BioCentury This Week

J&J’s $14.6 billion takeout of neurology play Intra-cellular Therapies headlined a buzzy start to the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, where a flurry of deal announcements recalled the conference’s pre-pandemic days. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's editors discuss the takeout of Intra-cellular, the third 11-digit neuro M&A in the past 13 months, as well as M&A involving Idrx and GSK, and Scorpion Therapeutics and Eli Lilly. Turning to Washington, the team explores what’s behind BIO CEO John Crowley’s visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet with President-elect Donald Trump, impending changes at FDA under Trump 2.0 and key takeaways from Rep. Jake Auchincloss appearance on BCTW’s sister podcast, The BioCentury Show. The team also breaks down the key trends in the past year in FDA approvals. This episode of BioCentury This Week was sponsored by ICON Biotech.View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/65469400:01 - Sponsor Message: ICON Biotech02:38 - JPM Deal Buzz11:20 - Washington Update16:08 - Rep. Auchincloss’ Take on Biopharma 21:01 - FDA Regulatory DecisionsTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at [email protected] us by sending a text

Can biotech break free of the macro factors that have buffeted the industry of late? On the first BioCentury This Week podcast of 2025, BioCentury’s editors offer their predictions for the New Year and — exploring the themes from Simone Fishburn’s latest Letter from the Editor — ask whether biotech can overcome the financing environment, policy concerns and geopolitical tension that have been hammering the industry to deliver on the meaningful strides companies have been taking to deliver innovations to patients.Plus, Washington Editor Steve Usdin discusses what U.S. policymakers need to do now in the wake of a year’s worth of wrangling over the Biosecure Act, and Executive Editor Selina Koch breaks down readouts from Neumora on its KOR antagonist navacaprant to treat major depressive disorder and Axsome Therapeutics for its AXS-05 to treat agitation in Alzheimer’s patients. This episode of BioCentury This Week was sponsored by ICON Biotech.View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/654620 00:01 - Sponsor Message: ICON Biotech01:51 - Biotech's Repeating Challenges10:52 - Biotech in the New Year23:07 - Beyond Biosecure28:10 - Neurology ReadoutsTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at [email protected] us by sending a text

Preview: In his five decades at FDA, Robert “Bob” Temple helped revolutionize the ways medical products are developed and regulated. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, Washington Editor Steve Usdin reflects on the legacy of Temple. Temple, who is retiring, crafted the modern clinical trial paradigm, created the accelerated approval pathway, and set precedents for incorporating patient perspectives in regulatory decisions. Usdin also discusses the opportunities and threats for the agency under Trump 2.0.BioCentury's editors also discuss China’s academic innovation, arguing that a wave of new target biology is now coming from Chinese university labs and the underwhelming results from CagriSema’s latest readout. Phase III data for the most important weight loss candidate from  Novo Nordisk A/S (CSE:NOVO-B; NYSE:NVO) failed to differentiate the product from Eli Lilly's Zepbound.View full story:https://www.biocentury.com/article/654574/temple-s-fda-legacy-plus-chinese-innovation-novo-obesity-data-a-biocentury-podcast00:00 - Introduction02:03 - Bob Temple's Legacy16:13 - China's Academic Innovation26:20 - CagriSema Obesity DataTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at [email protected] us by sending a text

With most of the highly attractive late-stage assets already scooped up, pharmas are turning their sights to Phase II companies, and lining up their case to make an attractive offer and move fast. About 40% of the M&A deals in 2023-24 were completed in less than six weeks, from approach to announcement, according to Lazard’s data. Michael Kingston and Dale Raine, global co-heads of biopharma at Lazard, joined The BioCentury Show this week to discuss the M&A outlook amid the still-precarious biotech financing landscape.The BioCentury 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/65385800:00 - Introduction03:01 - Capital Markets Outlook06:01 - M&A15:19 - Breaking Down Deals24:29 - AsiaTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at [email protected] us by sending a text