The FDA has approved Moderna’s and Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 vaccines targeting the KP.2 variant, an offshoot of the Omicron strain that was dominant in the U.S. in May 2024. More recently, KP.3 variants are gaining ground. As of August 20, 2024, CDC Nowcast projections estimate KP.3.1.1 accounts for approximately 37% of new COVID-19 cases in…
Biopharma clusters in flux: Who’s hiring, firing and building in biopharma in the first half of 2024
The biopharma’s layoff woes continue to make headlines, but the news is not all negative. To get a clearer picture, we gathered data on layoffs, new plant announcements and companies hiring, including specific coordinates for locations down to the address level, when possible. After clustering the data, we identified the top- and worst-performing global hubs.…
Microsoft and 1910 Genetics are discovering health data’s hidden gems: Here’s how
In episode 2 of AI Meets Life Sci, DeviceTalks Managing Editor Kayleen Brown, and Pharma Editor Brian Buntz explore how Big Tech is developing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in a variety of healthcare organizations. Elena Bonfiglioli, global business leader for Health and Life Sciences at Microsoft, weighs in on the subject, also sharing that she…
Unlocking generative AI requires reshaping culture, operations, and talent dynamics
In drug discovery and development, generative AI and natural-language processing (NLP) tools promise more than incremental productivity gains. For companies that can integrate such tools strategically into their workflows, the tools open the door to a fundamental rethinking of operational processes. For instance, generative AI tools can accelerate drafting of research articles, novel target identification,…
A glimpse at Big Pharma’s upper echelon in the first three quarters of 2023
In 2023, demand for GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Lilly’s tirzepatitde and Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide surged just as demand for COVID-19 therapies waned. As a result, Novo Nordisk had 33% growth at constant exchange rates over the first nine months of the year. Similarly, Lilly experienced a 37% jump in revenue in the third quarter,…
Pfizer and Moderna win FDA nod for XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine boosters, but projected sales pale in comparison to 2022’s
As Pfizer and Moderna receive the FDA nod for COVID-19 boosters, their 2023 global sales projections appear to be just a fraction of the previous year’s. In 2022, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech jointly sold $56 billion worth of their Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine, marking the best-selling drug of the year. Moderna’s Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine wasn’t…
30 promising biotech startups: Scatter plot
The preceding visual representation of the biotech startups of 2023 are grouped — clustered — according to their focus areas. Each cluster color corresponds to a specific domain: Orange for advanced molecular techniques (Cluster 0). Blue for cell and gene therapies (Cluster 1). Green for AI-driven drug discovery (Cluster 2). Red for epigenetics and genomic…
Moderna leans on RSV vaccine, AI and a diversified pipeline to regain competitive edge
Moderna surged to prominence thanks to its rapid development of a competitive COVID-19 vaccine. Since the early days of the pandemic, however, the company has struggled to maintain its momentum. Year-to-date, its stock is down close to 40%, trading around $110 per share. Adapting to COVID-19 variants The company hopes that its development of vaccines…
Pharma 2023 half-year review reveals winners and losers
In many ways, the economic landscape of 2023 has been turbulent. High inflation? Talent shortages? Rising costs of doing business? Volatile currency markets? New regulatory hurdles? Check, check, check. To navigate the choppy waters, a significant number of companies have turned to strategic M&A to drive growth and strengthen product pipelines. Despite these challenges, a…