Gwendolyn Wu

Eli Lilly becomes first drugmaker to hit $1 trillion in market value The pharmaceutical company’s success developing medicines for obesity has swelled its worth to levels associated with tech titans like Apple and Google and dwarfed that of its drugmaking peers.

this week, @elilillyandcompany.bsky.social became the first $1T drugmaker thanks to its success developing obesity and diabetes medicines that have become household names. from @nedpagliarulo.bsky.social (!) + @byjongardner.bsky.social for @biopharmadive.com www.biopharmadive.com/news/eli-lil...

Zymeworks to change course, pursue ‘royalty-driven’ biotech model On the heels of a data readout suggesting one of its cancer drugs could become a future blockbuster, Zymeworks is adopting a new strategy its CEO says will create “more consistent value for shareholde...

in a switch-up for Zymeworks, the cancer drugmaker is pursuing a royalty-based model after a data readout that suggests its medicines could be future blockbusters: www.biopharmadive.com/news/zymewor...

Sara Whitmer • • • 1h • 8 I'm sure many of you have heard by now that earlier this week, IU k*lled the print edition of its student paper, the IDS. The issue that was supposed to print this week contained criticism of the Whitten regime and IUs further slide into scist control, and they couldn't allow that to happen during Homecoming, when all the rich alumni are in town. Enter Purdue! The Purdue student paper, The Exponent, owns its own presses. Yesterday, in an act of tremendous solidarity with their biggest rival school, they printed the forbidden issue of the IDS. They then drove it to Bloomington overnight and stocked all of the IDS boxes on campus, just in time for Homecoming. Solidarity is what makes us stronger, and solidarity will be what ultimately allows us to triumph, if we can ever truly get it together. I hope everyone has a fun, safe day if they're going out today, and I hope we can think about what acts of solidarity we can begin taking to really make this movement MOVE - beyond a permitted expression of upset into more active resistance. 75 12 comments

Purdue to the rescue of IU student newspaper, whose institution was attempting censorship. Details in alt!

Cartography secures $67M in pursuit of ‘differentiated’ cancer drugs The company is working on T cell engagers and other multifunctional antibodies, led by a prospect it believes might be helpful treating the vast majority of colorectal cancer cases.

A new target for colorectal cancer is the focus of #biosky biotech Cartography's lead program. “There’s still an opportunity to build the right molecule,” CEO Kevin Parker told @biopharmadive.com www.biopharmadive.com/news/cartogr...

Cancer patients are living longer than ever. Pain drugmakers haven’t kept up. Decades of slow-moving research, along with broader failures of the healthcare system, have left millions of people in daily pain. Doctors fear that’s bound to continue.

must-read from my colleague Jacob Bell on the how cancer pain meds haven't progressed much past opioids, and why that is: www.biopharmadive.com/news/cancer-... #biosky

LB Pharmaceuticals raises $285M in first major biotech IPO since February LB Pharmaceuticals, which has a schizophrenia medicine headed for late-stage testing, broke one of the longest droughts for large IPOs in years.

Schizophrenia drug developer LB Pharmaceuticals priced the first major biotech IPO since February, selling more shares than originally forecast #biosky www.biopharmadive.com/news/lb-phar...

Crisis within CDC is spilling into real world, experts say "I’ve never heard as many colleagues saying things like 'CDC is dead’ as I have today," an agency employee told STAT.

This is telling: People I spoke to are talking about CDC in the past tense.

www.statnews.com/2025/08/28/c...

HHS terminates NIH program aimed at diversifying biomedical workforce HHS is terminating a National Institutes of Health grant program that supports students from marginalized backgrounds in the biomedical sciences.

The Department of Health and Human Services is terminating a National Institutes of Health grant program that supports students from marginalized backgrounds in the biomedical sciences. www.statnews.com/2025/08/25/n...

From WSJ's story last night on Intel & the White House (gift link to story is also below) www.wsj.com/tech/inside-...

FDA approves Ionis’ hereditary angioedema drug Dawnzera is the third medicine cleared by U.S. regulators this year for the rare genetic condition, and the second wholly owned medicine Ionis has brought to market.

Took a step out of biotech startup reporting today - Ionis Pharmaceuticals got approval from the FDA today for its hereditary angiodema drug Dawnzera. Its list price: $57,642 per dose. www.biopharmadive.com/news/ionis-d...

Kennedy’s mRNA cuts could set US science back, experts warn Scientists say HHS’ decision to defund mRNA vaccine research will leave the country less prepared for pandemics, and make it harder to invest in companies advancing the technology.

latest from the @biopharmadive.com team - researchers and investors weigh in on how cuts to mRNA research may make the U.S. fall behind other countries #biosky www.biopharmadive.com/news/mrna-va...

