Latest Posts

• After First Look at House Drug Plan, Stocks Rise Slightly

  The first details of the long-awaited House Democrat plan to lower drug prices leaked out Monday night, with elements that have long been anathema to the biopharma industry and its supporters in Washington.

  While the world digested the details Tuesday, however,... Read more »

  Alex Lash9/10/19

• Herceptin Inventors, Immunology Pioneers Take Home 2019 Lasker Awards

  This year’s Lasker Awards, the US’s most prestigious biomedical honor, are going to five scientists whose work led to a critical breast cancer treatment and significant basic research advances that have helped pave the way for immunotherapy.

  H. Michael Shepard, Dennis... Read more »

  Ben Fidler9/10/19

• At Big Lung Cancer Meeting, Lights Shine on KRAS, Drug Combos & More

  The treatment landscape for lung cancer has shifted significantly over the past few years, and more changes could be on the way. At the World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona this weekend a number of drug makers trotted out... Read more »

  Ben Fidler9/9/19

• Bio Roundup: MedCo’s Pricing Plan, Vertex’s Gamble, uBiome Undone

  Being first to market with a new type of drug brings advantages. The first mover sets the bar for what physicians, payers, and patients can expect of that medicine and how much it costs. It grabs market share that followers have... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan9/6/19

• With FDA’s Eye on JAK Drugs, Concert Moves One Ahead For Hair Loss

  Despite the safety concerns that have recently emerged for class of drugs known as JAK inhibitors, their reach continues to grow. The latest example comes from Concert Pharmaceuticals, which is racing the drug giant Pfizer to develop a medicine for a... Read more »

  Ben Fidler9/3/19

• Bio Roundup: Cholesterol Check, J&J’s Opioid Hit, AbbVie’s Flop & More

  You might be camping, barbecuing, or sleeping on Monday. It’s Labor Day, after all. But in Paris, this cardiologist will be in a conference center, walking an audience through a slide deck packed with Phase 3 data for a new cholesterol-lowering... Read more »

  Alex Lash8/30/19

• New PCSK9 Cholesterol Drug Faces Tough Foe. (Hint: Not Cholesterol.)

  [Updated 8/26/19, 10:30am. See below.] Remember when the new wave of expensive cholesterol-lowering drugs—known as PCSK9 inhibitors—was supposed to give the healthcare system a financial heart attack?

  Far from it. Four years after approval the two PCSK9 blockers... Read more »

  Alex Lash8/26/19

• Bio Roundup: Sarepta’s Stumble, Opioid Suits, Shkreli’s Legacy & More

  Biotech news tends to slow down in August but the past seven days have been busy for regulatory decisions. Three drugs and two devices won FDA nods.

  Not all companies were as fortunate. Several biotechs reported failed clinical trials or unfavorable... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan8/23/19

• Elanco’s $7.6B Deal With Bayer Bolsters Pets, Farm Animals Footprint

  Elanco Animal Health, the veterinary sector’s fourth-largest company measured by revenue, is poised to leap to number two through a $7.6 billion cash and stock deal for Bayer’s animal health unit.

  The acquisition will help Elanco boost its business selling products... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan8/20/19

• Bio Roundup: Zolgensma Fallout, Duchenne Redux, Ebola Boost & More

  We learned last week that the FDA was investigating Novartis for manipulating animal data related to its $2 million-a-dose gene therapy Zolgensma. The activity took place at AveXis, the firm Novartis bought for $8.7 billion in 2018, and Novartis reportedly... Read more »

  Alex Lash8/16/19

• Four New Drugs Are Around the Corner. Here’s What You Need to Know.

  [Updated, 3:40 pm ET, see below] The Food and Drug Administration approved 59 new drugs last year, a record for the agency which over the years has swung back and forth between tight control and leniency. We are in... Read more »

  Ben Fidler8/15/19

• Inari Reaps $89M and Eyes Global Farm Markets for Gene-Edited Seeds

  Plant genetics startup Inari, which is developing crop varieties that produce higher yields and use fewer resources, has raised $89 million to advance its research toward the US and international markets.

  Corn, soybean, wheat, and tomatoes are the Cambridge, MA-based company’s... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan8/6/19

• Bio Roundup: Pfizer’s Future, CRISPR in Patients, Drug Imports & More

  [Corrected 12:55 p.m. ET. See below.] Acquisitions made Pfizer what it is today: the world’s biggest drug maker measured by revenue. But as the company maps its future, CEO Albert Bourla is breaking some of that legacy apart.

  Blockbuster... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan8/2/19

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• Elanco Boosts Vaccine Portfolio With $60M Prevtec Acquisition

  One of the most serious threats to a young farm pig’s life is a type of gut infection that can quickly turn deadly. Elanco Animal Health has acquired a Canadian biotechnology startup that has commercialized a line of vaccines developed to... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan8/1/19

• White House Floats Canadian Import Plan But Excludes Many Costly Drugs

  [Updated, 6:18 p.m. ET. See below.] The Trump administration unveiled Wednesday a long-awaited plan to import cheaper medications from Canada and other countries.

