All articles tagged with #biopharma
AstraZeneca opened a new 18-story research and development center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday. The 570,000-square-foot facility will employ nearly 2,000 scientists and is part of a $1 billion investment in the state. The company aims to expand its local workforce by over 50% while focusing on oncology, obesity, and rare diseases using advanced automation and AI.
Endpoints News has released its eighth annual special report recognizing 20 women who are significantly influencing the biopharmaceutical industry. The honorees span diverse sectors, including oncology and rare disease research. This initiative is part of a broader effort that has recognized over 160 women across various biopharma sectors since the program's inception.
Kodiak Sciences stock jumped 178% after its two eye drugs, Zenkuda and tabirafusp-ted, matched Regeneron’s Eylea in a Phase 3 trial for wet age-related macular degeneration. Zenkuda allowed over half of patients to receive injections only once every six months, compared to every eight weeks for Eylea. The company plans to file for FDA approval of Zenkuda in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Chinese biopharma shares jumped in Hong Kong after reports the U.S. may allow continued licensing of drugs from Chinese firms, with Innovent, Akeso and others leading gains as the Hang Seng Biotech Index rose over 5%. The shift would keep pharma licensing on a different track from tighter U.S. rules for AI and semiconductors. Licensing activity remains robust, with about half of 2025 U.S. overseas drug licenses coming from China and roughly $110 billion in licensing deals in the first half of 2026, underscoring a continued out-licensing boom and China’s push to globalize its pharmaceutical sector.
Novartis’ Phase III failure of del-desiran for myotonic dystrophy type 1 sent shares down about 10%, marking the third drug-trial setback in a week and fueling questions about growth targets. Management will reassess the development path while sticking to a 5%-6% annual sales growth outlook to 2030, though analysts doubt the target without more M&A. Separately, remibrutinib showed positive MS results, but the broader pipeline and implications of the Avidity deal and patent expiries keep investors wary.
Novo Nordisk’s anti-inflammatory drug for cardiovascular inflammation unexpectedly failed in a Phase 3 trial designed to prove a link between inflammation and heart disease, marking a setback for its cardiovascular program and potentially reshaping investor expectations.
A look at 2025 Biopharma pay shows quirky perks—private jets, donations to wildfire relief, and a $23,000 internet bill—underscoring the extravagant and unconventional items in executive compensation.
Sanofi halted one phase 3 CIDP trial of riliprubart after an interim analysis showed insufficient efficacy and is evaluating whether to continue the second phase 3 study. The setback compounds a string of pipeline disappointments for the company and could reshape competition among CIDP therapies, including IVIg substitutes, with analysts previously eyeing riliprubart as a potential value driver in 2027.
Chai Discovery announced a license with Pfizer to deploy its frontier AI platform, including the Chai-3 model and a Pfizer-custom model, within Pfizer’s drug discovery engine to accelerate biomolecule design and target hard-to-reach areas. Pfizer will gain early access to Chai-3, which advances antibody design and generalization, alongside a tailored model leveraging Pfizer’s data. The deal highlights growing use of AI in pharma to shorten discovery timelines that traditionally span months to weeks.
Lilly will acquire Curevo, LimmaTech Biologics, and Vaccine Company to broaden its infectious-disease portfolio, spanning a shingles vaccine candidate, a bacterial-pathogen vaccine platform, and an EBV-focused virus-like particle vaccine, for up to about $3.83 billion in cash and milestone payments, subject to closing conditions.
OpenAI unveiled a life-sciences-focused AI model, GPT-Rosalind, aimed at the biopharma market and positioned to compete with Anthropic as tech giants push into pharma AI.
Doug Ingram of Sarepta Therapeutics is criticized as the worst biopharma CEO of 2025 for making risky decisions to push for broad approval of the gene therapy Elevidys for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, despite limited safety and efficacy data, leading to tragic consequences.
Sanofi is acquiring Blueprint Medicines for $9.1 billion to strengthen its rare immunology portfolio, marking the largest biopharma deal since January.
Biopharma device manufacturer Schott Pharma USA Inc. plans to invest $317 million in Wilson County, creating 401 jobs by 2030 with an average annual wage of $57,868. The project, expected to grow the state’s economy by $1.32 billion, will involve manufacturing syringes for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The company chose Wilson due to labor availability, proximity to Research Triangle Park, and state and local incentives. This investment reflects North Carolina's appeal to global biotech and life sciences companies, with the state having attracted over 7,000 new jobs and $2 billion in capital investment from German companies over the past decade.
Lawmakers' explosive charges have put a global spotlight on China's WuXi, a major player in the biopharma industry, which is now facing increased scrutiny. The relationship between biopharma companies and global CRO/CDMOs can be disrupted by various issues such as regulatory issues, production snags, and questions about team leadership, impacting long-term projects with substantial stakes.