BioCentury This Week

China is setting a new bar for the speed of clinical development and redefining the time it takes an asset to get to the clinic. On a special edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast recorded on stage at the 12th BioCentury BayHelix China Healthcare Summit in Shanghai, BioCentury's Simone Fishburn argued that China’s emerging new standard for swift entry to the clinic could upend the bottleneck of translational development and usher in a new paradigm that could have a “massive impact globally.”Fishburn and her BioCentury colleagues Joshua Berlin and Jeff Cranmer were joined by a trio of cross-border KOLs — John Zhu, CEO of antibody-drug conjugate company DualityBio; Matt Hewitt, CTO of  Charles River Laboratories' manufacturing business division; and Bing Wang, CFO of Akeso — to discuss the speed of generating first-in-human data, Innovent’s $1.2 billion deal with Takeda, an evolving biotech talent pool, and the state of the financial markets.“For me, it really feels like 2025 is the year that biotech globally woke up to China,” Fishburn said.BioCentury returns to Asia early next year for the 5th East-West Summit, March 9-11 in Seoul. Register today as a delegate or apply to join the Presenting Company Class to take advantage of early bird rates.#ChinaInnovation #DrugDevelopment #PharmaDeals #GlobalBiotech #PharmaInnovation #siRNA #BrainToVein00:00 - Introduction02:49 - China Speed12:27 - Clinical Trails 17:34 - Global Strategy26:59 - Financial Markets IPOs36:52 - TalentTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.Reach us by sending a text

Novartis’ biggest deal in more than a decade gives the Swiss pharma three programs for muscular dystrophies that are close to the finish line. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the $12 billion deal for Avidity in the context of Novartis’ recent acquisitions and the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate platform it is gaining.The team dives into RNA versus DNA modalities, noting antisense and siRNA approaches appear to be gaining traction with major pharmas as traditional gene therapy and gene editing approaches hit rocky times. Still, they note hopeful progress among base editing therapies given the promising early track records of over a dozen base editors in the clinic. They also discuss BioCentury’s conversation with base editing inventor David Liu; Alkermes’ $2.1 billion acquisition of Avadel; and β-catenin data from Parabilis. This episode of BioCentury This Week is sponsored by Evotec.View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657412#AntibodyOligonucleotideConjugates #RNAtherapeutics #BaseEditing #MuscularDystrophy #WntPathway #BetaCatenin #Orexin2Receptor #PrecisionMedicine00:01 - Sponsor Message: Evotec 02:04 - 12th China Healthcare Summit08:11 - Novartis' $12B Deal16:58 - Alkermes M&A20:01 - David Liu Base Editing25:02 - Parabilis' DataTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.Reach us by sending a text

Discover groundbreaking innovations for delivering medicines to the brain, including advances in blood-brain-barrier shuttles. Explore GSK's strategic focus on RNA modalities and its emphasis on causal biology in drug development. Dive into the complexities of FDA's new national priority vouchers and their implications for the biopharma landscape. Learn how staffing challenges at the FDA might influence the industry's future. Each topic offers insights into the evolving world of biotech and drug delivery.

In this captivating discussion, Bernd Mühlenweg, SVP at Evotec and expert in cell and gene therapy, shares insights on the industry’s challenges and triumphs. He highlights over 130 ongoing trials, the importance of immune shielding, and the evolution of autologous versus allogeneic therapies. Bernd emphasizes the need for regulatory education and addresses manufacturing hurdles. Despite cautious investor sentiment, he sees potential breakthroughs, particularly in regenerative medicine, that could transform patient care and offer durable solutions.

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 #MFN00:01  Sponsor Message: Evotec02:12  4Q Markets Preview13:25  China CDMOs24:35  Drug Pricing Deals NHS31:22  Drug Pricing Deals M&ATo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.Reach us by sending a text

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 #MFN00:01  Sponsor Message: Evotec03:31  Pfizer MFN Deal16:05  PDUFA Reauthorization20:31  Investigator-Initiated TrialsTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.Reach us by sending a text

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 #MFN00:01 - Sponsor Message: IQVIA Biotech02:26 - Genmab's Merus Buy09:43 - CEO Switch at GSK17:22 - Trump Tariff Threat21:17 - MFN Drug PricingTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.Reach us by sending a text

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 #DeRisking00:01 - Sponsor Message: IQVIA Biotech01:22 - AI in Biotech05:01 - Machine Learning06:21 - Generative AI and Language Models08:37 - Agentic AI12:43 - AI in Target Discovery23:44 - AI in Clinical Trial DesignTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.Reach us by sending a text

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 #Biobanking00:00 - Introduction00:35 - Key Takeaways02:14 - The State of the U.K. Biotech Ecosystem09:01 - Scientific Highlights & Panel Takeaways22:44 - Closing Remarks and Future EventsTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.Reach us by sending a text

Pfizer is making waves with a $4.9 billion acquisition that revives its obesity drug ambitions. The discussion includes insights from a high-profile meeting in the U.K. focusing on drug pricing and NHS challenges. Experts also dive into the intricacies of U.S. drug pricing policies and the potential impact of China’s regulations. Additionally, the latest advancements in narcolepsy treatments spark excitement, especially after successes in phase III trials. Tune in for a whirlwind tour of the life sciences landscape!