10 top trial flops in ‘22

Today's Big News

Feb 21, 2023

Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine filing gets priority review, setting up showdown with AstraZeneca, Sanofi


Akebia says FDA staffing constraints are throwing a roadblock into appeal process


2022's 10 top clinical trial flops


Astellas has menopause accelerated approval ambition thwarted by FDA at last minute


With $135M in fresh funds, Hemab aims to leapfrog drug development for neglected blood disorders


Bridge holds firm despite placebo beating drug in midphase ulcerative colitis trial


Potential preeclampsia treatment uses LNPs to deliver mRNA to the placenta


Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2023: Chimera cuts 40% of staff amid funding challenges; Layoffs hit a third of Talaris' team


Scientists use drug to lengthen limb bones of mice with rare bone disorder, potentially avoiding surgery

 

Featured

Pfizer's maternal RSV vaccine filing gets priority review, setting up showdown with AstraZeneca, Sanofi

Pfizer is ready to ram home its advantage in the respiratory syncytial virus maternal vaccine race. With onetime close rival GSK still stalled, the Big Pharma has put itself on course to receive a landmark approval by August and go on to challenge AstraZeneca and Sanofi’s long-acting antibody for the market.
 

Top Stories

Akebia says FDA staffing constraints are throwing a roadblock into appeal process

Staffing constraints at the FDA are throwing a wrench into Akebia's formal appeals process of its kidney disease med, vadadustat. The company appealed the agency's rejection of the med in October 2022 after it was knocked down earlier in the year.

2022's 10 top clinical trial flops

Thousands of studies are registered each year in the U.S. alone, so there is always a vast array of disappointing results to choose from as we compile our 10 top clinical trial flops.

Addressing the next wave of COVID-19 through a new approach to vaccines

Ocugen remains diligent in developing innovative COVID-19 vaccine options—including a non-mRNA injectable and next-gen inhaled vaccine—to meet the current need and prepare for an annual booster strategy.

Astellas has menopause accelerated approval ambition thwarted by FDA at last minute

Astellas’ bid to bring menopause drug candidate fezolinetant to market has hit a last-minute snag. Just days before the approval decision date, the FDA has extended the review by three months to give it more time to complete its assessment.

With $135M in fresh funds, Hemab aims to leapfrog drug development for neglected blood disorders

While hemophilia has soaked up clinical attention and investor dollars for decades, it’s come at the expense of a range of intriguingly named but less well-known blood clotting disorders. That’s where Hemab Therapeutics comes in.

Bridge holds firm despite placebo beating drug in midphase ulcerative colitis trial

Bridge Biotherapeutics is keeping the faith after seeing its lead inflammation candidate fail a midphase trial. BBT-401 performed numerically worse than placebo in the ulcerative colitis clinical trial, but Bridge continues to see the Pellino-1 inhibitor as an important asset and is plotting formulation changes.

Potential preeclampsia treatment uses LNPs to deliver mRNA to the placenta

There’s no shortage of applications for RNA technology, from vaccines to treating wrinkles. Now, researchers are looking to add another indication to the list: preeclampsia, a common but dangerous condition in pregnancy where malformed blood vessels to the placenta prevent proper blood flow between the mother and the fetus, jeopardizing the health of both.

Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2023: Chimera cuts 40% of staff amid funding challenges; Layoffs hit a third of Talaris' team

We had hoped that our Layoff Tracker would stay retired for a while, but 2023 is starting to look a lot like our old friend 2022 when it comes to layoffs in biotech.

Scientists use drug to lengthen limb bones of mice with rare bone disorder, potentially avoiding surgery

Scientists may have found a way to intervene on some aspects of Robinow syndrome disorders before they have a chance to fully develop.

Chasing Pfizer, Alnylam to face FDA Adcomm for Onpattro’s rare heart disease bid

The FDA has accepted Alnylam’s application for Onpattro in the rare heart disease of ATTR-CM, a blockbuster territory that Pfizer dominates. The bad news? There will an advisory committee meeting to examine the drug’s controversial data.

Flagship's Pioneering Medicines to carve a new drug discovery path with Charles River's AI

A year after Charles River Laboratories teamed up with artificial intelligence developer Valo Health to build an AI-powered drug discovery and development platform, the contract research organization is putting that tech to work.

Do clinicians really need to diagnose long COVID? We asked the experts

No generally agreed upon best practice guidelines for the treatment and diagnosis of long COVID exist. There do exist, however, guidelines for most of the symptoms that patients who may be suffering from long COVID present with. Can’t providers just take them on one at a time?
 
