It's earnings season—a time when publicly traded pharmas and biotechs tell their investors how they've performed over the previous quarter. But aside from drug sales figures, it’s a great opportunity to get a sense of how these companies' pipelines have changed. We'll dig into that, and even the stuff that companies are less keen to talk about. 

Regeneron once boasted one of the top COVID-19 therapeutics in its antibody cocktail REGEN-COV. Now, the company is terminating four studies for the med across a range of patients and clinical stages. The move follows the FDA’s decision to pull the medication from the market in January, citing uncertain efficacy against the surging omicron variant. And Regeneron’s antibody combo isn’t alone. We'll discuss how early pandemic therapeutics have fallen by the wayside.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

The Top Line is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with editor-in-chief Tracy Staton, managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Annalee Armstrong, Ben Adams, Conor Hale and Eric Sagonowsky. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last month, Fierce hosted an event to talk with experts across the industry about what's beyond the leading edge of biotech and pharma. This week's episode brings you discussion from four of the panel discussions. Our first panel focused on Alzheimer’s disease, where success is hard to come by. The panelists discussed the learnings that can come from past failures. We also had a panel about the industry’s environmental impact. As more companies are rolling out programs to cut carbon emissions, reduce waste and plug into alternative energy sources, we asked sustainability experts if pharma is doing enough and what more needs to be done.

You'll also hear from our panelists on cell and gene therapies and why pricing concerns still loom. Only a few such therapies have made it to market so far. But as more hit the scene, insurers and pharmaceutical companies need to think about how to pay for them to avoid sticker shock. Finally, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) methods in drug research and development is really starting to take off. Businesses are increasingly using AI tools to find drugs—and it is working faster and more efficiently. We'll explore AI's evolution in drug discovery.  

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

The Top Line is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with editor-in-chief Tracy Staton, managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Annalee Armstrong, Ben Adams, Conor Hale and Eric Sagonowsky. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If there’s been one theme that tells a story about biotech’s situation in 2023, it’s layoffs. The number of staff layoffs across the sector reached such a height that Fierce Biotech began keeping track in March with our Layoff Tracker. We'll discuss the surprising trend and what it might mean for the biotech industry. 

And that's not all. Every year, Fierce puts together a special report ranking the top 10 companies by generic drug sales. We discuss those rankings and also the interesting things going on in that sector of the industry. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

The Top Line is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with editor-in-chief Tracy Staton, managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Annalee Armstrong, Ben Adams, Conor Hale and Eric Sagonowsky. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Biopharma watchers have been speculating for weeks about Merck & Co. buying out fellow cancer drugmaker Seagen. But now, the two companies are reportedly nearing a deal. We'll discuss how it could be the largest biopharma deal since 2020—and what might stand in its way.

But that's not all. Every year Fierce puts together a special report ranking the highest-paid biopharma CEOs of the year – and this year is no different. We'll cover that, plus this week's headlines. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

The Top Line is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with editor-in-chief Tracy Staton, managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Annalee Armstrong, Ben Adams, Conor Hale and Eric Sagonowsky. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FDA officials want to reform the agency's accelerated approvals program, but Paul Hastings, chair of one of biotech's leading trade organizations, has some thoughts. Reforms could limit innovation, Hastings argues, but data suggest the program could be improved. We'll discuss the tug and pull between regulators and businesses.

But that's not all. A Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ diabetes  therapy is back on track. Two months ago the FDA placed a clinical hold on the drug, but now a trial is underway. And Orchestra BioMed has had a busy week with a SPAC deal and a Medtronic partnership. We'll cover that, plus this week's headlines. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

The Top Line is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with editor-in-chief Tracy Staton, managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Annalee Armstrong, Ben Adams, Conor Hale and Eric Sagonowsky. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In preparation for the fall, FDA advisors resoundingly recommended that a component of the Omicron variant be added to future vaccine doses. But just what that new vaccine formula looks like will be up to the agency to decide. We'll discuss how the committee came to its decision and what the future holds. But thats not all. Two reports – one from Moody’s and the other from PwC – discuss the outlook for mergers and acquisitions in the biopharma industry. Both reports point to an uptick in activity in both the short and long term. We'll discuss what the report says regarding financial flexibility and why the time is right for an increase in deals.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

The Top Line is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with editor-in-chief Tracy Staton, managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Annalee Armstrong, Ben Adams, Conor Hale and Eric Sagonowsky. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Roche Genentech Alzheimer’s therapy failed an important clinical trial. At the press conference that followed, the scientists involved parsed over what when wrong and what should happen next. We'll discuss this conference and dive into what scientists are saying about an Alzheimer's moonshot. But that's not all. During a panel discussion at the BIO conference, a Fierce journalist witnessed a controversial take on a diversity—which led to a conversation on diversity in biotech. Lastly, we'll take a close look at the top winners in pharma, health and wellness at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

The Top Line is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with editor-in-chief Tracy Staton, managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Annalee Armstrong, Ben Adams, Conor Hale and Eric Sagonowsky. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While revenue reflects how well a company’s products are selling, profit is the financial metric that really matters. It tells investors how efficiently a company is managed and how healthy the business is overall. We’ve taken a look at these bottom line figures and compiled a list of the top 10 most profitable pharma companies. But that's not all. The FDA advisory committee meeting met last Thursday and Friday, and the stakes were high. Bluebird bio came away on top. The committee endorsed two of its gene therapy candidates. Lastly, we’re all celebrating here at Fierce because our team’s faces are plastered on billboards at BIO International Convention. And we sent one shoe-leather reporter on a wild goose chase to find them. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

The Top Line is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with editor-in-chief Tracy Staton, managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Annalee Armstrong, Ben Adams, Conor Hale and Eric Sagonowsky. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.