Deep Dive: Page 2

Industry insights from our journalists


  • A child plays EndeavorRx on a tablet. The digital therapeutic intended to improve attention in kids with ADHD.
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    Permission granted by Akili Interactive
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    Can digital therapeutics be profitable?

    Licensing deals with pharmaceutical companies were an early strategy for digital health companies, but not all of them have lasted.

    Elise Reuter • April 11, 2022
  • The front entrance of the Food And Drug Administration headquarters building.
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    Sarah Silbiger via Getty Images
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    How a long shot ALS drug came before the FDA

    A negative vote from independent experts appears to lower the chances of Amylyx's medicine winning FDA approval. Still, FDA officials have cited flexibility and noted the difficulty of its forthcoming decision. 

    Jacob Bell • March 28, 2022
  • The outside of an AbbVie building, with the company's logo displayed.
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    AbbVie
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    Two decades and $200 billion: AbbVie’s Humira monopoly nears its end

    The first biosimilar copy of Humira is set to arrive in the U.S. next week, testing both AbbVie and the market potential for knockoff biologic drugs.

    Jonathan Gardner • Updated Jan. 27, 2023
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    ‘The music stopped’: Biotech rout leaves drug startups grounded as demand slumps for IPOs

    For the first time in years, biotechs no longer had an easy path onto Wall Street, a market reversal that could change what the next generation of young drugmakers looks like.

    Ben Fidler • Feb. 7, 2022
  • An illustrated image of clinical development for a BioPharma Dive 2021 outlook story
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    Kendall Davis/BioPharma Dive
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    10 clinical trials to watch in the first half of 2022

    Biotech stocks ended 2021 in a slump. But positive results from eagerly anticipated studies in breast cancer, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease could help turn the sector's fortunes around.

    Ben Fidler • Updated Jan. 6, 2022
  • Cedars-Sinai lab technicians conduct ALS research.
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    Permission granted by The ALS Association
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    On the hunt for new ALS drugs, researchers see progress, and a long road ahead

    The fatal nerve disease has few treatments. But despite continued setbacks, drug developers are hopeful that genetic technologies and a better understanding of biology will bring new options in the not-too-distant future

    Jacob Bell • Dec. 13, 2021
  • A photo of Sekar Kathiresan, CEO of Verve Therapeutics
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    Seth Babin/BioPharma Dive
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    Heart attacks struck Sek Kathiresan's family. He's devoted his life to stopping them.

    After several family members had early heart attacks, Kathiresan vowed to understand why they happen. His research journey has changed medical practice and led to a new biotech startup, Verve Therapeutics, that seeks to prevent them.

    Ben Fidler • Nov. 29, 2021
  • Dr. Jason Comander performs the first Luxturna surgery post-FDA approval on March 20, 2018 at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
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    Permission granted by Ed Shipman for Mass Eye and Ear
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    Years later, a first-of-its-kind treatment shows the power, and limits, of gene therapy

    Luxturna, approved four years ago as the first gene therapy for an inherited disease in the U.S., is improving sight and quality of life for several of the patients who received it.

    Shoshana Dubnow • Nov. 15, 2021
  • A stylized illustration of a "patent thicket" for Jonathan Gardner's Nov. 1 story on Amgen's Enbrel.
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    Adeline Kon / BioPharma Dive/BioPharma Dive
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    A three-decade monopoly: how Amgen built a patent thicket around its top-selling drug

    Through high-stakes litigation, aggressive patenting practices and a bit of luck, Amgen will likely stretch Enbrel's monopoly until 2029, more than 30 years after it was approved.

    Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 1, 2021
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    A play-by-play of the FDA's meeting on Pfizer's vaccine for kids

    Experts on the agency's panel dug into questions on the vaccine's safety in younger children, as well as uncertainty over how widely it should be used. Catch up on the discussion here. 

    Ben Fidler, Shoshana Dubnow and Jonathan Gardner • Updated Oct. 26, 2021
  • Vertex CEO Reshma Kewalramani
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    Permission granted by Vertex Pharmaceuticals
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    '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
  • An illustration for BioPharma Dive's deals database
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    Adeline Kon/BioPharma Dive
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    Biotech M&A is on the upswing. Track the latest deals here.

    As of mid-July, half of the 26 acquisitions worth at least $50 million in upfront value this year were of private biotechs, according to BioPharma Dive data.

    Ned Pagliarulo, Jacob Bell and Julia Himmel • Updated July 23, 2024
  • An illustration of CRISPR-cas9 gene editing
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    del Aguila III, Ernesto. (2018). "CRISPR Cas9" [Illustration]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    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
  • An illustrated image of clinical development for a BioPharma Dive 2021 outlook story
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    Kendall Davis/BioPharma Dive
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    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
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    Brian Tucker / BioPharma Dive
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    'The lights are no longer green': Antitrust regulators reassess pharma deals

    The FTC and its counterparts abroad are rethinking their approach to drugmaker acquisitions. Past scrutiny offers clues to where they may look next.

    Jonathan Gardner • June 10, 2021
  • A photo of a Biogen building
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    Permission granted by Biogen
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    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 8, 2021
  • Ajay Purohit, a Biogen employee, points to brain scans of people with Alzheimer's
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    Permission granted by Biogen
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    In historic move, FDA approves a closely watched and controversial Alzheimer's drug

    The decision cleared the way for what many predicted would become a lucrative treatment. But a high price and controversy over whether Biogen's Aduhelm benefits patients weighed heavily on the drug's launch.

    Jacob Bell • Updated June 7, 2021
  • A picture of the street sign stating "Wall Street." American flags drape over a nearby building
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    Kena Betancur via Getty Images
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    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
  • A sign at Gilead Sciences
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    Permission granted by Gilead Sciences
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    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
  • A thumbnail illustration for BioPharma Dive's IPO tracker
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    Adeline Kon/BioPharma Dive
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    Biotech IPOs are the industry’s lifeblood. Track how they’re performing.

    With Artiva’s IPO, four immune drug developers have raised a combined $703 million in new stock offerings this year, surpassing the totals of all other therapeutic areas.

    Ben Fidler and Gwendolyn Wu • Updated July 19, 2024
  • A photograph of Cheryl and Jase Yoder, with family
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    Permission granted by Cheryl Yoder
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    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. 5, 2020
  • An illustration for BioPharma Dive's 2020 report on drugmaker executive compensation
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    Danielle Ternes/BioPharma Dive
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    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. 9, 2020
  • A scientist in a laboratory at Relay Therapeutics
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    Permission granted by Relay Therapeutics
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    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
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    Danielle Ternes/BioPharma Dive
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    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 • Updated Aug. 19, 2020
  • lonza-roche-vacaville-ca-manufacturing-site
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    Courtesy of Lonza
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    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