Latest Posts

• Bio Roundup: Sage Postpartum Help, Biogen Bids Adu, Heart Beats & More

  One group of people in dire need of medical relief got good news this week. The first drug for postpartum depression was approved. With its complicated logistics, side effects, and potential high cost, it won’t be for everyone who experiences the... Read more »

  Alex Lash3/22/19

• Urovant Bladder Drug Hits Test Goals But Can’t Outpace Generic Rival

  Urovant Sciences says its experimental drug for overactive bladder could offer advantages compared to an FDA-approved treatment marketed by Astellas Pharma. But late-stage clinical results released Tuesday raise questions whether Urovant can persuade doctors to prescribe it instead of a much... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan3/19/19

• Bio Roundup: Golumbeski’s Legacy, CRISPR Moratorium, Rebate Week & More

  While all eyes in the biopharmaceutical world are currently trained on Bristol-Myers Squibb’s proposal to buy Celgene for $74 billion, it wasn’t that long ago that another company’s gaze was fixed on the Summit, NJ, drug maker.

  In the early... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan3/15/19

• Blood Test Study Meets Goal, Validates Epic’s Prostate Cancer Target

  Epic Sciences has developed a blood test that can predict how likely a patient with late-stage prostate cancer treated with hormones is likely to respond to an additional course of such therapy. Now, the San Diego-based company has additional data that... Read more »

  Sarah de Crescenzo3/13/19

• FDA Clears Aerie’s Combo Glaucoma Drug, But Will it Sell?

  The FDA late Tuesday approved a new type of glaucoma drug from Aerie Pharmaceuticals that, in clinical testing, beat the generic eye drops known as prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) that are typically prescribed to slow the progression of the disease.

  Now Aerie... Read more »

  Ben Fidler3/13/19

• Drug-Price Watchdog ICER Dives into Trump-Fueled Pharma Rebate Debate

  [Updated 3/13/19, 12:20pm. See below.] With public and political winds blowing in the same direction, significant reform of the complicated U.S. drug-pricing system seems ever more likely. One part of the system that the Trump administration wants to overhaul... Read more »

  Alex Lash3/13/19

• The Life, Troubles, and Celgene Legacy of Deal Guru George Golumbeski

  George Golumbeski is one of the most prolific dealmakers in the biopharmaceutical world. But the deal that changed his life is a pact he made with himself when he was ten years old.

  Playing with friends in front of his house... Read more »

  Ben Fidler3/11/19

• Bio Roundup: Gottlieb Exits, Bristol Defends, Biogen Buys & More

  In early 2017, Scott Gottlieb was considered the most moderate of the potential candidates to head the Food and Drug Administration, which is the most powerful regulator of medical products in the world.

  It wasn’t a high bar to clear. Libertarians... Read more »

  Alex Lash3/8/19

• Steering Lyft’s IPO: What Investors Will Weigh During the Roadshow

  Much has been said about Lyft’s early lead over Uber in the “horserace” to become the first ride-hailing app company to go public. But now that San Francisco-based Lyft has filed its 276-page IPO prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange... Read more »

  Bernadette Tansey and Sarah Schmid Stevenson3/7/19

• Blue Squad Aims to Bring Election Tech Up and Down the Ballot

  Austin—All politics is local, the adage goes, and those campaigns are sorely stuck in analog mode.

  That’s why Shion Deysarkar co-founded Blue Squad two years ago as a “digital coalition” to support progressive candidates by providing them with greater access... Read more »

  Angela Shah3/6/19

• Two Years and Done: FDA Commissioner Gottlieb To Resign

  Two months after insisting on Twitter that he wasn’t going anywhere, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced his resignation today. He leaves a record of health and medical regulation that was more active than critics who spoke out... Read more »

  Alex Lash3/5/19

• Precision Bio Preps IPO to Test “Off-the-Shelf” Cancer Cell Therapy

  Precision BioSciences has filed for an initial public offering to continue its development of gene-edited cell therapies, including a cancer treatment that is set to start tests in humans in the coming months. The company is also forging ahead in gene... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan3/4/19

• Retailers Turn to Analytics, 3D Tech to Promote Fit, Reduce Returns

  One size fits most (at best), and a women’s sizing system created during the Depression doesn’t gibe in an e-commerce business that prizes personalization.

  That’s why startups are turning to new technologies like 3D scanning and machine learning software to produce... Read more »

  Angela Shah3/4/19

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• Privacy Watch: FTC, Facebook, EU, the Cloud Act, & More CA bills

  Privacy issues continued to boil to the surface in February. In part, it’s a reflection of the long tail of consequences that began in early 2018 when the broader public learned that Facebook had shared data from millions of user profiles... Read more »

  Bernadette Tansey3/4/19

• SPECIAL REPORT: 2019 Biopharma Outlook – Facing an Uncertain Future

  After years of boom times, the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry is dealing with unprecedented threats on several fronts: public backlash against high drug prices, slowing sales, and the possibility of more government regulation.

  In this Xconomy Special Report, our veteran biotech journalists... Read more »

  Corie Lok3/1/19

• Bio Roundup: Pharma in DC, Bristol-Cel in Trouble, Roche Gets A Spark

  Could a shareholder revolt doom the planned marriage of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene? Analysts have hinted at the possibility since the two companies shook hands in January, but the threat became real this week.