Dear Katrice and Geraldine, We are deeply concerned about the manner in which The Marshall Project has been treating our members and approaching the bargaining process. Recently, The Marshall Project leadership has betrayed our organization’s values and compromised our position in the industry and the journalism we pursue. It’s time for that to change. The guild has worked tirelessly and in good faith on proposals that would keep high-quality health care affordable for Marshallers. We have also been steadfast in asserting that all recognized members deserve due process and fair treatment required under the law. The organization, in turn, has increasingly taken anti-worker stances that have eroded trust and created a culture that makes it difficult to do the work that makes us proud. Since the organization has taken such a hardline stance, refusing to work with the guild on the items listed below, we will be filing unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board and stepping up our public efforts to make it clear that we demand fair treatment.

The following recent actions by the organization have taken an immense toll on the workers of The Marshall Project: 1. The organization has repeatedly denied steward representation to a member facing a Performance Improvement Plan and possible termination, as well as denying another member representation in their termination meeting last week. This denial is illegal, egregious, and completely out of line with standards across our industry and the labor movement going back decades. We are shocked that the organization would take such a hypocritical and prohibitive stance on this, given our mission. The union has filed an Unfair Labor Practice about this illegal violation of members’ Weingarten rights and demands that members be allowed steward representation in any meeting they feel is appropriate. 2. The organization has caused a retaliatory ripple effect with its actions against one employee that has touched an entire newsroom in Cleveland with negative effects that go against the stated purpose of collaboration with local media and our ability to make good on promises we made to readers. When the organization recognized members it had a duty to follow the law and not proceed with layoffs without bargaining. We have filed an Unfair Labor Practice for the illegal layoff of employees and management retaliation.

3. The organization made a unilateral change to our outside employment policy without bargaining, changing expectations to require managerial approval. We have always maintained a workplace where outside work is permitted and the organization’s sudden termination of Chris Vazquez without a steward, without an opportunity to stop the freelancing project, and without severance is unjust and defies our values. 4. The organization is employing a strategic erosion of status quo through small changes to past practice while we bargain our first contract, including erasure of our cost-of-living adjustment, a significant change to our health insurance, and modifying the evaluation process. The organization has inconsistently complied with requests for information, which does not reflect good faith in bargaining. The Marshall Project, in retaining union-busting law firm Kauff McGuire & Margolis, is willingly participating in the erosion of worker protections across our industry, a project that takes advantage of the current anti-worker political environment. When The Marshall Project voluntarily recognized our union last year, it touted a “longstanding commitment to a fair, equitable and inclusive workplace, with generous benefits.” We are demanding a return to these values.

Today, we sent a letter to @themarshallproject.org‬ leadership expressing concern about their denial of bargaining obligations. Management has repeatedly denied members Weingarten rights, engaged in an illegal layoff, and more — we need your help to demand that management bargain in good faith.

Xoma strikes deals to buy struggling biotechs HilleVax, Lava The royalty aggregator’s proposed deals for HilleVax and Lava add to a pattern of “zombie” biotech buyouts this year as the sector’s struggles continue.

In the latest move to get rid of "zombie" biotechs, Xoma Royalty will acquire HilleVax and Lava Therapeutics, two companies that have struggled since clinical testing of their lead drug candidates failed last year:. #biosky www.biopharmadive.com/news/xoma-hi...

Uncertainty clouds the San Diego biotech hub, with jobs and capital scarce Many San Diego biotech firms are struggling to raise money, with the uncertainty exacerbated by the Trump administration’s disruptions to science.

"A region known for its seemingly endless summer is still awaiting the end of the biotech winter that has swept up much of the industry." My latest for @statnews.com on the state of biotech in San Diego
www.statnews.com/2025/08/04/s...

Ms. Rachel grew up on Mister Rogers. Now she’s carrying on his legacy. The YouTube star wants her audiences — adults and children alike — to see the humanity of all people.

This is a really well-written profile, and worth the time to read. There's also a line that immediately made my eyes water: www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/in...

With a Jar of Blood as Evidence, Detained Man Tells Immigration Judge ‘I am Dying Little by Little’ Judge denies bond for Guatemalan man worried about colon cancer as his condition appears to have grown worse in recent court hearings.

In a video appearance with an immigration judge, a detainee pulled out a jar of bright red blood and set it on the table in front of him. Many of the people in the courtroom gasped in unison.

“I have cancer. This is the blood I’ve lost today.”

capitalandmain.com/with-a-jar-o...

Protein degraders: chasing undruggable targets Some two dozen biotech developers of PROTACs, molecular glues and other types of protein-degrading drugs have sprung up over the past two decades.

Targeted protein degradation has been a huge focus of #biosky and investors over the past decade. I dove into why for @biopharmadive.com:

www.biopharmadive.com/news/protein...

