Springtime in biopharma land showed that when news rains, it pours.
Developments in gene therapy, cancer treatments, drug pricing and dealmaking continued to draw focus. Novartis, for example, created one of the buzziest moments in May — when the company secured approval of Zolgensma, a breakthrough treatment for a rare muscle disorder, and subsequently priced it at more than $2 million.
June brought with it the usual conference craze. Targeted therapies stole the spotlight at ASCO, accelerated approvals stirred some contention at BIO, and real-world evidence presented both challenges and opportunities at DIA.
Another mega-deal, this time between AbbVie and Allergan, was a fitting end to a wild quarter.
Below, BioPharma Dive recaps some of our biggest stories from the past few months. While summer has historically been a sleepier period for the industry, that may not be the case this year. Many top companies still face shareholder pressure to expand their portfolios and improve their return on R&D investment, which could spur action.
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Follow the money: How biopharma CEOs and workers got paid in 2018
Which CEOs made the most? The least? Does biotech pay better than pharma? BioPharma Dive pulled data from hundreds of proxy statements to find out. Read More >>
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AbbVie buying Allergan in $63B deal for its post-Humira future
Unlike Bristol-Myers' takeover of Celgene, AbbVie's cash-and-stock offer for Allergan is not about R&D. "We're not betting on the pipeline," said AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez. Read More >>
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Novartis gene therapy approved, but will come at cost of more than $2M
Zolgensma is designed to be a cure for spinal muscular atrophy, but its steep price will pose difficulties for a system designed for chronic therapy rather than one-time treatments. Read More >>
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AbbVie's Skyrizi wins its first FDA approval, springing blockbuster ambitions
Although Skyrizi already faces competition from multiple major pharmas, AbbVie predicts $5 billion in sales for the drug by 2023. Read More >>
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'Pathbreaking' Ionis trial offers way forward in Huntington's disease
Full results published in NEJM showcase what one researcher called the "best piece of news that's emerged from any clinical trial" of the neurodegenerative disease. Read More >>
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Early cancer drug data give Amgen hope it has 'cracked KRAS code'
Considered "undruggable," KRAS has eluded researchers' efforts to target the oncogene for decades. Encouraging results from a Phase 1 study hint at an answer. Read More >>
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Will a big needle burst the NASH bubble?
With less invasive tests still a few years off, doctors worry liver biopsies will limit access to the initial wave of NASH drugs — if any make it to market. Read More >>
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Roche risdiplam data heats up SMA rivalry with Novartis
The oral agent looks like it could give gene therapy Zolgensma a run for its money. Read More >>
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Approval of $225,000-a-year tafamidis comes early for Pfizer
The FDA sped up approval by months, and surprised Pfizer by giving an OK to two formulations of the rare disease drug. Read More >>
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Pharma, late to digital game, rushes to catch up
In the past two years, six of the largest pharmas appointed chief digital or information officers to top management for the first time, a signal of growing industry interest in revamping how it does business. Read More >>