Novartis' $925M M&A play takes back cardio candidate

Today’s Big News

Feb 11, 2025

Pfizer’s investigational candidate combo cuts prostate cancer progression by 49% in phase 1 

Eisai execs flag Leqembi 'expansion phase' on the horizon as Alzheimer's med grows slowly 

Novartis inks $925M Anthos takeover to buy back phase 3 clot-busting candidate 

Vertex lays out plan to increase access and launch non-opioid pain reliever Journavx 

UPDATE: Judge temporarily blocks NIH grant changes in 22 states 

FDA slaps China-based API makers with separate warning letters outlining quality, testing shortfalls

Pfizer wins 2025 Super Bowl with ad's 'likeability,' while Hims & Hers' spot takes engagement crown: analysts 

UPDATE: Merck KGaA sets its sights on acquisition of Ogsiveo maker SpringWorks 

Insilico Medicine provides benchmark timelines from its 22 AI-designed drug candidates 

 

Featured

Pfizer's investigational candidate combo cuts prostate cancer progression by 49% in phase 1

By Gabrielle Masson

After an apparent accidental early release, Pfizer has revealed phase 1 data showing its investigational candidate, when combined with Xtandi, reduced prostate cancer progression by 49% compared with Xtandi alone.
 

Top Stories

Eisai execs flag Leqembi 'expansion phase' on the horizon as Alzheimer's med grows slowly

By Fraiser Kansteiner

Some two years into Leqembi’s launch, Eisai continues to go all-in on its Alzheimer’s disease-fighting antibody, which the company believes could be finally nearing a “growth expansion phase” despite slow sales so far in the U.S.

Novartis inks $925M Anthos takeover to buy back phase 3 clot-busting candidate

By Nick Paul Taylor

Novartis has brought abelacimab back into the fold. Six years after spinning the asset out to form Anthos Therapeutics, Novartis has struck a deal to buy Anthos for $925 million upfront to add the clot-busting prospect to its late-phase pipeline.

Vertex lays out plan to increase access and launch non-opioid pain reliever Journavx

By Kevin Dunleavy

During its quarterly earnings presentation, Vertex said that it expects to begin shipping newly approved non-opioid pain reliever Journavx by the end of this month and is working to secure “broad stocking agreements” with national and regional pharmacy chains.

UPDATE: Judge temporarily blocks NIH grant changes in 22 states

By Gabrielle Masson

A new initiative rolled out under President Donald Trump’s administration is cutting billions from grants for "indirect costs" tied to biomedical research, such as facilities, equipment and administrative expenses.

FDA slaps China-based API makers with separate warning letters outlining quality, testing shortfalls

By Fraiser Kansteiner

The FDA earlier this month issued separate warning letters to Chinese drug ingredient firms Nuowei Chemistry and Innovation Pharmaceutical. The write-ups cover the quality control and testing shortfalls that led to both companies receiving U.S. import bans in late January.

Pfizer wins 2025 Super Bowl with ad's 'likeability,' while Hims & Hers' spot takes engagement crown: analysts

By Andrea Park

Hims & Hers' “Sick of the System” spot not only generated the highest engagement of all pharma-related ads that aired during Sunday night’s broadcast, according to TV advertising analyst EDO, but also ranked in the top 10 of all Super Bowl ads across categories.

UPDATE: Merck KGaA sets its sights on acquisition of Ogsiveo maker SpringWorks

By Fraiser Kansteiner

Merck KGaA is in advanced talks to acquire cancer and rare disease specialist SpringWorks, which has a market value of around $3 billion, Reuters reported Monday. Merck KGaA confirmed the talks but said it's not certain a deal will come together.

Insilico Medicine provides benchmark timelines from its 22 AI-designed drug candidates

By Conor Hale

Insilico also disclosed it’s begun chasing new therapeutic areas in obesity and muscle wasting conditions as well as in nonaddictive painkillers.

Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2025: Inventiva and Third Harmonic cut half of staff

By Gabrielle Masson,Darren Incorvaia

As always, if you know of layoffs occurring at a biotech, please reach out to the Fierce Biotech editorial team.

Bayer brings heart health message to Super Bowl, warning millennials to open their eyes to risks

By Nick Paul Taylor

Older millennials, take note: Bayer is worried about your heart health. The drugmaker set out its concerns in an ad for aspirin, showing how people are putting themselves in danger by denying that they are now among the age group at risk of cardiovascular disease.

Tasso rolls out new at-home dried blood spot sample collectors for remote clinical trials

By Conor Hale

Its Tile-T20 cartridge and the wearable Tasso Mini push-button lancet are designed to collect four precise blood samples at a specific volume.

British biotech rebrands as Octavian, seeking to establish new empire after setbacks in 2024

By Nick Paul Taylor

Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies is shedding its old skin. Having delisted its stock last year, the biotech is rebranding as Octavian Therapeutics to align with its “growth ambitions and its transition to a privately held company.”
 
Fierce podcasts

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Looking ahead at the most anticipated drug launches of 2025

This week on "The Top Line," we dig into the 10 biggest potential drug launches of 2025, predicted to rake in a combined $29 billion in annual sales by the end of the decade.

How Congress may approach healthcare reform under Trump

What to expect from the biotech IPO market in 2025

 

Resources

Whitepaper

The Oncology Market: 2024 Year in Review

This paper reviews key developments in the oncology market during 2024 and outlines what they mean for the future.

Presented by Blue Matter, strategic consultants in the life sciences

 

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