
Big Pharma’s Next Entrant Could Come From China
Chinese drugmakers, led by Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, are emerging as global biotech contenders. Hengrui topped 2024 trial sponsorship, boasts a pipeline of 100 investigational drugs and 400 trials, and secured a $500 million partnership with GSK that could yield $12 billion. Analysts...
How PBM Reforms Could Push Drugmakers Into the Pricing Spotlight
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 bans pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from receiving compensation tied to drug list prices and mandates 100% rebate pass‑through to plan sponsors by August 2028. The law also allocates roughly $190 million to the Centers for...
China’s Biopharma Advance Draws Financial Investment
Chinese biotech firms are moving beyond licensing deals as capital markets open, highlighted by a 64% rise in the Hang Seng Biotech Index in 2025. Reforms to listing rules since 2018 have unlocked public financing, enabling a record $138 billion in...
Operating a New Standard for Life-Saving Pharmaceutical Logistics
Pharmaceutical logistics faces $38 billion annual waste due to fragmented temperature‑controlled networks and customs delays. Frontier Scientific Solutions, based in Wilmington and Shannon, has built a purpose‑built, cGMP‑grade infrastructure that integrates storage, monitoring and direct airside access. By consolidating routes, the...
No One-Trick Pony in Oncology, Merck’s Cancer Footprint Is Expanding
Merck is expanding beyond its flagship Keytruda by investing in diverse oncology platforms. In 2024 it spent $700 million on a bispecific candidate from Curon and $680 million to acquire Harpoon Therapeutics, bolstering its T‑cell engager portfolio. The company is also advancing...
More Drugmakers Are Turning to Cancer Combos. Will It Help Patients Live Longer?
Pharmaceutical companies are accelerating the development of combination cancer therapies, moving away from single‑agent regimens. Recent phase‑III trials show that pairing immunotherapies with targeted drugs or chemotherapy can improve progression‑free survival across multiple tumor types. The FDA has granted approvals...
Ovid Takes Another Big Swing in Neuroscience Under a New CEO
Ovid Therapeutics, under new CEO Meg Alexander, is re‑orienting its neuroscience pipeline toward first‑in‑class KCC2 modulators while advancing a drug‑resistant epilepsy candidate toward Phase 2. The company’s earlier flagship, soticlestat, failed in Phase 3, eliminating $600 million in potential milestones, prompting a strategic...
New Diagnostics Define Drug Targets for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Beyond
Amprion Diagnostics has commercialized a seed‑amplification assay, SAAmplify‑αSYN, that detects misfolded alpha‑synuclein in cerebrospinal fluid, earning FDA breakthrough‑device status in 2019. The test can identify Parkinson’s, Lewy‑body dementia and up to half of Alzheimer’s cases years before clinical symptoms appear....