Latest Posts

• Bio Roundup: Pelosi’s Reveal, Alder’s Deal, Biogen’s Fails & More

  Boston, San Francisco, and a few other metro areas might dominate the US life sciences, but some weeks, all bio-related eyes are on the nation’s capital. Health concerns about vaping continue to mount, and the feds could get involved. Meanwhile, try... Read more »

  Alex Lash9/20/19

• Pelosi, Dems Unveil Price Plan: Are 25 Drugs Enough for Negotiation?

  With the 2020 election just over a year away, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has unveiled the Democratic Party’s answer to public discontent over high prescription drug prices.

  A preview of the plan was leaked last week. Today’s announcement doesn’t... Read more »

  Alex Lash9/19/19

• Bio Roundup: Award Winners, Lung Data, Dems on Drug Pricing & More

  For decades, advanced lung cancer was a quick death sentence. That’s no longer a given, thanks in part to the arrival of immunotherapy. If a medical meeting in Barcelona this week was any indication, more help could be on the... Read more »

  Ben Fidler9/13/19

• 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

• Robocalls Crowd Out Real Business Calls. This Startup Has an Answer.

  The ways in which robocallers try to dupe us are becoming almost as plentiful as the frequency of the calls.

  An unknown phone number was once all scammers needed to trick the average person into picking up the call. Now,... Read more »

  David Holley8/30/19

• 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

• GSK’s Cancer Comeback Continues With Data for Multiple Myeloma Drug

  An experimental GlaxoSmithKline treatment for multiple myeloma has achieved the main goal of a key study, and the drug maker plans to file for regulatory approval by the end of this year.

  GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) said Friday that treatment with... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan8/23/19

• 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

• Ford’s Autonomic Connects EV Maker Ayro to Its Mobility Cloud

  Ford subsidiary Autonomic today announced a step forward in its drive to expand the online mobility hub it built to manage digital interactions among cars, drivers, fleets, service providers, and auto manufacturers—including Ford’s rivals.

  Palo Alto, CA-based Autonomic signed up Ayro... Read more »

  Bernadette Tansey8/21/19

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• Pfizer Spinout SpringWorks, Migraine Drug Firm Satsuma Prep IPOs

  The dog days of summer are here and IPO activity has slowed, but that hasn’t stopped some biotech companies from securing a place in the line leading to Wall Street. Late Friday, SpringWorks Therapeutics and Satsuma Pharmaceuticals filed paperwork to go... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan8/16/19

• 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

• Will Porsche Fans Ever Live in a Driverless World? Porsche Says No.

  Imagine the transportation future 20 years from now. Here’s one way things could roll on a weekday: Many of us get picked up at home by a sturdy, standardized, driverless car that will also scoop up a few of our neighbors... Read more »

  Bernadette Tansey8/16/19

• 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

• Bio Roundup: Surprise News, a Gene Therapy Mess & a CAR-T Step

  Gene therapy has become one of the hottest fields in biomedicine, with two treatments approved in the US already and several more on the way. But surprise news this week regarding Zolgensma, the recently approved spinal muscular atrophy treatment, cast... Read more »

  Ben Fidler8/9/19

• 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

• 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

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• 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

• No Co-Founder? Y Combinator Offers Matchmaking at Startup School

  From the moment Talia Frenkel resolved to found a company after a kitchen-table talk with her parents, the odds were against her. There were a host of reasons—she wasn’t a software engineer, she had no product development experience, and she wanted... Read more »

  Bernadette Tansey7/26/19

• 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

• Bristol, With Another Lung Cancer Flop, Loses More Ground to Merck

  Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) this afternoon revealed yet another setback for its cancer immunotherapy nivolumab (Opdivo) in lung cancer, boosting the outlook for rival Merck.

  The New York pharma giant said that a regimen of nivolumab (Opdivo) and chemotherapy failed... Read more »

  Ben Fidler7/24/19

• Freenome Snags $160M to Boost Blood Test for Early Cancer Detection

  Freenome, one of the rivals racing to detect the earliest signs of cancer through blood tests, announced Wednesday it has raised $160 million in a Series B funding round.

  The money boosts Freenome’s fundraising total to $238 million. It’s a... Read more »

  Bernadette Tansey7/24/19

• With Regulator’s Nod, Bosch Plans Spread of Driverless Valet Parking

  Mass fleets of self-driving cars have yet to arrive on our streets, but people are already worrying about where they’re going to park. If they all just circle around city blocks, competing to offer on-demand rides, they could slow traffic to... Read more »

  Bernadette Tansey7/23/19

• 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

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