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The drop is far more precipitous than we expected. Right about 2013 the percentage started to fall off the face of the Earth. The newest companies are only publishing them 30% of the time.
Hey, we don’t blame ‘em – who the hell wants to talk on the phone? Send an email, bro.
Citybuster
Boehringer Ingelheim & Zealand Pharma released clinical data indicating patients in an obesity drug trial achieved almost 19% weight loss, which was big news. But then Eli Lilly came along and presented trial results where 100% of people lost weight and almost half lost a quarter of their body weight. The audience let out audible gasps.
That's unbelievable, mainly because Lilly's product is a pill, not an injection like the Zealand/Boehringer and the already trendy Wegovy & Ozempic.
Since swallowing a pill is exceptionally more likely to tempt someone than the prospect of injecting oneself (or swallowing three pills plus 16 ounces of water 20 minutes prior to eating), a product like this could put existing blockbuster drugs to shame. We may need a new word.
It looks like a truly astonishing era in medicine may be upon us.
Sarepta
If you know someone with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy who is either 4 or 5 years old, can walk, and happens to have $3.2M lying around, they can now get Sarepta's gene therapy.
If it were a cure, that price tag may be warranted. But it seems to lead to slightly improved outcomes. DMD is a devastating, lethal illness, so should have a low bar for approving any drug that has a chance to help. But $3.2M is out there.
Actimed Therapeutics
Actimed did a 'Seed A' round in 2018, a Seed round in January 2023, then an A round in June 2023.
So what comes next? B? Seed B? Saw B?
Careers That Don’t Involve Benchwork
There are more non-bench careers in biotech than many people realize. (All you sales, marketing & business development people know what we're talking about.)
Biospace published a handy list of 10 positions that don't require any lab jockeying, because f.t.s.
May we suggest an addendum:
11) Run a Biotech Company Directory
(just kidding, don’t you dare!)
Sort of on the topic, if you're new to the industry and have a desktop computer, you may find our historical list of 10,000 entry level biotech jobs to be helpful in understanding what types of jobs are out there to start your career and what qualifications are needed. Just be warned - it is one huge page and thus decidedly mobile-unfriendly.
GlobeStar
When you're an up-and-coming drug company like GlobeStar Therapeutics hoping to strike it rich, you can rely on years of foundational science proving your product works. Or you can lean on a black belt in karate who swears the compound helped him heal through the years.
FDA would probably be cool with either option, right?
Next time a drug company uses anecdotal evidence on their Twitter feed, scream out "GlobeStar!!!" and start fighting whoever is closest to you. It's the only way.
Astraveus
This company, which has a pretty cool name, recently emerged from stealth after seven years.
They promptly saw their shadow and called for six more weeks of IPO winter.
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