A baker’s dozen of biotechs shrugged off the summer haze to raise nearly $800 million in venture cash. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the financings, which included money for a potential challenger to Amgen’s blockbuster Tepezza and a new venture from immunology professor Georg Schett with backing from Deerfield Management, Boulevard Bio. The analysts also discuss new approaches to drug cancer’s “undruggable” β-catenin pathway, and whether Capricor’s...

Pressure is on FDA, policymakers and academic centers in the U.S. to respond to challenges from China, Australia, and beyond to run first in human trials faster and more efficiently. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss how stakeholders in the U.S. are responding to the challenge. The analysts also discuss the next frontiers of federated learning in drug discovery and the latest crop of biotech IPOs on NASDAQ, which raised over $1.2B in strong IPO run last...

Rumors flew this weekend about a mega-merger of AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers — but would such a deal make sense? On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts explain why they aren’t buying it. The team also discusses what lessons can be learned from the regulatory roller-coaster ride of Replimune’s RP1 vusolimogene oderparepvec and psychedelic therapies’ inflection point in treating depression. View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/660376 #BiotechMA #FDA ...

Argenx the tier-jumping European biotech, believes its proposed $2.2 billion purchase of Forte Biosciences will add a second multi-indication product upon which it can run the strategy that has made autoimmune drug Vyvgart efgartigimod alfa a blockbuster. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the deal and put it in the context of a new cohort of large-cap companies increasingly active in biotech M&A. The analysts also assess how recent releases from Ant...

The departure of U.K. Science Minister Patrick Vallance is a blow for U.K. biotech. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss what Vallance’s exit, the appointment of John Healey as Chancellor of the Exchequer and other changes arriving with the new Prime Minister could mean for life sciences in the country. BioCentury’s analysts also discuss an ambitious U.K. data initiative launched this month. The Health Data Research Service is intended to be a single front...

After nearly three years of sluggish job growth, hiring is turning a corner in the U.S. life sciences industry, while the talent pool is expanding beyond the sector’s traditional hubs. On a special episode of the BioCentury This Week podcast, Ian Anderson, senior director, head of U.S. life sciences & healthcare research at CBRE, joins BioCentury’s analysts to discuss the company’s recent report on life sciences talent trends, and how those trends are driving property demand. This episode...

M&A enthusiasm is carrying biotech amid tepid reception for launches. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss BioCentury’s 3Q26 Public Markets Preview, asking whether M&A momentum can carry biotech through year-end and what happens if the AI trade goes bust? Editor in Chief Simone Fishburn gives her perspective on what incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s agenda means for U.K. life sciences. The analysts also discuss Ionis’ ATTR-CM miss and Takeda’s...

Novartis is deepening its antibody-drug conjugate capabilities with its $1.1 billion acquisition of U.K. biotech Myricx Pharma. On the latest episode of the BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss how the deal fits with the Swiss pharma’s cancer toolkit. The analysts then discuss MHRA CEO Lawrence Tallon’s Guest Commentary in BioCentury on making regulation a catalyst for U.K. life sciences and why the primary defeat of Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) is a setback for FDA ref...

New Parkinson’s disease programs aim to move beyond the historical norm of symptom management, branching into targeted therapeutics and cell therapies. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts review the most promising targets and trends shaping the Parkinson’s treatment landscape. The team then turns to AstraZeneca’s build-out of its obesity portfolio, followed by FDA’s Operation TrialBlazer and what the reforms mean for reducing the time to launch a clinical trial i...

AbbVie's $10.9 billion deal to acquire Apogee will expand its immunology pipeline by delivering assets for atopic dermatitis and asthma. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the takeout and the assets AbbVie gains. The analysts then discuss moves by FDA to reverse controversial setbacks that occurred under the agency’s former leadership and assess Acting CDER Director Michael Davis’ memo outlining how his predecessor repeatedly overruled career staff to qu...