Exclusive: FDA's Makary sought rejection of KalVista’s drug in an unusual move by commissioner, sources say FDA Commissioner Marty Makary reportedly attempted to reject KalVista Pharmaceuticals' drug application, sources said. An HHS spokesperson calls the claim 'totally false.'

Exclusive: FDA's Makary sought rejection of KalVista’s drug in an unusual move by commissioner, sources say
endpoints.news/sources-fda-...

She called 911 to report domestic abuse. Then Houston police called ICE on her. The woman’s case is a worst-case scenario, according to advocates worried about the worsening state of domestic violence in the Houston region.

Houston police called ICE on a woman who called 911 to report domestic abuse by her ex-husband.

The only reason she didn't get deported is because ICE said there was no one to take custody of her kids, according to the police report. www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

The federal government is restricting COVID-19 vaccine access. Here’s what that means for the ongoing pandemic and people with Long COVID. - The Sick Times Recent policy changes around COVID-19 vaccines are already sowing chaos and confusion and restricting vaccine access — including for people who should still be eligible to receive them.

“Recent policy changes around COVID-19 vaccines are already sowing chaos and confusion and restricting vaccine access — including for people who should still be eligible to receive them.”
I wrote about RFK Jr’s anti-vax chaos for @thesicktimes.bsky.social. thesicktimes.org/2025/06/19/t...

Disagreements over Duchenne therapy, management style may have led to ouster of key FDA official The ouster of the FDA's chief regulator of cell and gene therapies came immediately after a disagreement with her boss over a drug review, STAT has learned.

EXCLUSIVE: The ouster of Nicole Verdun, the FDA's chief regulator of cell and gene therapies, came after disagreements over the review of Capricor's Duchenne therapy. At the same time, some have taken issue with Verdun's management style. Details below:
www.statnews.com/2025/06/20/f...

A longer ‘winter’: Public funding slowdown heightens pressure on biotech startups A dramatic pullback in public biotech investment catalyzed by economic and regulatory upheaval is putting even more stress on startups navigating a yearslong downturn.

A dismal investment climate for publicly traded biotech companies is causing startups and their backers to tighten their belts, investors and analysts say. Latest for @biopharmadive.com #biosky

www.biopharmadive.com/news/biotech...

RFK Jr. ends coronavirus shot recommendation for healthy children, pregnant women Currently the vaccine is recommended for all people over 6 months of age.

Before RFK Jr. announced healthy children no longer need coronavirus vaccines, the CDC’s data showed more than half of young children admitted to the ICU for covid had no underlying conditions wapo.st/4kk4DlE

Drug-induced liver injuries rise in the U.S. as supplements grow in popularity: What to know Most people who take dietary or herbal supplements do so on their own, not under a doctor’s advice.

Good reporting from @nbcnews.com: As use of dietary supplements grow, so do rates of liver injuries. Most people who take dietary or herbal supplements do so on their own, not under a doctor’s advice.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Eric Licas is such an intrepid reporter whose Orange County stories reached wide audiences with no engagement help from the LA Times parent company, which noticed him for a layoff amid their financial troubles.

Your news organization would be blessed to have him.

🧵I counseled sexual assault survivors for many years at a crisis center; I've been an advocate and activist in that space since high school.

And this is what every rapist thinks: "I have far more at stake and to lose than any other source in this piece." Always.

thank you for speaking up - I hope you keep healing and finding some peace amid all this 💗

Journalists Attest to Experiences of Sexual Misconduct with Wesley Lowery Lowery rose to prominence as a reporter and media thinker. Women in the industry say he engaged in sexual harassment and assault.

Some of y’all noticed I’ve been uncharacteristically offline. This is why, and I remain on leave for a few weeks to handle a PTSD relapse. CJR was dogged in its pursuit of my story. Because of what I do and who I am, I felt that I had to answer their questions honestly.

www.cjr.org/feature-2/we...

Novo to work with Septerna in hunt for oral obesity drugs The research collaboration, under which Septerna will receive more than $200 million in upfront and near-term fees, is the latest deal Novo has struck to expand its obesity pipeline.

Ozempic maker @novonordisk.bsky.social is taking another step toward finding an oral obesity drug, this time with a deal with Bay Area biotech Septerna: www.biopharmadive.com/news/novo-no...

How will FDA changes reshape drug approval in 2025 and beyond? Vaccines and complex biologics may face greater headwinds as processes change at a short-staffed agency

Things are changing so fast at the FDA that when I emailed a trade group for comment on a policy announced yesterday morning, they sent me an answer about the new policy from the day before.

Here's a humble attempt to tally up the way these changes might affect drug dev:
cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic...