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  • Biotech & Pharma Updates | August 21 - 24, 2025

Biotech & Pharma Updates | August 21 - 24, 2025

🧬 Biotech IPO drought ending?, FDA pushes for "radical transparency" with daily "real-time" adverse event reporting, OpenAI and Retro Biosciences publish 50x stem cell reprogramming results, BeOne's Burkinsa tablet formulation approved by European Commission, Novo acquired Catalent plants faces mounting contamination issues, CDC cuts 600 employees, obesity markets hits a (negative) turning point

All the top Biotech & Pharma news in one daily newsletter.

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✅ The Good News ✅ 

THE GOOD
Approvals & Labels

BeOne Medicines' BRUKINSA tablet formulation receives EC approval for all B-cell cancer indications, reducing pill burden
Small molecule, cancer, kinase inhibitor, B-cell malignancies, BTK inhibitor, oral formulation - Read more

THE GOOD
Business Development & Partnerships

IMBiologics, GeneQuantum partner to develop antibody-drug conjugates combining ePENDY platform with linker-payload technology
Co-development, antibody-drug conjugates, oncology, drug discovery, technology platform - Read more

AAHI partners with Quratis as preferred manufacturer for vaccine development, strengthening global access to tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV vaccines
Manufacturing agreement, vaccine, infectious disease, global, manufacturing - Read more

OpenAI, Retro Biosciences complete joint AI protein model project with promising lab results for drug development
Research collaboration, AI/ML, drug discovery, protein engineering, longevity, R&D - Read more

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 More Good News 

THE GOOD
Fundraises

Lighthouse Pharmaceuticals receives $49.2M NIA grant for Alzheimer's trial targeting bacteria-related disease
Alzheimer disease, infectious disease, small molecule, clinical-stage, neuroinflammation - Read more

Molecular You raises $5M Series A, AI-powered molecular testing for preventive health
Preventive health, biomarker discovery, AI-driven, diagnostic platform, personalized medicine - Read more

LB Pharmaceuticals files for $100M IPO, developing therapies for neuropsychiatric diseases
Neuropsychiatric, small molecule, schizophrenia, clinical-stage - Read more

Invivyd raises $57.5M public offering, advancing respiratory virus treatments and Long COVID research
Infectious disease, antibody, clinical-stage, platform technology, respiratory - Read more

THE GOOD
Investments

Varro Life Sciences invests $42.5M in new St. Louis lab, creating 33 jobs for biosensor development
Biosensor device, infectious disease, operational, investment - Read more

THE GOOD
Regulatory

Biohaven shares rise after FDA removes advisory committee requirement for troriluzole's SCA approval path
Small molecule, neurological, rare disease, regulatory, strategic - Read more

FDA announces daily publication of adverse event reports to increase transparency
Pharmacovigilance, regulatory, operational, transparency - Read more

THE GOOD
Strategic Plans

Bavarian Nordic CEO advocates for $3 billion buyout to fund portfolio growth amid rising sales
Vaccines, infectious disease, strategic, financial, potential acquisition - Read more

❌ The Bad News

THE BAD
Layoffs

Arena BioWorks cuts 30% of staff, shifts focus from cell and gene therapy to small molecules and biologics
Small molecule, biologics, strategic, cost reduction, operational - Read more

CDC cuts 600 jobs including violence prevention staff after partial court protection
Public health, government workforce, operational, financial, strategic - Read more

THE BAD
Market Reports

Obesity drug market falters as Novo, Lilly, and Viking face disappointing clinical results
GLP-1 receptor agonist, metabolic disease, competitive landscape, financial impact, strategic - Read more [Paywall]

THE BAD
Regulatory

Vanda Pharmaceuticals challenges FDA's approval of Hetlioz generics after court win for sleep disorder drug
Melatonin receptor agonist, sleep disorder, regulatory, competitive - Read more

👹 The Ugly News 👹

THE UGLY
Politics & Policy

UK drug pricing talks collapse as pharma industry rejects government's £1 billion ($1.34B) offer to lower rebate rates
Pharmaceutical policy, healthcare economics, strategic, financial, regulatory - Read more

Supreme Court allows $783M NIH grant cuts related to DEI under Trump administration
Research funding, regulatory, operational, financial, competitive - Read more

THE UGLY
Regulatory

Novo-acquired Catalent plant faces FDA scrutiny for contamination and pest issues affecting multiple drugmakers
Manufacturing, ophthalmology, neurology, operational, regulatory, quality control - Read more

B. Braun Medical recalls two injections nationwide due to particulate matter contamination risk
Injectable medicine, safety recall, operational, regulatory, quality control - Read more

You’re all caught up on the latest Pharma & Biotech News!

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