Annalee Armstrong

Ottawa

Senior Editor at BioSpace

Ex-pat Canadian from B.C.'s East Kootenay. I like puppies & wine | Senior Editor @BioSpace, formerly of @FierceBiotech

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Articles

FDA Chief’s New Voucher Program Could Ease Biotech Investors’ Anxiety

1 week ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has put his money where his mouth is in the form of his new priority review voucher program, which analysts and experts mostly believe will be a positive for biotech. Jefferies said the new program could even ease investor concerns about the FDA that have been brewing since Makary and the Trump administration took over. While the S&P Biotech index, called the XBI, didn’t move much Tuesday, closing the day down 1.5%, there was cautious optimism across the industry.
Another Gene Therapy Death; Biopharma M&A Picks Up; a Vaccine Board of Vaccine Skeptics

1 week ago | biospace.com | Heather McKenzie |Jef Akst |Annalee Armstrong |Dan Samorodnitsky

> Listen on Spotify> Listen on Apple Products> Listen on Amazon Music> Listen on iHeartThis week, BioSpace is at 50% power as Heather McKenzie and Jef Akst are off attending this year’s BIO Conference in Boston. The half-team discusses this week’s biggest news: the death of another patient who took Sarepta’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys.
Biopharma Deal Premiums Paint Picture of Cutthroat Negotiations

1 week ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

Just how badly did Sanofi want Vigil Neuroscience? Well, the French pharma was willing to pay a 303% premium on the biotech’s stock price. Analysts said this suggested a competitive negotiation behind the scenes. Despite the high premium, the $470 million total value was a drop in the bucket for Sanofi, which took on Vigil’s TREM2 Alzheimer’s disease candidate VG-3927.
FDA Rolls Out Commissioner’s Priority Voucher Program to Speed Drug Reviews

1 week ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

The FDA launched a new priority review voucher program on Tuesday that it says could shorten the timeline for drug review from 10-12 months to 1-2 months. FDA chief Marty Makary said he modeled the new Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV) program after his experience as a surgical oncologist. “We often made multidisciplinary decisions with a team of doctors on major life-and-death questions for patients, incorporating the latest medical studies in a 1-day tumor board-style discussion.
Lilly Validates Gene Editing Space With $1.3B Verve Buy, But Analysts Are Skeptical

1 week ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

Eli Lilly is acquiring Verve Therapeutics for up to $1.3 billion, providing a much-needed shot in the arm for the gene editing space and proof that pharma is willing to go all in on the modality. Lilly is set to pick up the cardiovascular-focused biotech for about $1 billion in cash up front, or $10.50 per share, plus a contingent value right (CVR) of $3 per share, bringing the total deal to $13.50 per share.
A String of Biopharma Deals Has Piqued Analyst Interest in an M&A Return

1 week ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

A string of deals has analysts optimistic for more activity in the second half, as total deal value for the first half is nearing the sum of all 2024 deals. Pfizer, Biogen, Merck, Eli Lilly and Gilead still have capital to deploy, according to Jefferies, and there are plenty of biotechs that might fit neatly into some cracks in these Big Pharmas’ pipelines. First, Sanofi made the second biggest acquisition of the year so far with $9.5 billion offered for rare disease biopharma Blueprint Medicines.
Lilly Notches ‘Top-Tier’ Weight Loss Results for Phase I Amylin/Tirzepatide Combo

1 week ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

Eli Lilly’s Phase I amylin data shows weight loss of 11.3% at 12 weeks, a “top-tier” result among the early datasets that have arrived for the new, hotly-anticipated weight loss modality, according to analysts. The selective amylin eloralintide is being tested in combination with Lilly’s approved GLP-1 tirzepatide in a Phase I trial of patients who are overweight or obese.
Sage’s Story Comes to ‘Good End’ With Up To $795M Acquisition by Supurnus

1 week ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

Sage Therapeutics has agreed to be acquired by Supernus Pharmaceuticals for up to $795 million, marking a “good end” to the biotech’s story, according to analysts. The deal comes about five months after Sage balked at an unsolicited offer from its Zurzuvae development partner Biogen, which was valued at about $470 million. The companies announced the acquisition Monday morning. Supurnus is offering $8.50 per share in cash, or $561 million, at closing.
Lilly Bites Again in $650M Muscle-Preserving Treatment Pact With Juvena

2 weeks ago | biospace.com | Annalee Armstrong

After signing a deal to create long-acting GLP-1 agonists last week, Eli Lilly is back with another biotech deal that aims to improve its weight loss empire. This time, the Zepbound maker is offering up to $650 million in milestones to leverage Juvena Therapeutics’ AI drug hunting platform for new treatments to preserve muscle mass and function. Details of the deal were slim, with the financial breakdown not disclosed.
RFK Axes CDC Vaccine Advisors; Metsera’s Weight Loss Win; FDA Supports CGT

2 weeks ago | biospace.com | Heather McKenzie |Jef Akst |Annalee Armstrong

> Listen on Spotify> Listen on Apple Products> Listen on Amazon Music> Listen on iHeartThis week the BioSpace team was sent into an after-hours scramble by the news that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had fired the remaining members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.