Fierce podcasts

Don't miss an episode

'The Top Line': What the patent fight between Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech means, negotiating vaccine contracts via text messages and this week's news 

This week on "The Top Line," we discuss the intense patent fight between Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech around the mRNA technology used in their COVID-19 vaccines. We also talk about negotiating vaccine contracts via text messages, one of the biggest medtech deals of the year and other top headlines from this week.
 

Resources

Research

Strategizing for Clinical Trial Diversity

Like many top 10 and global pharma companies, an H1 client needed to diversify both its patient outreach and site investigator profiles for upcoming trials.
Whitepaper

The Power of Small & Safety: Nanoplasmid™️ Vector Platform

Discover the Power of Small with NanoplasmidTM – the next-generation plasmid for manufacturing today’s cell and gene therapies.

Whitepaper

Commercializing Gene Therapies, Part 3 – Cost Drivers

This paper explores the cost drivers behind gene therapies and how they are likely to evolve in the coming years.
Whitepaper

Unlocking the Therapeutic Potential of Previously Undruggable GPCRs

Exploring the biology of G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) and outlining a novel approach for developing therapeutics against previously undruggable GPCRs
Whitepaper

Leveraging Archetypes for Effective Launch Strategy

Learn more about critical success factors for your next launch based on the experience of 100+ pharma product launches.
On-Demand Webinar

Writing the Future of Antibody Discovery Solutions

See how high-throughput DNA synthesis combined with antibody engineering expertise provides end-to-end antibody discovery solutions.

Whitepaper

Intranasal Drug Product Development: Formulation to Manufacturing

What are key considerations for intranasal delivery in the treatment of acute and chronic conditions?
Research

Step-wise strategy to address process characterization and late phase development

Learn more on Catalent’s step-wise approach for the definition and execution of Process Characterization for the production of a monoclonal antibody for late phase process characterization and development.

Whitepaper

Running Decentralized Trials at Scale

Explore how clinical supply can be scaled up as decentralized programs progress, and how technological solutions can accelerate trial deployment.
Whitepaper

Key Clinical Supply Issues Sponsors Should Consider with their CRO

As sponsors increasingly look to CROs to support their clinical studies, making and addressing certain clinical supply considerations at the outset of the relationship can reduce the risk of potentially unforeseen impact to budget and time later. Discover key issues sponsors should consider to help their CRO or partner of choice better understand their clinical supply needs.

Whitepaper

Specialized Expertise for Management of Clinical Supply Budgets

For sponsors, cost is a key concern when it comes to managing the supply of their clinical trials. A financial project analyst (FPA) is a specialized expert who can help control clinical supply costs and keep the project within budget. Explore the critical role that a Financial Project Analyst plays in clinical trial supply and budget management.
Whitepaper

Clinical Supply Solutions for the Asia-Pacific Region

Learn how Catalent’s extensive network across APAC can meet a wide range of clinical supply needs for sponsors conducting trials within the region.
Whitepaper

Designing an Optimal APAC Clinical Supply Chain

Discover key considerations that every trial sponsor should know when navigating the complex clinical supply distribution landscape across Asia-Pacific.
Whitepaper

Roles and Responsibilities of Specialized Clinical Supply Experts

How can specialized expertise help you optimize your clinical supply chain? Learn about the roles and responsibilities of unique experts such as clinical supply management, project management, and financial project analysis.
Research

A Strategy to Standardize Process Characterization & Late Phase Development

Learn more on an approach for process characterization for the production of a monoclonal antibody, which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process by targeting the right design and number of experiments.

Whitepaper

Supply Services to Support Clinical Trials in Japan & Beyond

Explore Catalent’s newest clinical supply facility in Japan, including the comprehensive services & solutions it offers to help support trials both in-country & around the world.
Whitepaper

Questions You Need to Ask Your CRO About Clinical Supply

Planning on using a CRO to support your next clinical study? This infographic outlines critical areas to address at the start of the relationship in order to ensure that budget and timelines keep on track for the duration of the trial.
Case Study

A Strategy to Standardize Process Characterization & Late Phase Development

Learn more on an approach for process characterization for the production of a monoclonal antibody, which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process by targeting the right design and number of experiments.

 

Industry Events

 

Upcoming Fierce Events

27-28
Feb
Arlington, VA
14-15
Mar
San Francisco, CA
20-22
Mar
West Palm Beach, FL
3-4
Apr
San Diego, CA
1-3
May
May 1-3, 2023 | Jersey City, NJ

View all events