Startup Mariana raises $175M for radiopharmaceutical drug research

The Series B round makes Mariana one of the best funded private companies in a growing group of biotechs working on new radiopharmaceutical therapies.

By Delilah Alvarado • Sept. 7, 2023

Biogen, continuing executive revamp, finds a new research head

Jane Grogan, an industry veteran who worked at Genentech for over 15 years, will take over the role starting Oct. 2. She’ll fill a seat that's lacked a permanent replacement since the departure of Al Sandrock.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 6, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

The expanding world of RNA therapies

Vaccines from BioNTech and Moderna proved the power of messenger RNA in medicine. A growing field of RNA-targeting therapies is advancing alongside them.

By BioPharma Dive staff

J&J sends blood pressure drug back to Idorsia

The decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Actelion spinout and ends a lucrative partnership that began in 2017.

By Kristin Jensen • Sept. 6, 2023

Fresh off $4B deal, Nimbus gears up for ‘third chapter’ with new fundraise

The Boston biotech has sold two experimental drugs — a liver disease medicine and a TYK2 inhibitor — to Gilead and Takeda respectively.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Sept. 6, 2023

Nestle gives up on peanut allergy treatment after sluggish sales

The FDA-approved therapy, called Palforzia, was little used, leading Nestle to abandon a business it had secured in a $2.6 billion deal three years ago.

By Delilah Alvarado • Sept. 5, 2023

Star Therapeutics adds another $90M to grow its galaxy of drug startups

The hub-and-spoke biotech has raised more than $190 million in total to fund drug development for rare autoimmune and blood conditions.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Sept. 5, 2023

FDA documents hint at ‘uphill battle’ for broad approval of Sage’s depression drug

The newly posted documents show the agency had concerns about the side effects experienced by people with clinical depression who took Sage’s drug, Zurzuvae.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 1, 2023

Sage, reeling from depression drug decision, to lay off 40% of workforce

Two founding executives are leaving Sage alongside a major restructuring announced weeks after the FDA approved the medicine, Zurzuvae, for much narrower use than the company had hoped.

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 31, 2023

Intarcia, a former biotech unicorn, gets new life with startup deal

I2o Therapeutics, now led by former Intarcia head Kurt Graves, licensed the diabetes treatment Intarcia has spent more than a decade developing.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Aug. 30, 2023

Novo, continuing deal streak, buys another obesity drug startup

The acquisition of Embark Biotech, which Novo helped found, gives the company another prospect to add to its arsenal of weight-loss medicines.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 30, 2023

FibroGen’s Duchenne drug fails second trial in latest study setback

The failure marks another Phase 3 miss for the drug, pamrevlumab, and follows a restructuring and CEO switch for the struggling biotech.

By Delilah Alvarado • Aug. 30, 2023

Epigenic joins wave of startups raising cash to edit the epigenome

The China-based company is one of at least four young biotechs in a competitive race to use CRISPR tools to alter gene expression without changing DNA.

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 30, 2023

Apellis to lay off 25% of staff, trim research in major restructuring

The job cuts will affect about 225 employees, making it one of the largest single rounds of layoffs within the biotech sector this year.

By Ben Fidler • Aug. 29, 2023

Superluminal draws RA Capital, Nvidia as investors in GPCR drug hunt

GPCRs, a ubiquitous family of proteins that are prime drug targets, have drawn the interest of companies like Structure Therapeutics, Septerna and now Superluminal Medicines.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Aug. 28, 2023

Bayer reports positive early data for Parkinson’s cell therapy

The treatment, developed by a biotech Bayer acquired in 2019, appeared safe in a small trial and showed signs of an effect on disease progression. 

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 28, 2023

Artificial intelligence: The prime mover in drug discovery

With its ability to process vast amounts of data and identify patterns, AI can significantly reduce the time and cost involved in developing new drugs.

Aug. 28, 2023

Neumora, a richly funded brain drug developer, readies for an IPO

Neumora’s filing, along with that of radiopharmaceutical startup RayzeBio last week, could be an important test of the biotech IPO market.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Aug. 25, 2023

Radiopharmaceutical drugmaker RayzeBio signals plans to go public

Biotech's IPO drought has endured into late August, but a small group of drugmakers are now in line ahead of a fall that analysts predict could be busier.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Aug. 25, 2023

Agenus to lay off 25% of staff, trim pipeline in cancer drug push

The job cuts are meant to preserve enough cash so the nearly three-decade-old company can potentially pursue its first drug approval next year.

By Delilah Alvarado • Aug. 23, 2023

J&J-backed startup raises another $150M for brain drug development

The funding for Rapport Therapeutics saw participation from a series of so-called crossover investors, many of which have pulled back from biotech startups in recent years. 

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 23, 2023

Apellis finds faulty needles in probe of rare eye drug side effects

The company doesn’t know if the needles have caused retinal vasculitis in some people receiving its geographic atrophy drug Syfovre, but is no longer recommending their use.

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 23, 2023

‘Project NextGen’ to spend $1.4B in search for better COVID drugs, vaccines

The funds going to Regeneron, clinical trial partners and other developers are the first major investments under a federal program announced in May.

By Ben Fidler • Aug. 22, 2023

Fulcrum rejoins sickle cell drug race as FDA lifts study hold

The biotech, which aims to develop an alternative to existing medicines and emerging gene-based treatments, will focus further testing on sicker patients.

By Ben Fidler • Aug. 22, 2023

Foundery, a new biotech venture firm, sets out to speed early immune drug research

Billing itself as both a scientific and investment partner, Foundery aims to provide drug development support to researchers working on new immunotherapies.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Aug. 22, 2023

FDA expands use of Neurocrine drug to Huntington’s patients

Analysts expect the approval of Ingrezza in Huntington’s patients with a movement disorder known as chorea to intensify a commercial battle between Neurocrine and Teva.

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 21, 2023