  Bristol (NYSE: BMY) and Celgene... Read more »

  Ben Fidler3/1/19

• Ex-Google CEO: New MIT College Could Help Shrink A.I. Talent Gap

  Eric Schmidt believes we’re entering an era where artificial intelligence will underpin most facets of human life. But we don’t yet have enough people with the right skills to build that future.

  Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and former executive... Read more »

  Jeff Engel2/28/19

• Walmart’s Store No 8 Acquires Aspectiva to Bring A.I. to Shopping

  Walmart’s Store No 8 innovation arm has acquired an Israeli machine learning startup, the retail giant announced Wednesday.

  Aspectiva joined the two-year-old Store No 8 Monday, and its employees will remain in Tel Aviv. “Store No 8’s record of innovation... Read more »

  Angela Shah2/27/19

• Pharma CEOs to Senate: We Will Lower Drug Prices if Rebates Go Away

  Seven top pharmaceutical executives gathered today in Washington, DC, for a Senate hearing on drug prices, bringing face-to-face two groups held in the lowest esteem possible by the American public.

  Top executives from seven companies—AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, Johnson... Read more »

  Alex Lash2/26/19

• Oyster Point Gets $93M To Clear Up Dry Eye With a Nasal Spray

  Dry eye disease affects millions of people in the U.S., and while several treatments, mostly eye drops, are available, they all have flaws. An emerging startup called Oyster Point Pharmaceuticals is trying a completely different approach—a nasal spray that coaxes the... Read more »

  Ben Fidler2/26/19

• Bio Roundup: NASH News, Merck Strikes, Digital Tokens & More

  The growing epidemic of the fatty liver disease known as NASH, which has no FDA-approved treatment, has led to a frenzied race among drug companies. This week, one company, Intercept Pharmaceuticals, solidified its lead. But how much will being first to... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan2/22/19

• Software Startup Portfolium Acquired by Salt Lake City’s Instructure

  The software of Portfolium, a San Diego startup that hosts online portfolios for students trying to showcase their achievements to potential employers, is set to join the portfolio of Utah educational software company Instructure.

  Instructure (NYSE: INST) has agreed to... Read more »

  Sarah de Crescenzo2/20/19

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• Cloud Tech Firm Nasuni Takes in $25M in Telstra-Led Funding Round

  It wasn’t the monthly bank statement that made Nasuni, a Boston-based cloud storage technology startup, run out and raise $25 million in venture funding.

  The company had yet to burn through even half of the $38 million it raised in September... Read more »

  Brian Dowling2/19/19

• Google Confirms New Madison Office, Part of $13B National Expansion

  Google confirmed this week that it will expand its satellite office in Madison, WI, as part of a $13 billion investment in data centers and offices nationwide in 2019.

  Xconomy reported Jan. 31 that the Bay Area tech giant intends to... Read more »

  Jeff Engel2/15/19

• Bio Roundup: Trump’s Scalps, Policy Pressure, NASH Crash & More

  While politicians continue to debate what kind of healthcare system is best for the American people, the mostly U.S.-based pharmaceutical industry is trying to convince those same politicians—and anyone else who will listen—that what’s good for the industry is also good... Read more »

  Alex Lash2/15/19

• Finding True Love Can Be Ruff, But This Startup Could Have Your Match

  Too many people treat pet adoption like a one-night stand.

  “You look at a dog, and see his eyes, and think he’s cute,” says Tama Lundquist, co-president of Houston PetSet, an organization that works with about 70 animal shelters in the... Read more »

  Angela Shah2/14/19

• Losing “Scalps”? Despite Pharma Fear, A Split on Trump Rx-Price Plans

  Despite angry presidential tweets and other anti-pharma rhetoric, the drug industry has benefited under the Trump administration, thanks in part to a massive corporate tax cut.

  Indeed, for nearly two decades, the industry has been able to fend off its critics... Read more »

  Ben Fidler2/12/19

• Neurogene Emerges with $68M to Advance Gene Therapies to the Clinic

  Neurogene is breaking into gene therapy with $68.5 million in new funding to support research on experimental treatments for rare, genetic brain disorders, the first of which could start human testing next year.

  So far, New York-based Neurogene has disclosed two... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan2/12/19

• San Antonio Life Science Business Acelity Cuts 260 Jobs in Texas, NC

  San Antonio—Acelity, a decades-old San Antonio life sciences company known for its wound-healing technologies and tissue-repair products, plans to lay off 200 employees at its San Antonio headquarters and another 60 in Charlotte, NC, a company spokesperson said.

  The job... Read more »

  David Holley2/11/19

• Bio Roundup: New CRISPR Feud, A NY Splash, Pharma vs. Congress & More

  If you’re into congressional spectacles, stay tuned later this month.

  A group of top biopharma executives—the full roster isn’t known yet—will testify at a Feb. 26 hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance to defend their drug pricing practices. No... Read more »

  Ben Fidler2/8/19

• Privacy Watch: Facebook Rebounds, But Privacy Concerns Accelerate

  After Facebook posted a record profit of almost $7 billion in the fourth quarter on nearly $17 billion in revenue last week, an early investor, former advisor to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and current shareholder said he’s making it a mission to... Read more »

  Bernadette Tansey2/4/19

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