Newsletter Tool

Today's Rundown

9-year J&J science chief Stoffels to steer Galapagos' rebound as CEO
With GSK, Alector has the Big Pharma backing to capitalize on a big moment in Alzheimer's drug development
Neck and neck with Pfizer, Moderna gives first dose of omicron-specific booster in phase 2 trial
Taysha mulls tweaks to gene therapy trial after subject dies
Moderna, Excision each enter HIV battle with mRNA and CRISPR tech
Septerna emerges with $100M to spark 'second golden age' of prolific drug target GPCR with pioneer as co-founder
Biogen boosts Aduhelm confirmatory trial amid fight for wider Medicare coverage
Blockbuster cancer med Keytruda may help flush out dormant HIV, suggesting a new way to treat long-running epidemic
Lilly, BMS drugs join top TV ad spenders in December as Dupixent stays on top
Biden admin redirected nearly $7B of provider relief to COVID vaccine, therapeutics purchases: report
Philips adds even more ventilators to Class I recall caused by faulty sound-muffling foam

Featured Story

9-year J&J science chief Stoffels to steer Galapagos' rebound as CEO

By Kyle LaHucik

Nine-year Johnson & Johnson Chief Scientific Officer Paul Stoffels is jumping back into biotech as the CEO of Galapagos, which he helped lay the foundation for in the late 1990s. He will lead the European biopharma as it looks to rebound from multiple setbacks in 2021.

With GSK, Alector has the Big Pharma backing to capitalize on a big moment in Alzheimer's drug development

By Annalee Armstrong

Alector is heading into 2022 backed by GlaxoSmithKline, which will allow the immuno-neurology biotech to go after four or five diseases at once—and at a time when neurodegenerative drug development has been catapulted into the spotlight.

Neck and neck with Pfizer, Moderna gives first dose of omicron-specific booster in phase 2 trial

By Nick Paul Taylor

The race to develop an omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine is in full swing. One day after Pfizer and BioNTech disclosed the start of their study, Moderna revealed it has dosed the first participant in a phase 2 trial that will study its omicron-specific booster candidate.

Taysha mulls tweaks to gene therapy trial after subject dies

By Nick Paul Taylor

Taysha Gene Therapies is mulling tweaks to its immunosuppression regimen after the first recipient of its gene therapy died. The death overshadowed positive biomarker data on Taysha’s treatment for infantile onset GM2 gangliosidosis, a severe neurodegenerative disease.

Moderna, Excision each enter HIV battle with mRNA and CRISPR tech

By Kyle LaHucik

Moderna and Excision BioTherapeutics are stepping into a battle with HIV, a 41-year epidemic that has confuddled drug developers and vaccine makers the world over. The famed vaccine marker will use its mRNA tech, while Excision will try and tackle the virus with CRISPR.

Septerna emerges with $100M to spark 'second golden age' of prolific drug target GPCR with pioneer as co-founder

By Kyle LaHucik

The California biotech is co-founded by Robert Lefkowitz—a pioneer in GPCR, one of the most popular drug targets—and incubated by Third Rock Ventures, which helped bankroll $100 million for initial research into endocrine, central nervous system, metabolic and inflammatory diseases.

Biogen boosts Aduhelm confirmatory trial amid fight for wider Medicare coverage

By Angus Liu

Biogen plans to power up an FDA-mandated postmarketing study of Alzheimer’s disease drug Aduhelm—a clinical trial that could be the sole revenue source for the controversial medicine for years to come if a Medicare coverage policy is finalized.

Blockbuster cancer med Keytruda may help flush out dormant HIV, suggesting a new way to treat long-running epidemic

By Kyle LaHucik

In the 41-year HIV epidemic, no treatments have been approved to completely clear the virus largely because of its ability to live on in hidden form in the genomes of T cells. Now, researchers say an approved cancer drug might help flush the dormant HIV from immune cells, potentially paving the way for new treatment options.

Lilly, BMS drugs join top TV ad spenders in December as Dupixent stays on top

By Ben Adams

Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology blockbuster Dupixent ended the year nabbing the highest TV ad spend for December. That's nothing new—but the list from real-time TV ad tracker iSpot.tv also turns up some new members and big spending movements.

Biden admin redirected nearly $7B of provider relief to COVID vaccine, therapeutics purchases: report

By Dave Muoio

A new report citing internal documents suggests that HHS spent Congress-allocated relief funds for hospitals and practices on COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. The agency said its decision was appropriate because those same resources were provided to hospitals at no cost.