BioCentury This Week – Détails, épisodes et analyse

With ObesityWeek yielding eye-catching amylin data and a bidding war that ran to $10 billion for Metsera, weight loss companies were center stage in biotech last week. On the latest edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts explained why Pfizer's victory for the start-up over European rival Novo Nordisk doesn’t necessarily mean a broader U.S. policy shift against foreign acquisitions of domestic biotechs.
Turning to ObesityWeek readouts, they discuss Eli Lilly's data for amylin monotherapy eloralintide, arguing that just as Lilly did with GLP-1 agonists, the company is again setting the benchmark by which all other molecules in the class will be measured.
BioCentury's analysts also discuss takeaways from Washington Editor Steve Usdin's Commentary, which finds FDA in a crisis of politicized decisions, plummeting morale, and a hollowed workforce, and highlights from BioCentury's interview with gene therapy pioneer Jim Wilson as he rethinks the funding model for ultrarare disease therapies to keep his mission on track. This episode of the BioCentury This Week podcast is brought to you by Voyager Therapeutics.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657545

#ObesityWeek #Amylin #GLP1 #Eloralintide #DrugMechanism #FDA #RareDisease #GeneTherapy

00:01 - Sponsor Message: Voyager Therapeutics 
01:53 - Pfizer Wins Metsera
08:48 - Lilly's Amylin Data
13:06 - Funding Ultrarare Therapies
20:51 - What's Next for FDA

To submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.

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Novo Nordisk’s unsolicited $8.5 billion bid for Metsera has thrown a wrench into Pfizer’s plans to return to the obesity race via its acquisition of the New York-based start-up. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the details of the competing bids and what’s at stake for the pair of suitors.
The analysts also assess the reasons behind the abrupt departure of Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Director George Tidmarsh from FDA and a surge in activity on the Hong Kong stock exchange. This episode of the BioCentury This Week podcast is brought to you by Voyager Therapeutics.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/657475

#Biotech #PharmaDeals #ObesityDrugs #MergersAndAcquisitions #FDA #LifeSciences #GlobalBiotech #HongKongMarket

00:01 - Sponsor Message: Voyager Therapeutics
01:53 - Metsera M&A
15:23 - Tidmarsh Ouster
25:12 - Hong Kong IPOs

To submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.

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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

To submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at podcasts@biocentury.com.

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A theme among late-breaker presentations at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting is the push by companies to move targeted therapies into earlier lines of treatment. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s editors discuss what they’re watching for in ASCO’s headline presentations and deliver highlights from abstracts released late last week as the oncology meeting readies to kick off on Friday. The editors also discuss the interest by FDA’s Janet Woodcock in a new approval pathway for ultrarare therapies, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health’s initiative to support development of therapies and diagnostics for ALS, and Biogen's $1B+ acquisition of HI-Bio. This week’s podcast is sponsored by Nxera Pharma.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/652531

0:01 - Sponsor Message: Nxera Pharma
1:43 - ASCO
6:46 - Ultrarare Diseases
14:52 - FNIH's ALS Push
20:27 - Biogen M&A

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New BIO CEO John Crowley is reorganizing BIO in a bid to reshape how the organization communicates and enhance its focus on patients. BioCentury’s editors also recap the 24th annual Bio€quity Europe conference that was held in San Sebastián, Spain last week, as well as highlights from last week’s American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy conference. The editors also discuss impressive early data from Endeavor BioMedicines in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and Phase Ib obesity data from Roche. This week’s podcast is sponsored by Nxera Pharma.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/652453

0:01 - Sponsor Message: Nxera Pharma
1:08 - BioEquity Europe recap
7:08 - Shake up at BIO
13:37 - ASGCT highlights
20:39 - Endeavor IPF data
22:20 - Roche obesity data

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“I’m a short-term pessimist and a long-term optimist” about the potential for AI to transform drug development, Derek Lowe, author of the In the Pipeline blog, told BioCentury Washington Editor Steve Usdin on the latest BioCentury Show. Lowe's skepticism about claims that AI will rapidly transform the field is driven by a belief that the “problems that we have in the drug industry that we want to solve are almost inversely proportional to the ability of AI to solve them." Lowe also discussed the Biosecure Act and U.S. reliance on Chinese contract manufacturing and development organizations; talked about why he hopes and believes the Supreme Court will rule for FDA in litigation over the abortion drug mifepristone; and explained his view that approval of Aduhelm to treat Alzheimer’s disease was one of FDA’s worst decisions.

