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Editor’s note: Fierce Biotech will not publish on Monday in observance of the Presidents Day holiday, but we’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, February 16.

Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Amicus misses goal in Pompe phase 3 but still pushes for approval, showdown with Sanofi 

A phase 3 clinical trial of Amicus Therapeutics’ late-onset Pompe disease prospect has missed its primary endpoint. Yet Amicus looked past the failure of AT-GAA to improve statistically on Sanofi’s market incumbent Lumizyme, zeroing in on details of the data to justify forging ahead with plans to seek approval of the candidate.

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Top Stories

Bristol Myers Squibb pens $1.3B biobucks pact with Molecular Templates, axes Celgene CAR-T asset

Bristol Myers Squibb is putting down up to $1.3 billion on a next-gen engineered toxin body cancer platform from Molecular Templates as it cuts an unwanted cell therapy from its Celgene buyout.

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Roche's Eylea rival poised for FDA filings with new phase 3 data

Roche’s bispecific antibody matched Regeneron’s blockbuster Eylea in four phase 3 studies comparing the two in diabetic macular edema and wet age-related macular degeneration. The studies found the experimental drug did no worse than the incumbent despite a majority of the patients going longer between injections.

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Sponsored: Understanding the pharmaceutical lifecycle and the benefits of a menu-driven approach

The concept of one-stop shopping has become more popular in the biopharmaceutical industry in recent years, prompting many traditional commercial manufacturing organizations (CMOs) to provide support to clients throughout the manufacturing lifecycle.

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Denali's small sneak peek shows up positives for its Hunter syndrome asset

Neurodegenerative biotech and pharma friend Denali has revealed a positive peek at some early Hunter syndrome data.

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Takeda's maribavir clears cytomegalovirus infections in phase 3

Takeda has shared results from a successful phase 3 clinical trial of maribavir in transplant recipients with refractory cytomegalovirus infection. The trial suggests maribavir is better at clearing the virus from the blood than existing treatments such as ganciclovir and valganciclovir.

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FDA greenlights Visby Medical's single-use, portable PCR test for COVID-19

Visby Medical received a new emergency authorization from the FDA for its rapid, single-use PCR test designed to detect COVID-19 infections at the point of care.

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Glioblastoma map points to new protein targets and immuno-oncology approaches

A study of 99 glioblastoma tumors resulted in a map of genes, proteins, cells and signaling pathways that are active in the disease. The map revealed potential new protein targets, as well as four different immune subtypes of glioblastoma that could point to effective immunotherapy strategies, the researchers said.

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Fierce Pharma Asia—Moderna's new vax plant; Lilly-Junshi COVID-19 cocktail's emergency nod; AZ's Hong Kong incubator

Moderna is in talks with South Korea for a new $200 million vaccine production plant. Eli Lilly scored an emergency nod for its Junshi-partnered COVID-19 antibody cocktail. AstraZeneca joined forces with Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks to set up an incubator for startups working to improve the treatment and diagnosis of cancer. And more.

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Chutes & Ladders—After Verastem pit stop, bluebird vet Neumann lands at Kite

Ex-bluebird cancer research chief Frank Neumann lands at Gilead's Kite Pharma after a brief stopover at Verastem. Hot on the heels of fresh CEO grab, Penrose TherapeuTx signs new chief development officer. Editas chair Mullen to step up to CEO plate from Feb. 15.

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Enrollment Showcase

Specialize Your Career in Pharmaceutical Outcomes

Learn about the Top 5-Ranked UF College of Pharmacy’s online graduate programs in pharmaceutical outcomes & policy. Select from five specializations, including the new pharmaceutical value assessment & communication option. Over half of graduates progress to a new role within one year. Register now.

Resources

eBook: Your Path to Virtualization: Eight parameters to accelerate and optimize your technology strategy

8 parameters to optimize your “Path to Virtualization” across site- and patient-centric capabilities in this Sponsor Edition eBook.

Whitepaper: Navigating the Digital Transformation Journey

Uncover the real impact of “digital transformation” with practical advice to help you plan your own transformative journey to a harmonized digital ecosystem.

Whitepaper: A Single Source of Truth: Acorn AI's Commercial Data Model

Acorn AI has developed a flexible and scalable Commercial Data Model that provides pharmaceutical companies with the data-driven insights required to respond to the industry’s ever-changing landscape. Download the whitepaper to learn how Acorn AI’s intuitive data model enables launch success and more. 

Sponsored: Lessons Learned: Best IT Practices to Secure Your Remote Workforce Now

Criminals Are Actively Exploiting The CV-19 Pandemic To Gain Entry To Enterprise Networks. Don’t Let Your Company Become A Cybercrime Statistic -- Make These Cost-Effective IT Changes Now!

Content Hub: Access resources to guide your molecule from lab to clinic

It’s an exciting time to pioneer what could be a life-changing medicine. Clear the path to the clinic with pro tips and expert insights from industry leaders.

Content Hub: Emerging Biotech Resource Center

A one-stop hub for Cytiva resources to support process development and manufacturing of your novel molecule

Executive Summary: Manufacturing Strategies to Effectively Industrialize Autologous Cell Therapies

Autologous cell therapies have seen propelled growth since 2017, with the spotlight on the first FDA approval of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy, Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel), for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Research: Premier Research Resource Hub

Browse the latest learnings and insights from our clinical development professionals.

eBrief: Drug Product Process Development: Ensuring a Consistent, High-quality Biologic

Learn about drug product process development challenges and risks, the difference between innovator and biosimilar drug product process development, and more during the drug product process development phase.

Whitepaper: Achieving a Successful Drug Product Technology Transfer

Get insights on key considerations for a successful tech transfer process for manufacturing a biologic drug product, including a case study on overcoming challenges in a process transfer for a sterile diluent.

Whitepaper: The Art of Recognizing Clinical Supply Risk Factors

In a BioPharma Dive industry survey, planning and forecasting were identified as top concerns for trial sponsors. In response to this need, the CSM team at Catalent has developed a methodology for identifying, evaluating, and proactively managing the inherent risks involved in clinical trial supply chain management.

eBook: Expecting the Unexpected: Strategies for Efficient Clinical Supply Management and Forecasting

Learn how to drive excellence within the forecasting process and utilize forecasting throughout the clinical study to better plan clinical supply budgets and project timelines. Explore how to identify potential supply-related issues before they can negatively impact your study.

Events