Rising first-in-class innovation, faster IND reviews and deep patient pools are drawing global biotechs to China, even as U.S. outbound investment restrictions loom. In a special edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast recorded live at the 13th BioCentury-BayHelix China Healthcare Summit in Shanghai, BioCentury’s Jeff Cranmer, Simone Fishburn and Josh Berlin are joined by Kali Therapeutics CEO Weihao Xu, Charles River’s Matthew Hewitt and Aerska CEO Jack O’Meara to discuss key themes from...

A BioCentury analysis of ESMO first-in-human abstracts finds antibody-drug conjugates outnumbering every other modality, even as payload innovation lags behind target innovation. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts discuss why new targets alone may not be enough to overcome resistance. Turning to policy, the analysts examine Representative Jake Auchincloss’ Faster Clinical Trials Act, which would embed trials in routine care and expand the NIH's All of Us bioban...

Proposed U.S. Treasury rules implementing the COINS Act would bar U.S. equity investments, joint ventures and co-development deals with China biotechs, potentially ensnaring Asia-to-West NewCos while leaving licensing intact. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts assess the rule’s implications for cross-border dealmaking, the competitive opening it may create for European companies, and China’s narrower-than-feared draft export controls on platform technologies. Th...

Roche’s $15 billion biobucks deal with Hansoh for preclinical ADCs is the latest in a string of China licensing deals carrying unusually large upfronts for early-stage assets. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts assess trends to watch ahead of Shanghai Life Sciences Week, including how new rules have curtailed China’s IIT pathway and a proposed export-control regime that could complicate cell and gene therapy and siRNA deals. The analysts also discuss Merck KGaA’...

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...