Intuitive’s venture capital arm launches second investment fund

The $150 million fund will back early-stage companies focused on healthcare access, digital health, and precision diagnostics and interventions.

By Susan Kelly • Dec. 5, 2023

BIO names longtime Amicus head John Crowley as new CEO

Crowley, a rare disease advocate who led Amicus for nearly two decades, will take the reins as the industry group seeks to challenge Medicare’s new drug pricing powers.

By Jonathan Gardner • Dec. 5, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Emerging biotech

New biotechs continue to emerge despite a challenging market environment that has forced venture firms to build their drug startups more cautiously.

By BioPharma Dive staff

CRISPR eyes autoimmune disease in revamp of cell therapy plans

The gene editing biotech is shelving two of its most advanced cancer drugs, and joining a growing group of companies exploring cell-based medicines for inflammatory diseases like lupus.

By Ben Fidler • Dec. 5, 2023

BrainChild Bio spins out of Seattle Children’s to develop cancer drugs

Launched from BrainChild founder Michael Jensen’s lab at the Washington-area hospital, the company is focusing first on pediatric brain tumors.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Dec. 5, 2023

Roche joins obesity drug chase with $2.7B deal for startup Carmot

The acquisition of Carmot, which had been planning an IPO, will hand Roche three weight loss medicines in early clinical testing.

By Ben Fidler • Dec. 4, 2023

Concentra, on the hunt for deals, bids for LianBio

The Tang Capital-controlled company is bidding for LianBio shortly after making takeover offers for Rain Oncology and Theseus Pharmaceuticals.

By Delilah Alvarado • Dec. 1, 2023

Flagship outlines plans to raise $3B for new fund

The biotech company creator’s last fund, which closed in 2021, brought in $3.4 billion for investing in new drug startups.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Nov. 30, 2023

Roivant’s Matt Gline on raising capital and biotech’s outlook for 2024

Fresh off a $7 billion deal with Roche, the chief executive spoke with BioPharma Dive about this year’s “discordant combination” of major biotech achievements and market headwinds.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Nov. 28, 2023

Flagship-backed microbiome biotech Evelo to shut down

The company said it had not found “a viable alternative” to closing down in the months since it hit a clinical setback and laid off staff. 

By Gwendolyn Wu • Nov. 22, 2023

Quotient emerges from Flagship with plan to explore somatic mutations

Studying somatic mutations could be “the next wave of opportunity” to develop more precise medicines, said Mike Stratton, a scientific co-founder of Quotient.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Nov. 21, 2023

Roche’s Genentech partners with Nvidia in AI drug deal

The partnership is another investment by the biotech subsidiary in artificial intelligence for drug discovery and development, continuing an industry trend. 

By Gwendolyn Wu • Nov. 21, 2023

Homology enters reverse merger with Q32 Bio

The deal, which will result in a combined company operating under Q32's name, comes months after Homology laid off much of its staff.

By Delilah Alvarado • Nov. 16, 2023

World’s first CRISPR medicine approved in UK for sickle cell, beta thalassemia

Clearance of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics' Casgevy in the U.K. comes ahead of expected regulatory decisions in the U.S. and Europe.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Nov. 16, 2023

West Coast investor Red Tree on its San Diego expansion and staying bullish in biotech

Red Tree Venture Capital plans to tap into San Diego’s biotech pipeline as it works to build a West Coast competitor to Boston-area investors.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Updated Nov. 20, 2023

Alkermes separates cancer drug business as new company Mural

Now independent Mural Oncology will focus on advancing a pipeline of engineered cytokines for cancer, while Alkermes has recast itself as a “pure-play” neuroscience company.

By Delilah Alvarado • Nov. 15, 2023

A gene editing biotech’s struggles end with reverse merger

Since halting work on a sickle cell treatment early this year, Graphite Bio has laid off staff, shed assets and, now, agreed to be subsumed via a merger with Lenz Therapeutics.

By Kristin Jensen • Nov. 15, 2023

Forbion-backed biotech raises $138M to develop ALS drug

The Series A round for three-year-old startup VectorY is one of the largest private financings in Europe this year, Forbion said.

By Delilah Alvarado • Nov. 14, 2023

Ajinomoto spices up its biopharma business with gene therapy deal

Forge Biologics operates a contract manufacturing business and develops its own gene therapies, which appears to have attracted the Japan-based food and biotechnology company.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Nov. 13, 2023

CAR-T biotech Cargo Therapeutics prices $281M IPO

While the proceeds came in at the low end of Cargo’s expected range, the IPO is the fourth largest this year for a biotech company.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Nov. 10, 2023

Biogen says growth is coming, but won’t specify when

CEO Chris Viehbacher said the company has “the elements to think about a return to topline growth.” Yet, that goal hinges on the successful commercialization of multiple new products.

By Jacob Bell • Updated Nov. 8, 2023

Flagship expands into Asia-Pacific with new Singapore hub

The biotech company creator hopes its new office will help its portfolio companies grow and strike partnerships in the region.

By Delilah Alvarado • Nov. 7, 2023

Ventyx revises TYK2 drug plans after lackluster study data

The biotech will terminate studies of its drug in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis after the “magnitude of efficacy” reported in one was less than Ventyx’s target.

By Delilah Alvarado • Nov. 7, 2023

CEO Anne Wojcicki on turning 23andMe into a ‘full-fledged biotech’

23andMe always had larger aims than at-home genetics testing. In this in-depth interview, Wojcicki explains the company’s foray into drug R&D.

By Alexandra Pecci • Nov. 7, 2023

An obesity drug biotech gets buy-in from Eli Lilly, venture firms

Startup OrsoBio raised $60 million in a Series A round co-led by Longitude Capital and Enavate Sciences, and joined by the pharma’s venture arm.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Nov. 7, 2023

Bristol Myers pays $100M for a different kind of ADC

A deal with Orum Therapeutics gives the large pharma access to a blood and bone marrow cancer drug that's ready to enter clinical testing.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Nov. 6, 2023