  The US Department of Health and Human Services says the two proposals are part of the... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan7/31/19

• Mark Levin Named Xconomy’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner in Boston

  We at Xconomy are excited to announce that we are honoring Mark Levin, co-founder and partner at Third Rock Ventures, with our 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award in Boston. The award recognizes Levin’s extensive contributions to the biotech industry and to the... Read more »

  Angela Shah7/31/19

• Duchenne Advocates Start Casimir, Aiming to Capture Missing Data

  Three years ago, the FDA made one of the most polarizing decisions in its history. It approved a drug for the rare genetic disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy on the slimmest of evidence, a watershed moment that caused a highly publicized rift... Read more »

  Ben Fidler7/26/19

• Bio Roundup: Leiden’s Exit, Depression Data, a New Pricing Bill & More

  What will the legacy be of Jeff Leiden, the longtime CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals?

  Vertex surprised Wall Street this week by announcing Leiden’s seven-year run will end next spring. In some ways, his legacy is already written. He steered Vertex... Read more »

  Ben Fidler7/26/19

• As Castle Bio Jumps on IPO Train, Industry Trends Suggest Slowdown

  Castle Biosciences is joining the public markets through a $64 million IPO that will support cancer tests that help doctors make treatment decisions.

  On Wednesday evening, Castle priced its offering of 4 million shares at $16 apiece, which was the high... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan7/25/19

• Could Facebook’s Crypto Break Financial System? Congress Airs Fears

  In late 2017, a federal watchdog unit assigned a working group to keep an eye on cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, and to sound an alert if those alternate currencies showed signs of becoming a risk to the stability of the US... Read more »

  Bernadette Tansey7/19/19

• Bio Roundup: Opioid Exposé, Gilead’s Gambit, Life Science IPOs & More

  The opioid crisis reaches all corners of the nation, and newly released data this week revealed how the growth of the epidemic tracked with a massive increase in the production and distribution of these drugs.

  From 2006 to 2012, the number... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan7/19/19

• Genmab, Mirum Pharma & Fulcrum Raise $653M in Wall Street Debuts

  Initial public offerings took a brief summer break the week of Independence Day, but healthcare IPO activity resumed this week as three more companies joined the US public markets. Here’s a recap of the biotech companies that priced IPOs Wednesday evening.... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan7/18/19

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• Bio Roundup: Michael Becker, Suzanne Eaton, Gene Therapy Moves & More

  The life science and healthcare worlds are vast. We often talk about impact in terms of millions of patients and billions of dollars. But these worlds can be small, too. It seems at times we’re never far removed from any one... Read more »

  Alex Lash7/12/19

• Amgen, Novartis BACE Inhibitor Joins List of Failed Alzheimer’s Drugs

  Amgen and Novartis are stopping work on an experimental Alzheimer’s disease drug after an early look at clinical data showed worsening cognitive function in patients.

  The interim results announced Thursday were part of a pre-planned review of data from two pivotal... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan7/11/19

• Trump Kills His Administration’s Plan to End Secret Drug Rebates

  Donald Trump’s criticism of high drug prices began during the 2016 presidential campaign and continued through his presidency, perhaps most famously just before his inauguration when he said that drug companies were “getting away with murder.”

  This week has... Read more »

  Alex Lash7/11/19

• Honeywell Spinout Resideo Adds to Smart Home Cache, Opens Austin HQ

  Austin—[Corrected 11:14 a.m. See below.] Doorbells, thermostats, refrigerators, and more—everything in the modern home is becoming a smart, connected device. (You can even monitor your kitty’s litter box habits with the Litter Robot 3!)

  There are many other,... Read more »

  David Holley7/9/19

• How Do YOU Think the Internet Will Evolve? A Sampling of Your Tweets

  [Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining the internet’s first 50 years and predicting the next half century. Join Xconomy and World Frontiers Forum on July 16 for Net@50, an event exploring the internet’s past and future.... Read more »

  Wade Roush7/9/19

• Future of the Internet: What Scares Networking Pioneer Radia Perlman

  [Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining the internet’s first 50 years and predicting the next half century. Join Xconomy and World Frontiers Forum on July 16 for Net@50, an event exploring the internet’s past and future.... Read more »

  Wade Roush7/8/19

• Why Ethernet Inventor Bob Metcalfe is an Internet Optimist

  [Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining the internet’s first 50 years and predicting the next half century. Join Xconomy and World Frontiers Forum on July 16 for Net@50, an event exploring the internet’s past and future.... Read more »

  Wade Roush7/8/19

• Bio Roundup: Duchenne Race, Warren v. Gottlieb, A $599 Genome & More

  As we pause to celebrate the 4th of July, another birthday is top of mind: A third baby whose embryonic DNA was edited by Chinese scientist He Jiankui. As Xconomy reported in November, He hinted about a second pregnancy after his... Read more »

  Ben Fidler7/5/19

• Ex-Apple UX Guru Don Norman Calls for Replacing the Internet

  [Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining the internet’s first 50 years and predicting the next half century. Join Xconomy and World Frontiers Forum on July 16 for Net@50, an event exploring the internet’s past and future.... Read more »

  Wade Roush7/3/19

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