An M&A-fueled first half gave way to third-quarter underperformance for biotech as a short squeeze in Moderna forced specialist funds into selling some quality names and follow-on activity slowed. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts preview the fourth quarter, where rising bond yields and the U.S. midterms could keep financing and deal activity quiet through year-end. The analysts also discuss why late-stage misses in Lp(a), IL-6, and Factor XI are pushing de...

Pharma partnering in China is getting earlier and broader, with Merck & Co., Novo Nordisk and Novartis striking multibillion-dollar deals for assets spanning new modalities and disease areas. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts assess the trend and why co-development deals could draw scrutiny in Washington. The analysts also discuss the complexities of Beam's trade secret suit against YolTech, why the GLOBE Medicare pricing model matters more for the preceden...

Mechanisms broad enough to matter across many diseases, from mitochondrial health to the biology of aging, emerged as a defining theme at Grand Rounds Europe in Amsterdam. On a special live edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast, BioGeneration Ventures' Oskar Slotboom, NautaDutilh's Ruud Smits and Leyden Labs' Dinko Valerio join BioCentury's analysts to discuss women's health and sleep as lenses on disease, and the shift toward prevention. The panel also weighs the limits of "Frankenstei...

Seven global approvals in five years, validated biomarkers and FDA flexibility have turned IgA nephropathy from a neglected rare disease into a crowded field, with Biogen, Novartis, Takeda, Climb Bio and Jade chasing targets such as APRIL, BAFF and CD38. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts assess how next-generation therapies are competing on safety and longer dosing intervals. The analysts also discuss Heidi Overton's FDA commissioner confirmation hearing and li...

The first biotech IPO in a month, Electra's upsized $350 million offering, fell in its trading debut, testing investor appetite while a wave of reverse mergers showcases an alternate route to NASDAQ. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts examine momentum in the biotech IPO market. The team also unpacks fatal toxicities in Novartis' autoimmune CAR-T trials and what they reveal about manufacturing, dosing and immune biology risks across the modality. In Washington, S...

Note: This episode was briefly published with an incorrect audio file, which has since been corrected. FDA is prepared to approve psychedelic therapies for chronic psychiatric disorders before sponsors have fully determined how long the effects last or when patients should receive second or subsequent doses. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts assess the latest guidance on psychedelics from FDA. The team also discusses takeaways from Michael Davis' first intervi...

A pair of high profile clinical setbacks has wiped out more than $40 billion in market cap for Novartis, most of which stemmed from the Phase III miss of antisense oligonucleotide therapy pelacarsen. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts unpack the fallout for Lp(a) as a cardio target and whether issues with the target, modality or treatment setting contributed to the therapy's lack of efficacy. The analysts also review BioCentury's annual big pharma deals analysis...

Mid-sized biopharma companies are under growing pressure to accept most-favored nation drug pricing deals with the White House. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts assess the trade-offs companies face, the litigation risks around mandatory Medicare MFN pricing demonstrations, and what happens to companies that don't sign on. The analysts also discuss Eli Lilly's acquisition of Merida, its thirteenth takeout of the year, Heidi Overton's nomination as FDA commissio...

China has changed the global narrative on delivering early human clinical data, with a new bar for speed and efficiency. And now drug developers and policymakers around the world have gotten the message and know that this is no time for complacency. On a special edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts discuss why transformational reform for early clinical development will require rethinking the risk-control paradigm for first-in-human trials. It’s the subject of the...

A Phase III win for a melanoma vaccine from Moderna and Merck & Co. has opened the door to personalized neoantigen vaccines. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the vaccine’s prospects and the broader implications. The analysts also discuss Roche/Genentech’s deal with Hanmi, which will add to the MNC’s obesity pipeline an asset that the pharma believes could be first in class, and the White House's pick of a Trump loyalist to lead FDA – a move that ha...