Pfizer forecasts steep decline in COVID vaccine, drug sales

Yearly revenue from Comirnaty and Paxlovid could fall by nearly two thirds in 2023 amid lower vaccination rates and a shift to private market sales.

By Christopher Newman • Jan. 31, 2023

Humira biosimilars arrive in the US, as Amgen launches first copycat to AbbVie’s blockbuster drug

The world’s best-selling drug will face pricing pressure as rivals try to steal share from AbbVie’s $20 billion-a-year flagship product in the U.S. 

By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 31, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from BioPharma Dive

Looming patent expiries this decade and intensifying competition from China are forcing drugmakers to adapt, while new opportunities open up in oncology and in neuroscience.

By BioPharma Dive staff

J&J puts focus on cancer drugs in push to reach 2025 sales target

The drugmaker reported fourth quarter revenue that fell short of forecasts, but reiterated confidence in reaching a $60 billion pharmaceutical sales goal.

By Christopher Newman • Updated Jan. 24, 2023

Lilly to boost diabetes drug production with $450M factory investment

The pharma aims to double its manufacturing capacity for drugs like Mounjaro and Trulicity as competition with rival Novo Nordisk heats up.

By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 24, 2023

Big passion for small biotech and its potential to address complex diseases

A conversation with Teresa Nunes, chief medical officer of Allucent.

Jan. 23, 2023

Why Wall Street shrugged at Lilly’s Alzheimer’s setback

Analysts argue the FDA’s choice to decline accelerated approval for donanemab, while surprising, is not the main factor that will determine whether it eventually becomes a commercial success.

By Jacob Bell • Jan. 20, 2023

BeiGene wins expanded approval for leukemia drug, intensifying battle with AbbVie, AstraZeneca

The drugmaker hopes Brukinsa’s survival data will help its drug compete with Imbruvica and Calquence.

By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 20, 2023

FDA rejects Lilly Alzheimer’s drug, citing insufficient data

The drugmaker had sought an accelerated approval based on data from a small mid-stage trial. Results from a larger study are due in the second quarter.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Jan. 20, 2023

Roche says Tecentriq immunotherapy reduces risk of liver cancer recurrence

While the company did not reveal specific study data, the results could help Tecentriq become the first drug approved for adjuvant liver cancer treatment.

By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 19, 2023

Moderna reports positive RSV vaccine results, pressuring Pfizer, GSK

The biotech’s results appear competitive to past data for RSV shots being developed by GSK and Pfizer. Moderna plans to follow those companies in asking for FDA approval.

By Delilah Alvarado • Jan. 18, 2023

EMA weighs new safety guidance for Novartis’ gene therapy Zolgensma

The discussions come months after two patients died from acute liver injury following treatment with the spinal muscular atrophy therapy.

By Delilah Alvarado • Jan. 13, 2023

Novo Nordisk diabetes pill wins FDA approval for first-line use

The approval could help Rybelsus compete with oral drugs marketed by Eli Lilly, Merck & Co. and others.

By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 13, 2023

California files suit against PBMs over insulin prices

The state filed suit Thursday against pharmacy benefit managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx, alleging they worked with drugmakers to drive up the price of insulin.

By Hailey Mensik • Jan. 13, 2023

JPM23: Takeda tests Bristol Myers, Prime weighs spinoffs and Sanofi faces down a competitor

Prime Medicine’s CEO pondered how best to advance an expansive pipeline, while executives at the two pharmas talked up their rival autoimmune disease drugs at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

By Ben Fidler , Jacob Bell , Gwendolyn Wu , Delilah Alvarado • Jan. 11, 2023

Bristol Myers, Bayer forecast blockbuster future for rival blood thinners

The companies forecast that annual sales of two experimental anticoagulants they’re respectively developing could exceed $5 billion later this decade.

By Christopher Newman • Jan. 11, 2023

AstraZeneca, Avillion get FDA approval for new ‘rescue’ drug for asthma

Airsupra joins a growing portfolio of new drugs that are helping the British drugmaker offset wilting sales of older respiratory medicines like Pulmicort.

By Kristin Jensen • Jan. 11, 2023

Looking past Humira, AbbVie boosts sales forecasts for successor drugs

Competition to Humira will weigh on AbbVie, but the pharma has laid out ambitious expectations for fast growth from its medicines Skyrizi and Rinvoq.

By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 11, 2023

JPM23: Vaccine developers as dealmakers, Gilead’s trial tea leaves and building platform companies

Arrakis CEO Michael Gilman discussed platform companies’ central challenge, while Moderna’s Stéphane Bancel and Pfizer’s Albert Bourla hinted at greater dealmaking to come for their companies.

By Jacob Bell , Ben Fidler , Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 10, 2023

Novavax’s Erck to depart after 12 years as CEO

The longtime company head is retiring after a trying year for the COVID-19 vaccine developer. John Jacobs, most recently CEO at Harmony Biosciences, will succeed him.

By Delilah Alvarado • Jan. 9, 2023

Arrowhead reports positive data from liver drug, but company’s shares slide

The biotech and partner Takeda also announced a Phase 3 study of the RNA medicine that is longer than anticipated, pushing out analysts’ timelines.

By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 9, 2023

5 questions facing the pharma industry in 2023

Drug price reforms and regulatory scrutiny present challenges for large drugmakers, although successes in Alzheimer’s and obesity have brought new opportunities, too.

By Christopher Newman , Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 9, 2023

Trio of biotech buyouts jumpstarts J.P. Morgan healthcare meeting

AstraZeneca is acquiring CinCor Pharma, while Ipsen and Chiesi announced deals to buy rare disease drugmakers Albireo and Amryt Pharma, respectively. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • Jan. 9, 2023

Harmonizing site and sponsor platforms to accelerate study startup and monitoring

Tech overload is among the greatest challenges sites have when they take on new clinical trials and the average clinical research center has to manage multiple platforms daily.

Jan. 9, 2023

Eisai, in pricing new Alzheimer’s drug, tries to sidestep controversy

The pharma set the average annual cost of it and Biogen’s newly approved medicine Leqembi to $26,500, below the cost of the companies’ earlier drug Aduhelm but above one estimate of cost effectiveness.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Jan. 6, 2023

Pfizer pares back early-stage research in rare disease, cancer

The drugmaker said it is considering licensing out some assets to shorten development timelines, and will stop work on early viral-based gene therapies. 

By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 6, 2023