GV’s Cathy Friedman on optimism in biotech and the pitches that make her wary

The biotech veteran spoke to BioPharma Dive about how platform companies can convince investors of their value, and the buzzwords that give her pause.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Updated April 18, 2023

Biotech leader Vagelos to retire as Regeneron board chair

The former Merck CEO will step down from the role he’s held for nearly three decades later this year. Leonard Schleifer and George Yancopoulos, respectively Regeneron's CEO and CSO, will succeed him.

By Ned Pagliarulo • April 17, 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

Moderna, Merck data support claim of cancer vaccine’s promise

Data presented at AACR suggest a personalized shot made with messenger RNA may amplify the effects of a widely prescribed cancer immunotherapy.

By Jonathan Gardner • April 16, 2023

FDA again knocks back Alvotech’s Humira biosimilar

The agency rejected the partners’ copycat version of AbbVie’s blockbuster drug for a second time, citing problems spotted during the inspection of a manufacturing facility.

By Jonathan Gardner • April 14, 2023

A biotech startup with big-name backers aims to create new cancer medicines

Newly launched TORL BioTherapeutics wants to develop a variety of antibody drugs, and comes equipped with $158 million as well as a close partnership with the lab of pioneering breast cancer researcher Dennis Slamon.

By Jacob Bell • April 14, 2023

Biogen, aiming for a better Alzheimer’s therapy, licenses a Denali program

The program is part of Denali’s “transport vehicle” platform, which uses drugmaking technology to shepherd large therapeutic molecules like antibodies across the so-called blood-brain barrier.

By Jacob Bell • April 13, 2023

New data raise more doubts about Moderna’s flu vaccine

The shot appears to generate an immune response that matches or exceeds existing vaccines, but investigators aren’t yet sure how well it can prevent illness.

By Jonathan Gardner • April 11, 2023

A new biotech wants to ease a bottleneck in cell and gene therapy production

Founded by University of Pennsylvania researchers, VintaBio will manufacture the viral vectors that are essential in cell and gene therapy production, but which have been in shorter supply as more companies entered the space.

By Jacob Bell • April 11, 2023

Biotech fears ‘dangerous’ precedent as judge challenges FDA authority

Industry leaders warned that “any medicine is at risk” if a federal judge’s decision to overturn the approval of abortion drug mifepristone is upheld.

By Ben Fidler , Delilah Alvarado • April 10, 2023

Biotech layoffs gather pace as industry downturn persists

Drugmakers, many of which are gene and cell therapy developers, are announcing job cuts at a faster clip so far this year, suggesting that fundraising remains difficult. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • April 10, 2023

Pear Therapeutics files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

The pioneering developer of digital therapies was forced to seek protection from creditors after struggling to sell its subscription-based apps for insomnia and substance abuse.

By Elise Reuter • April 7, 2023

Navigating bankruptcy, Clovis reaches deal to sell cancer drug Rubraca

Privately held Pharma& won an auction for the ovarian and prostate cancer treatment, agreeing to pay $70 million for rights and the associated business.

By Ned Pagliarulo • April 7, 2023

NGM Bio lays off a third of its workforce in ‘difficult’ decision

The California biotech’s founder and chief scientific officer is also stepping down as it narrows its focus to experimental treatments for cancer and seeks new partners for other medicines.

By Kristin Jensen • April 6, 2023

A stealth biotech startup is quietly advancing a new drugmaking tool from David Liu’s lab

Public records and job postings show Resonance Medicine, which has ties to several high-profile venture capital firms, aims to reprogram protein-cutting enzymes to treat disease.

By Gwendolyn Wu • April 5, 2023

New biotech investor Cure Ventures closes first fund, raising $350M

Cure is founded by a trio of venture capitalists who have previously worked at Omega Funds, Polaris Partners and 5AM Ventures.

By Gwendolyn Wu • April 4, 2023

Biogen taps a deals expert in latest C-suite appointment

Hiring Adam Keeney, a Sanofi veteran, to lead corporate development could be seen as timely, given that dealmaking has come into focus at Biogen since the recent appointment of Chris Viehbacher as CEO.

By Jacob Bell • April 4, 2023

Seagen, Astellas win expanded FDA approval for bladder cancer drug

The first-line approval of Padcev together with Keytruda is viewed as important to expanding the drug’s market, and comes weeks after Pfizer agreed to buy Seagen for $43 billion. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • April 4, 2023

BioNTech moves into ADCs with Duality deal

The biotech is expanding its cancer medicine pipeline by licensing two experimental antibody drug conjugates from Shanghai-based Duality.

By Delilah Alvarado • April 3, 2023

Gene therapy startup Vedere to close two years after launch

The startup, a successor to a biotech that Novartis bought in 2020, will wind down after preclinical experiments didn’t meet the bar set by its leaders.

By Ben Fidler • Updated April 2, 2023

A brain drug developer joins a growing list of biotech layoffs

California-based Alector plans to reduce its headcount by around 30 as part of a larger effort to reprioritize research programs.

By Jacob Bell • March 30, 2023

Mathai Mammen, former J&J executive, to become FogPharma CEO

The veteran pharmaceutical executive was J&J’s head of R&D until his departure last August. He’s agreed to run FogPharma, a richly funded startup, and take over for founder Greg Verdine.

By Ned Pagliarulo • March 30, 2023

Bluebird, awaiting FDA feedback, says it’s likely to miss filing goal for sickle cell gene therapy

The company anticipates hearing back from the agency “within a matter of weeks,” after which it will submit a much-anticipated approval application.

By Ned Pagliarulo • March 29, 2023

A small biotech’s shares double on diabetes drug results

The stock surge has made Biomea Fusion one of the sector’s top performers among the 130 biotechs that have gone public since the start of 2021. 

By Kristin Jensen • March 29, 2023

Viking joins obesity drug development race with early study data

The biotech is working on a dual-acting weight loss treatment that could compete with medicines from Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and others.

By Jonathan Gardner • March 28, 2023

Novartis taps Bicycle to develop radiopharmaceutical drugs for cancer

The pharma aims to use Bicycle's drugmaking technology to explore new ways of making the targeted radiation treatments.

By Delilah Alvarado • March 28, 2023