Encoded lays off staff after back-to-back fundraises

Today's Big News

Jun 14, 2023

Death triggers pause of 2seventy CAR-T cell therapy leukemia trial


Merck’s efinopegdutide bests Ozempic in tease of phase 2 NASH data


GV-backed Encoded lays off 10% of staff nearly 3 years after $135M series D


On lookout for next ALS biomarker success, Biogen pens pact with Israeli biotech


Inventiva stock climbs 25% on delayed data from phase 2 liver disease trial


Awaiting FDA hold letter, PepGen accepts 2nd oligonucleotide is no closer to clinic

The Top Line Podcast: don’t miss out on the newest episode where we discuss ASCO data, rising health tech stars, and more. Listen now.

 

Featured

Death triggers pause of 2seventy CAR-T cell therapy leukemia trial

Investigators have paused an early-phase trial of 2seventy bio’s CD33-targeted CAR-T cell therapy after a patient died. The acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient was the first person treated in the second dose cohort of the phase 1 clinical trial.
12-14
Jun
San Diego, CA
 

Top Stories

Merck’s efinopegdutide bests Ozempic in tease of phase 2 NASH data

Merck says its GLP-1/glucagon receptor co-agonist has the upper hand against Ozempic in patients with NASH, according to abstract data from a phase 2a trial. The New Jersey Big Pharma plans to present a fuller look at the data at the European Association for the Study of the Liver annual congress.

GV-backed Encoded lays off 10% of staff nearly 3 years after $135M series D

Encoded Therapeutics has laid off almost 10% of its staff, nearly three years after raising a $135 million series D backed by GV, formerly Google Ventures. The company's lead asset is a gene therapy aimed at treating Dravet syndrome.

Minimizing Barriers to eConsent Adoption

Michael Hughes, Chief Product Officer at YPrime discusses the benefits and challenges of eConsent implementation and how to circumvent the biggest barriers to adoption.

On lookout for next ALS biomarker success, Biogen pens pact with Israeli biotech

Fresh from Qalsody’s success, Biogen is keeping its eye on whether a candidate from NeuroSense Therapeutics could also prove to be a hit against the same biomarker—and maybe become the next addition to the Big Pharma’s amyotrophic lateral sclerosis portfolio.

Sanyou Milestones | Super Trillion Common Light Chain Antibody Discovery Platform Launched

On June 12th, 2023 local time, Sanyou Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. officially announced the launch of "Sanyou Super Trillion Common Light Chain Antibody Discovery Platform" (the "platform"). As one of the nine trillion antibody discovery platforms of Sanyou, the platform features a library capacity of up to 1.12E+12 CFU. For a single target, the platform can generate hundreds of lead antibodies with diverse sequences, which can be further designed into bispecific antibodies with good drug developability, providing a feasible solution for obtaining bispecific antibodies with structures similar to the natural monoclonal antibodies

Inventiva stock climbs 25% on delayed data from phase 2 liver disease trial

Inventiva finally has data from a midphase clinical trial of lanifibranor in patients with Type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Almost four years behind schedule, the investigator-initiated study has linked the candidate to reductions in liver fat—and triggered a 25% jump in the biotech’s share price.

Janssen’s approach to business development and strategic partnerships

The creation of collaborative partnerships continues to be essential to delivering transformational therapies to address critical healthcare needs.

Awaiting FDA hold letter, PepGen accepts 2nd oligonucleotide is no closer to clinic

PepGen has bowed to the inevitable and paused plans to get its second oligonucleotide therapy into the clinic in any country while it continues to wait for the post to deliver an FDA clinical hold letter.

Pfizer to run out of penicillin this year, and its supplies will be limited for much of 2024: letter

As supply chain issues sweep across the industry, Pfizer is warning about expected supply shortfalls of its penicillin offerings.

FDA label update eases access to Inspire's sleep apnea implant

Inspire Medical Systems has won an expanded label from the FDA for its eponymous medical device for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that should expand the number of people it can be used to treat.

With FTC eyeing biopharma M&A deals, Pfizer refiles paperwork for $43B buyout of Seagen

An FTC lawsuit aimed at blocking Amgen’s $27.8 billion buyout of Horizon Therapeutics has raised concerns that the United States’ antitrust watchdog is tightening the screws on major M&A moves in the biopharma industry. A month later, according to an SEC filing, Pfizer has withdrawn its notification for its proposed $43 billion acquisition of cancer drug specialist Seagen and will submit another later in the day.

Demand for GLP-1 drugs is growing. Here's why payers are hesitant to cover them for weight loss

Ozempic, estimated to cost about $10,000 a year per person, and other GLP-1 drugs could put significant financial strain on payers as demand grows.
 
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'Podnosis': Are canines the secret to anti-aging meds and the benefits and challenges of direct contracting and purchase alliances.
 

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Running Decentralized Trials at Scale

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Questions You Need to Ask Your CRO About Clinical Supply

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Strategies to Optimize Clinical Trial Enrollment Timelines

See how clinical trial sponsors can build stronger strategies to address challenges across the patient enrollment funnel, starting with four necessary steps.
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Commercializing Gene Therapies, Part 4 – Market Entry

This paper outlines various market archetypes and key considerations leaders must address when prioritizing new potential markets for gene therapies.
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How Lilly’s Legal and Library Services Empower Teams Across the Drug Development Pipeline

What role do the Library and Legal teams play in the drug development pipeline at Lilly? An import one – find out how.
 

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