Rain Oncology to cut workforce by 65% after study failure

The company, which went public in 2021 to develop a cancer drug licensed from Daiichi Sankyo, may try to acquire a different tumor-targeting medicine to grow its pipeline.

By Ben Fidler • May 30, 2023

Atea rejects takeover bid from Concentra

The COVID-19 drug developer said the offer from the firm that recently took over Jounce Therapeutics “fundamentally undervalues the company.”

By Gwendolyn Wu • May 30, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Cell therapy

The continued emergence of CAR-T therapy has fueled research into next-generation approaches and new applications, such as its use in autoimmune diseases.

By BioPharma Dive staff

Amylyx’s ALS drug could face rejection in Europe

The biotech said a committee advising the European Medicines Agency is “trending” toward issuing a negative opinion of its drug Relyvrio, which was approved in the U.S. last year. 

By Delilah Alvarado • May 30, 2023

Slump in medtech VC activity continues as inflation keeps investors on the sidelines

Investors struck deals worth $1.8 billion over the first three months of the year, down from $3 billion in early 2022.

By Nick Paul Taylor • May 26, 2023

Serial biotech founder Tim Springer on investing in startups and democratizing antibody research

Springer, who became a billionaire after investing in Moderna, highlighted gene therapy and machine learning as two fields he’s optimistic will shape biotech’s future. 

By Gwendolyn Wu • May 26, 2023

Illumina chair loses to Icahn pick as proxy battle ends

The decision to replace board Chair John Thompson could change the company’s course as it decides whether to divest liquid biopsy company Grail.

By Elise Reuter • Updated May 25, 2023

BenevolentAI CFO resigns as company lays off staff, restructures

The biotech, one of several AI drug discovery specialists to go public in recent years, is cutting up to 180 jobs and reorganizing its pipeline to conserve cash.

By Delilah Alvarado • May 25, 2023

Illumina, Icahn prepare for proxy showdown

Can Carl Icahn bend Illumina to his will? Shareholders will vote Thursday on removing the company’s CEO and chairman from the board and replacing them with nominees from the activist investor.

By Elise Reuter • May 25, 2023

Digital health funding holds steady in Q1 after year of decline

The sector defied trends seen in the broader venture capital economy, where funding has tightened. But investment is still at years-low levels.

By Emily Olsen • May 25, 2023

PTC lays off staff, fires CFO as neuromuscular drug study fails

The biotech is giving up on early-stage gene therapy research as part of a restructuring meant to cut costs and redirect resources toward therapies most likely to succeed.

By Kristin Jensen • May 24, 2023

FDA delays decision on Duchenne gene therapy, considers narrower approval

The agency will extend its review of Sarepta’s treatment by one month as it weighs limiting an initial OK to children with Duchenne aged 4 to 5 years old.

By Ben Fidler • Updated May 24, 2023

Concentra bids on Atea, seeking to acquire another struggling biotech

However, Atea’s board said Tuesday they rejected the offer from Concentra, which was recently involved in the takeover of Jounce Therapeutics.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Updated May 30, 2023

ReNAgade debuts with $300M and an ‘all-in-one’ system for delivering RNA drugs

Staffed by former Alnylam and Moderna employees, the startup is developing technologies that could be useful in a variety of RNA drugmaking methods.

By Gwendolyn Wu • May 23, 2023

Novartis buys rare disease gene therapy from Avrobio

The pharma will pay nearly $90 million to acquire Avrobio’s treatment for cystinosis, an inherited condition caused by the toxic buildup of an amino acid.

By Ned Pagliarulo • May 22, 2023

How the digital front door benefits clinical trial patients, clinicians and sponsors

A digital front door in clinical trials is a triple win that improves patient and clinician satisfaction, data quality and costs.

By Ben Baumann, OpenClinica Co-Founder and COO • May 22, 2023

Moderna reports ‘encouraging’ early data for one of its rare disease medicines

Now known for its vaccine research, the biotech said its clinical trial is the first to report results of a messenger RNA therapeutic designed for intracellular protein replacement.

By Jacob Bell • May 19, 2023

Mustang pares research, sells manufacturing plant to save money

The biotech joins a score of other cell and gene therapy developers that, on the heels of a historic market downturn, have cut costs.

By Jacob Bell • May 18, 2023

Billy Dunn, former FDA neuroscience head, joins Prothena board

Dunn is joining the neurological drug developer less than three months after stepping down from his role leading an agency office responsible for several controversial regulatory reviews. 

By Kristin Jensen • May 17, 2023

Siren emerges from stealth with plans to marry gene therapy to cancer immunotherapy

Spun out of the lab of former UCSF researcher Nicole Paulk, the biotech is targeting brain and eye tumors with a new kind of treatment it has dubbed “immuno-gene therapy.”

By Ned Pagliarulo • May 17, 2023

Biotech Scribe strikes gene editing deal with Lilly subsidiary

The California-based company now has partnerships in place with Sanofi, Biogen and Lilly’s Prevail.

By Gwendolyn Wu • May 16, 2023

Biotech startup Ray raises $100M for vision-restoring gene therapies

Founded in early 2021, the company is using optogenetics to design treatments that could work across disease genotypes and in the later stages of vision loss.

By Ned Pagliarulo • May 16, 2023

Flagship’s newest startup is imitating nature to make new drugs

The latest startup from one of biotech’s most prolific company creators has $50 million to explore a new way of designing medicines.

By Gwendolyn Wu • May 16, 2023

Gilead expands Arcus partnership, with eye to inflammatory disease

The new deal is worth up to $1 billion, and will see the two collaborators work together on up to four inflammatory disease drug targets.

By Jonathan Gardner • May 15, 2023

Nido debuts with $109M for its precision approach to brain drugs

Backed by 5AM Ventures and Eli Lilly, the startup has advanced a drug for spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy into clinical testing.

By Gwendolyn Wu • May 15, 2023

How real-world data helps manufacturers see the complete market access story

Using labs and claims data, pharma companies can uncover new opportunities to improve market access for patients.

By Dinesh Kabaleeswaran, SVP of Consulting and Advisory Services, MMIT • May 15, 2023