BioCentury This Week

A pair of lawmakers have dealt the Biosecure Act a setback that could derail the legislation, even as Congress continues its push to reduce reliance on China in the life sciences. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, Washington Editor Steve Usdin explains why Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) refused to sign off on inclusion of the anti-China biotech bill in the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, what provisions the defense bill has that seek to enhance U.S. biotech supply chain resilience and whether Biosecure can be resurrected. And in the latest in neurology, Executive Editor Selina Koch discusses Novartis and PTC's $1 billion deal for the biotech’s Huntington disease therapy, and how several biotechs are poised to take therapies against the long undruggable KCC2 to the clinic for neurological disorders. Heads up: BioCentury’s JPM Guide 2025 is out now.View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/65442000:00 - Introduction01:42 - Biosecure Setback10:01 - Novartis' $1B PTC Deal 16:28 - KCC2 ActivationTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at [email protected] us by sending a text

On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, Washington Editor Steve Usdin and colleagues discuss how President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead NIH, Jay Bhattacharya, would lead NIH and how that could affect the biopharma industry.The BioCentury team then discusses its analysis of abstracts released ahead of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) annual conferences, highlighting methods for applying dual or bispecific CAR T cell designs to solid tumors. And they also analyze FDA approvals of products by biotech companies, noting that current trends show biotechs shedding their reliance on pharma to get drugs across the finish line for approval.View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/65436300:00 - Introduction01:08 - Trump's NIH Pick12:13 - Multi-targeted CAR Ts19:26 - Biotech FDA ApprovalsTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at [email protected] us by sending a text

Positive vibes about biotech emanating from the Jefferies Healthcare Conference were overshadowed by the uncertainty that is ahead because of the result of the U.S. elections. On the latest BioCentury This Week, BioCentury’s editors discuss how the unconventional cabinet nominations of the incoming Trump administration have cast a pall over what had been growing enthusiasm for the prospects of the biotech sector. Washington Editor Steve Usdin also discusses what the nomination of Marty Makary as the next FDA Commissioner could mean for the sector, and recaps the latest update on the Biosecure Act. The BioCentury editors also discuss which pharmas are in or out in making a challenge to Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk in the obesity market.View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/65431900:00 - Introduction00:32 - Jefferies Conference Takeaways06:25 - Trump Nominations17:41 - Biosecure Act Update21:01 - Pharma in ObesityTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at [email protected] us by sending a text

Giving RFK Jr. control of HHS would be disastrous, argues Washington Editor Steve Usdin on the latest BioCentury This Week podcast. Expanding on his Editor’s Commentary, Usdin explains why Kennedy would be an unmitigated disaster for FDA, NIH and CMS, for biopharmas and for patients. He calls on biopharma leaders to speak out and affirm basic truths, even if it puts them in harm’s way.BioCentury’s editors also discuss why new data for GSK's Blenrep — an oncology therapy withdrawn two years ago — help make the case for introducing new therapies earlier in the course of treatment, and the recent bolus of West-East deals, including two around anti-PD-(L)1 x VEGF bispecifics: BioNTech's acquisition of Biotheus, and Merck's licensing of global rights to a LaNova asset.View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/65423300:00 - Introduction01:12 - RFK Jr. & HHS13:15 - Blenrep's Comback19:25 - China DealsTo submit a question to BioCentury’s editors, email the BioCentury This Week team at [email protected] us by sending a text