Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Permission granted by Vertex Pharmaceuticals
'This is the time to double down': Top Vertex executives defend research plan as pressure builds
A series of setbacks has led to criticism of the storied biotech's bid to diversify. But Vertex intends to stay the course, its CEO and top scientist say.
Ben Fidler • Sept. 22, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/BioPharma Dive
Biotech M&A tracker: After hitting new heights, deals have slowed down. Here are the latest.
Grifols is acquiring a large stake in Biotest, a developer of plasma-derived therapies, from Tiancheng Pharmaceutical Holdings in a deal worth 1.1 million euros.
Jacob Bell and Julia Himmel • Aug. 10, 2021 -
del Aguila III, Ernesto. (2018). "CRISPR Cas9" [Illustration]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Intellia, with first results, delivers a 'landmark' for CRISPR gene editing
Results published in The New England Journal of Medicine offer the first clinical evidence that CRISPR gene editing inside the body can be safe and effective, a culmination of years of scientific research.
Ben Fidler • June 26, 2021 -
Kendall Davis/BioPharma Dive
8 key clinical trials to watch for the rest of 2021
The next six months could feature clinical milestones for CRISPR gene editing, the treatment of COVID-19 and gene-targeted cancer therapy.
Ben Fidler • June 21, 2021 -
Permission granted by Biogen
A first-of-its-kind Alzheimer's drug raises heavy questions around who will and won't get it
Biogen priced its newly approved medicine Aduhelm at an average cost of $56,000 a year, adding affordability to other barriers patients may face.
Jacob Bell • June 08, 2021 -
Permission granted by Biogen
In historic move, FDA approves a closely watched and controversial Alzheimer's drug
With the decision, the agency cleared the way for what many predict will become a lucrative and sought-after option — though fierce debate continues over whether Biogen's aducanumab actually benefits patients' daily lives.
Jacob Bell • June 07, 2021 -
Kena Betancur via Getty Images
Trump tax law cut what US drugmakers owed. Now they fear an increase.
The 2017 law saved pharmaceutical companies billions of dollars, BioPharma Dive found. Executives are now fiercely opposing tax hikes proposed by President Biden, claiming they've since boosted domestic investment.
Jonathan Gardner • May 17, 2021 -
Permission granted by Gilead Sciences
How Gilead finally spent its money
This year, the biotech spent about $27 billion trying to become a leader in cancer research. Executives who spoke to BioPharma Dive said there's still work to be done.
Jacob Bell • Nov. 24, 2020 -
Adeline Kon/BioPharma Dive
Record numbers of biotechs are going public. Here's how they're performing.
Pyxis Oncology, Theseus Pharmaceuticals and Aeon Biopharma are the latest biotechs to outline plans to go public, continuing a rebound in IPO activity.
Ben Fidler • Oct. 26, 2020 -
Permission granted by Cheryl Yoder
From no drugs to 3: Patients with spinal muscular atrophy now face hard choices
The availability of three vastly different, cutting-edge medicines for the rare disease has put patients, families and doctors in an unfamiliar position.
Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 05, 2020 -
Danielle Ternes/BioPharma Dive
How biotech and pharma companies pay their CEOs, and their workers
The median CEO of 231 drug companies analyzed by BioPharma Dive earned 50% more last year than in 2017, a leap that far outpaced the more modest pay gains among employees.
Ned Pagliarulo • Sept. 09, 2020 -
Permission granted by Relay Therapeutics
Relay Therapeutics set out to change how drugs are designed. Can it continue what Vertex began?
Vertex pioneered a more precise way of developing drugs. Relay, which has raised nearly $1 billion since its founding, thinks it can go one step further.
Ned Pagliarulo • Aug. 24, 2020 -
Danielle Ternes/BioPharma Dive
A cure for hemophilia seemed closer than ever. For many patients, it's now further out of reach
The surprise rejection of BioMarin's hemophilia A gene therapy delayed a decades-long mission to fix the rare bleeding disorder.
