Next-generation platforms and technologies are getting closer to cracking one of biopharma’s biggest problems: delivering medicines, and mAbs in particular, to the brain. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s Selina Koch details the latest innovations in blood-brain-barrier shuttles and how the technologies could transform the treatment of neurological diseases.
BioCentury’s Lauren Martz discusses her conversation with Tony Wood, CSO of GSK, which included the pharma’s strategy for indication expansion, why it prefers RNA modalities over AAV-based gene therapies, and how its quest for causal biology has evolved over the years.
Washington Editor Steve Usdin discusses the first set of FDA’s new commissioner’s national priority review vouchers, and why the voucher program is unlikely to function as an incentive capable of steering future behavior. Usdin also discusses the potential impact of FDA staffing reductions on the sector. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by Evotec.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657326

#BloodBrainBarrier #Neurology #DrugDelivery #MonoclonalAntibodies #RNAtherapeutics #CausalBiology #FDA

00:01 - Sponsor Message: Evotec
01:57 - Brain Shuttles
13:57 - GSK Q&A
20:08 - FDA Vouchers

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It’s been a tough year for cell and gene therapy — patient deaths, high-profile companies pulling out of the space, and sour investment sentiment. But the field has had some promising readouts in the clinic recently, and it continues to mature, showing steady progress despite challenging market conditions. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, Evotec’s Bernd Mühlenweg joins BioCentury’s analysts to give his view of the field and offer takeaways from this month’s Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa in Phoenix. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by Evotec. 

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657278

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Biotech’s fourth quarter began with a familiar feeling, with indicators pointing toward an improving public market even as political and regulatory uncertainty has buysiders reluctant to say industry has returned to sustainable growth. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts assess the state of biotech’s public markets. The analysts discuss the Senate’s move to limit access to Chinese CDMOs, the latest developments in the White House’s “most favored nation” drug pricing negotiations, and the U.K.'s attempt to win over pharma companies via adjusting thresholds at NICE. Finally, they analyze a pair of billion-dollar-plus M&A deals: the $4.7 billion deal by Novo Nordisk to acquire liver disease company Akero and the $1.5 billion takeout of in vivo cell therapy company Orbital by Bristol Myers. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by Evotec.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657260

#biotech #biopharma #pharma #lifescience #drugpricing #MFN

00:01  Sponsor Message: Evotec
02:12  4Q Markets Preview
13:25  China CDMOs
24:35  Drug Pricing Deals NHS
31:22  Drug Pricing Deals M&A

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The short-term consequences for Pfizer from its “most favored nation” drug pricing deal with the White House are negligible, but the long-term effects on the industry could be profound and permanent.
On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury Washington Editor Steve Usdin discusses why the deal by Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) changes everything — and nothing — and what’s next in wrangling over drug pricing between industry and the Trump administration.
The analysts also discuss PDUFA negotiations between FDA and leaders of BIO and PhRMA, how multi-site IITs could help bridge the academia-industry gap, and how TCG X plans to deploy its new $1.3 billion fund. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by Evotec.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657192

#biotech #biopharma #pharma #lifescience #financialmarkets #drugpricing #MFN

00:01  Sponsor Message: Evotec
03:31  Pfizer MFN Deal
16:05  PDUFA Reauthorization
20:31  Investigator-Initiated Trials

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Genmab's $8 billion acquisition of multispecifics company Merus is the Danish biotech’s largest step toward marketing its own pipeline. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the evolution of Genmab, which, for many years, relied on a partnership model that delivered blockbuster revenues but now is making a change as a patent cliff looms.
The analysts also assess the tenure of Emma Walmsley the longtime CEO of GSK, and what’s next for the U.K. pharma under incoming CEO Luke Miels. Turning to the U.S., Washington Editor Steve Usdin discusses President Donald Trump’s looming tariff threat on imports of branded drugs, which Usdin says would hurt small biotechs the most. Usdin also analyzes the response of multinational pharmaceutical companies to the president’s demand that they make “most favored nation” price concessions, now that Monday’s deadline has passed. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by IQVIA Biotech.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657131

#biotech #pharma #deals #FGF21 #MASH #Interleukin5 #asthma #PhRMA #PBM #tarriff #MFN

00:01 - Sponsor Message: IQVIA Biotech
02:26 - Genmab's Merus Buy
09:43 - CEO Switch at GSK
17:22 - Trump Tariff Threat
21:17 - MFN Drug Pricing

