Newsletter Tool

Today’s Big News

Mar 12, 2025

Roche pads out obesity pipeline, paying Zealand $1.6B upfront to codevelop amylin asset

Harbour BioMed launches new obesity biotech on mission to preserve muscle mass

Ono pays $280M upfront for Ionis' antisense oligonucleotide for rare blood cancer

GSK posts data on HIV assets vying for roles in 6-month combo

Manufacturer fuels Swiss biotech’s next-gen vaccine portfolio in new investment deal

NIH grants powered $94B in economic activity in 2024 and supported more than 400K jobs: report

Insilico Medicine raises $110M for new trials and robotic helping hands

Featured

Roche pads out obesity pipeline, paying Zealand $1.6B upfront to codevelop amylin asset

By Nick Paul Taylor

Roche is paying $1.65 billion in confirmed upfront fees to add to its burgeoning obesity pipeline. The outlay, plus up to $3.6 billion in milestones, has secured Roche the right to codevelop and co-commercialize Zealand Pharma’s long-acting amylin analog petrelintide.

Harbour BioMed launches new obesity biotech on mission to preserve muscle mass

By James Waldron

China’s Harbour BioMed has launched a new biotech to develop bispecific antibodies focused on the holy grail of next-gen obesity meds—reducing body weight without losing muscle mass.

Ono pays $280M upfront for Ionis' antisense oligonucleotide for rare blood cancer

By James Waldron

Japan's Ono Pharmaceutical is paying $280 million upfront to acquire Ionis Pharmaceutical’s phase 2-stage antisense oligonucleotide for a rare type of blood cancer.

GSK posts data on HIV assets vying for roles in 6-month combo

By Nick Paul Taylor

GSK’s ViiV Healthcare has shared clinical data on three potential long-acting HIV treatments, providing a look at how its plans to create a six-month regimen are shaping up.

Manufacturer fuels Swiss biotech’s next-gen vaccine portfolio in new investment deal

By Gabrielle Masson

Emergent BioSolutions is investing in Swiss biotech Rocketvax, inking a deal designed to fuel the preclinical company’s R&D.

NIH grants powered $94B in economic activity in 2024 and supported more than 400K jobs: report

By Darren Incorvaia

Funding granted to researchers by the National Institutes of Health powered $94.58 billion in economic activity across the U.S. in 2024, according to an annual report published March 11 by biomedical research advocacy organization United for Medical Research. The number was a $1.68 billion increase from the prior year.

Insilico Medicine raises $110M for new trials and robotic helping hands

By Conor Hale

Insilico's series E round was led by Hong Kong-based firm Value Partners, and joined by Insilico’s previous investors plus unnamed first-time backers.

Boehringer Ingelheim teams with Veeva to launch new R&D platform One Medicine

By Darren Incorvaia

Boehringer Ingelheim and software firm Veeva Systems have launched Boehringer’s One Medicine platform into the limelight. The platform is meant to help the German pharma streamline its product development by bringing together clinical, regulatory and quality data and processes.

As Humira succession plan played out, AbbVie's Rob Michael collected $18.5M in his first year as CEO

By Fraiser Kansteiner

For his work in 2024, AbbVie helmsman Robert Michael—who took over the CEO post from Richard Gonzalez on July 1—collected roughly $18.5 million in total pay. The figure was a $4 million jump over the sum he earned in 2023, when he was the Chicago drugmaker's chief operating officer.

Illumina aims to cut $100M in costs following China import ban

By Conor Hale

Illumina also lowered its annual financial forecast, as it plans to deal with a loss of revenue from China after the country's retaliation for U.S. tariffs.

Merck opens $1B Gardasil manufacturing facility in North Carolina

By Kevin Dunleavy

At its sprawling manufacturing complex in Durham, N.C., Merck has opened a new $1 billion plant slated to produce megablockbuster HPV vaccine Gardasil.

Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

Ways providers can simplify patient billing

Some health tech companies help providers communicate more proactively with patients about what they might owe and what repayment options are available to them.

A look at biotech's biggest money raisers of 2024

What’s next for digital health investing in 2025?

Resources

Whitepaper

The Oncology Market: 2025 Outlook

Read about four trends that will shape the innovations, therapies, & market landscape in oncology during 2025 & beyond.

Presented by Blue Matter, strategic consultants in the life sciences

Whitepaper

Redefining vaccine trial recruitment

Discover how to revolutionize your vaccine trials with Avacare's latest white paper. Gain exclusive access to innovative, data-driven recruitment strategies that ensure diverse, efficient, and high-quality vaccine trials.

Sponsored by: Avacare Clinical Research Network

Whitepaper