Jacob Bell • Aug. 18, 2020 -
Courtesy of Lonza Ltd.
Vaccines can end the coronavirus pandemic. Will every country get them?
Scientists around the world are racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine. But the factories slated to make the leading candidates are concentrated in a handful of countries, raising concerns about global access.
Jonathan Gardner • June 23, 2020 -
Brian Tucker/BioPharma Dive
Coronavirus vaccines are rolling out quickly. Here's where the pipeline stands.
J&J said a second dose of its vaccine boosted protection, while study results from China's Clover Biopharmaceuticals appeared promising. Novavax, meanwhile, asked for WHO clearance of its protein-based shot.
Nami Sumida, Jonathan Gardner, Ned Pagliarulo, Ben Fidler and Shoshana Dubnow • June 09, 2020 -
Yujin Kim/BioPharma Dive
Venture capital found its footing in biotech. Then came the virus.
There's been no better time for venture firms to invest in drug startups than the past few years. But when a virus upended the world, it raised new questions about what types of investors and investments would succeed moving forward.
Jacob Bell • May 26, 2020 -
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2020). "Novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2" [Microscope image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/nihgov/49565158908/in/album-72157713108522106/.
A closer look at the race to develop antibody drugs for COVID-19
Eli Lilly, Regeneron and China's Junshi are now testing antibody drugs in clinical trials, while others are close behind. Here's why they will matter.
Ben Fidler • May 12, 2020 -
Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
A coronavirus vaccine may arrive next year. 'Herd immunity' will take longer.
Experimental vaccines for COVID-19 are moving at an unprecedented pace. But that could mean researchers won't definitively know whether they're safe and effective when they do arrive.
Jonathan Gardner • May 04, 2020 -
Permission granted by University of Pennsylvania
Big pharma shied away from gene therapy for years. Academia picked up the slack
The byproduct was richer licensing fees for universities and a throng of startups, but also questions on fair prices and research priorities.
Jonathan Gardner • March 17, 2020 -
Adeline Kon / BioPharma Dive
Big pharma backed away from brain drugs. Is a return in sight?
Biotech executives see a new era of neuroscience breakthroughs on the horizon. But in a historically challenging space, it's hard to pinpoint what would cause big pharma to dive back in — and what ripples that would create.
Jacob Bell • Jan. 29, 2020 -
Lydia Polimeni, National Institutes of Health
Will sky-high drug prices spur the US to use an obscure power over patents?
New cell therapies as well as gene-based treatments like Zolgensma benefited from NIH funding of early-stage research. Advocates say the time is now for the government to invoke its "march-in" rights.
Jonathan Gardner • Dec. 04, 2019 -
Brian Tucker, BioPharma Dive
Bankrupt biopharmas are rare. 2019 has some worried that's changing.
Eleven biopharmas declared bankruptcy in 2019, more than any other year since at least 2011. Rising market pressures, coupled with legal liabilities, risk more companies falling to zero, experts warn.
Andrew Dunn • Nov. 19, 2019 -
Brian Tucker, BioPharma Dive
31 biopharmas at high risk of bankruptcy in 2020
BioPharma Dive dug into data from a credit monitoring firm to identify drugmakers at high risk of going bankrupt, including companies like Teva, Bausch Health and Novavax.
Andrew Dunn • Nov. 19, 2019 -
Brian Tucker, BioPharma Dive
The running list of 2019 biopharma bankruptcies
From antibiotic developers like Achaogen to opioid drugmakers like Purdue and Insys, 2019 saw an uptick in biopharmas filing for Chapter 11.
Andrew Dunn • Nov. 19, 2019 -
Getty Images
Give up board chairmanship? No thanks, US big pharma CEOs say
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla will soon head the pharma's board, too, adding another example of a large drugmaker with unified leadership.
Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 16, 2019