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AI is bringing sweeping changes to drug development, from how targets are discovered to optimizing clinical trials to maximize an asset’s chance for success. On a special edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast, IQVIA’s Greg Lever joins BioCentury’s analysts to discuss agentic AI’s short- and long-term prospects to help biotechs discover new targets, predict success in preclinical development, and enhance clinical operations. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by IQVIA Biotech.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657086

#Biotech #Biopharma #DrugDevelopment #ClinicalTrials #TargetDiscovery #AgenticAI #GraphRAG #DeRisking

00:01 - Sponsor Message: IQVIA Biotech
01:22 - AI in Biotech
05:01 - Machine Learning
06:21 - Generative AI and Language Models
08:37 - Agentic AI
12:43 - AI in Target Discovery
23:44 - AI in Clinical Trial Design

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Is this the U.K.’s moment to capitalize on its biotech ecosystem? That was one of the primary themes discussed at the debut Grand Rounds — Europe conference last week in Cambridge, U.K. BioMarin's James Sabry and Astex's Michelle Jones joined BioCentury’s analysts on a special edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast recorded live at the event to discuss their key takeaways from the two-day conference.
Beyond the state of the U.K. biopharma ecosystem, the analysts discussed the meeting’s major science themes, including what’s next for DNA damage repair pathway targets, both inside and outside of cancer; whether obesity should be recast as a brain disease; and the cutting edge of small molecule design.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657082

#UKBiotech #TranslationalMedicine #DrugPricing #GlobalCollaboration #Aging #Biologics #SmallMolecules #Biobanking

00:00 - Introduction
00:35 - Key Takeaways
02:14 - The State of the U.K. Biotech Ecosystem
09:01 - Scientific Highlights & Panel Takeaways
22:44 - Closing Remarks and Future Events

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A takeout that could be worth as much as $7.3 billion has Pfizer back in the obesity drug development race. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss Pfizer’s acquisition of Metsera and its obesity assets. Plus: Editor in Chief Simone Fishburn gives a recap of BioCentury’s Grand Rounds — Europe meeting, which included a fireside chat with Patrick Vallance on the state of the life sciences ecosystem in the country. The BioCentury analysts also assess the state of hot-button policy issues in Washington, such as drug pricing and China. Finally, they analyze the state of play among therapies for narcolepsy on the heels of the World Sleep Congress in Singapore. Check out BIO Chairman Fritz Bittenbender’s conversation with BioCentury Washington Editor Steve Usdin on BioCentury This Week’s sister podcast, The BioCentury Show. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by IQVIA Biotech.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657065

#ObesityDrugs #PharmaDeals #BiotechDeals #MergersAndAcquisitions #DrugDevelopment #Narcolepsy

00:01 - Sponsor Message: IQVIA Biotech
03:46 - Pfizer’s Obesity M&A
14:54 - U.K. in Focus
28:20 - U.S. Drug Pricing, China Policy
40:07 - Narcolepsy Pipeline

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Merck's announcement that it is moving its R&D out of the U.K. highlights concerns about the country’s life sciences policies. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the life sciences ecosystem in the U.K., including MHRA CEO Lawrence Tallon’s plans to create a world-class regulatory environment. They also discuss a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would end most U.S.-China academic research collaborations, and the recent success of 40-year-old biotech Insmed. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by IQVIA Biotech.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/656997

#biotech #biopharma #pharma #lifescience #MHRA #China #RandD #DrugDevelopment

00:01 - Sponsor Message: IQVIA Biotech
01:25 - U.K. Biopharma
04:40 - Grand Rounds Cambridge
09:45 - SAFE Research Act
18:01 - Spotlight on Insmed
26:32 - Sen. Cassidy's Vaccine Callout

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Molecular biologist and Nobel Prize winner David Baltimore made foundational contributions to the biopharma industry and was the essential figure behind such research institutions as the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Broad Institute. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the legacy of Baltimore, who passed away this past weekend at 87.
The analysts also discuss Atlas Venture’s new $400 million opportunity fund, the clinical development pipelines for metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and chronic urticaria, and late-stage atopic dermatitis data from Sanofi. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by IQVIA Biotech.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/656942

#biotech #biopharma #DavidBaltimore #ReverseTranscriptase #MASH #Rezdiffra #GLP1 #ChronicUrticaria #Dupixent

00:01 - Sponsor Message: IQVIA Biotech
03:19 - Remembering David Baltimore
06:26 - Atlas's New Opportunity Fund
09:22 - The Growing MASH Pipeline
16:03 - Sanofi's Atopic Dermatitis Data
18:57 - Exploring Chronic Urticaria Treatments

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