Annalee Armstrong

1 day ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

European regulators have confirmed that Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide increases the risk of a rare eye condition that can cause vision loss. The conclusion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) affirms two studies that suggested the link back in December 2024. The EMA’s safety committee said that non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is indeed a rare safety risk of semaglutide, which is marketed as Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for diabetes.

3 days ago | biospace.com | Heather McKenzie |Jef Akst |Annalee Armstrong

> Listen on Spotify> Listen on Apple Products> Listen on Amazon Music> Listen on iHeartThe words of the week so far in biopharma are “deals” and “cancer”—or, more specifically, money being invested in cancer and other key therapeutic areas. With the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual conference underway in Chicago, Bristol Myers Squibb got in the PD-1/PD-L1xVEGF game, paying potentially more than $11 billion to co-develop BioNTech’s solid tumor bispecific BNT327.

3 days ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

And just like that, pharma is acquiring again. After a mostly dull first quarter, deals are heating up as we head into the final month of the half. Sanofi has earned the badge as the biggest buyer, putting up $9.5 billion to acquire rare disease specialist Blueprint Medicines on Monday. But Bristol Myers Squibb eclipsed that total with a mega licensing deal to work with BioNTech on a solid tumor bispecific for potentially more than $11 billion.

3 days ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

Biotech venture capital has successfully completed a full ecosystem cycle from 2012 to 2024. With the boom and bust officially over, what happens next? A new report from Pitchbook suggests we’re in for a period of more sustainable investing, as funding levels have fallen close to their 2012 baseline. “Historical patterns suggest that periods of capital constraint often precede cycles of disciplined, high-quality company formation and subsequent market expansion,” Pitchbook analysts wrote.

4 days ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

Despite billions being committed to reshoring pharma manufacturing in the face of tariff threats from President Donald Trump, industry does not seem prepared to entirely forgo foreign operations. In particular, rare disease biotechs and those developing complex modalities like cell and gene therapies have urged the Trump administration to provide exemptions to pending pharma tariffs.