The BioCentury Show is now available as an audio podcast. The Show, featuring BioCentury one-on-one with an industry KOL, is available on Apple, Spotify and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts and in video podcast format on BioCentury’s YouTube channel. 

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/652427

00:00 -  The BioCentury Show Podcast 
01:51 - Lowe’s Blog
05:30 - Biosecure Act
09:53 - AI & Drug Discovery
17:33 - FDA, The Abortion Drug, & Aduhelm
22:05 - Lessons from COVID

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Lawmakers’ changes to the Biosecure Act create breathing room for U.S. biopharma companies to move on from Chinese CDMOs, Washington Editor Steve Usdin said. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, Usdin and his BioCentury colleagues discuss what the revisions mean for biotechs and what’s next for the legislation, plus how WuXi AppTec is defending itself against the bill’s allegations. Director of Biopharma Intelligence Paul Bonanos discusses last week’s surge in venture activity, including the largest biotech round, a $200 million series C by Lonnie Moulder’s Zenas BioPharma, as well as recent deals of note, including one for Maze Therapeutics. The biotech found a new partner for its Pompe disease program in Shionogi, months after Sanofi pulled out of a deal for the therapy amid FTC scrutiny. This week’s podcast is sponsored by Nxera Pharma.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/652402

00:01 - Sponsor Message: Nxera Pharma
03:24 - Biosecure Revisions
09:34 - WuXi AppTec Responds
14:42 - Venture Raises
19:32 - Deals of Note

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It sounds obvious, but still needs saying, says Ysios Capital's Karen Wagner. “How do you rise above the noise? By having the most spectacular data.” In conversation with Editor in Chief Simone Fishburn on The BioCentury Show, Wagner discussed the theme of the upcoming Bio€quity Europe conference — rising above the noise: in a sea of competition where companies vie for attention among investors and pharmas, what are the characteristics that allow them to differentiate? Wagner explains what she and her team looks for in a biotech before investing, and also discusses the role of ESG policies, including diversity, in companies. “We have absolute certainty that ESG is important."

The BioCentury Show is now available as an audio podcast. The Show, featuring BioCentury one-on-one with an industry KOL, is available on Apple, Spotify and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts and in video podcast format on BioCentury’s YouTube channel.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/652294

00:00 - The BioCentury Show Podcast
02:12 - Spain’s Biotech Ecosystem
10:06 - Investment Criteria
15:03 - ESG, Diversity
28:29 - AI in Drug Development

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Next week's Bio€quity Europe conference in San Sebastián will focus on how European biotechs can rise above the noise to attract investors, partners and talent. McKinsey & Co.’s Alexandra Zemp and Paula Olazábal of Ysios Capital joined BioCentury to outline the opportunities and challenges faced by Spain’s biopharma ecosystem and preview some of the conference’s networking events, fireside chats and panel discussions. EBD Group's Claire Macht also joined to detail what to expect in terms of attendees and one-on-one partnering meetings at the event. Bio€quity Europe 2024 is sold out, but space on the waitlist remains, and digital passes are available. See the conference website for more information.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/652371

00:00 - Intro
03:27 - Spanish Biotech Ecosystem
08:13 - McKinsey's Insights
12:08 - Event Preview
17:26 - BioЄquity Europe C-Level Attendees

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One of the big themes of this week’s ASGCT meeting will be CAR T cells in cancer and beyond. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s editors preview the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy’s annual meeting. Much of the CAR T field has reoriented from cancer to autoimmune diseases over the past year. Now, researchers are looking even farther afield. According to abstracts released ahead of ASGCT, the engineered T cell modality may have new benefits to offer patients with asthma, Duchenne muscular dystrophy or HIV.
The editors also discuss a study aiming to quantify the benefits accelerated approval has had for cancer patients, and what’s next for the Biosecure Act and similar legislation seeking to rein in Chinese CDMOs and genomics companies. This week’s podcast is sponsored by Nxera Pharma.

Don’t miss BioCentury’s new podcast, The BioCentury Show, featuring BioCentury one-on-one with an industry KOL. It’s available wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts and in video podcast format on BioCentury’s YouTube channel.

View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/652335

00:01 - Sponsor Message: Nxera Pharma
01:43 - ASGCT Preview
10:37 - BioCentury Show Podcast
14:21 - Accelerated Approval 
19:48 - Biosecure: What’s Next

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