Chris Spivey is director of Industry Relations and Strategic Partnership, MJH Life Sciences.

Chris Spivey

Behind the Headlines Episode 15–Neuroscience, Weight-Loss Drugs, and Tariffs

Behind the Headlines is a bi-weekly panel discussion examining the latest trends, readouts, and other factors that drive pharmaceutical news and innovation. Each episode features consultants, venture capitalists, scientists, patient advocates, and journalists discussing the prior weeks’ top news while seeking to highlight the more enduring lessons that hide behind the headlines.

In episode 15, Mike Exton, CEO and board director, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals; Andrew Thomson, CEO and co-founder, Modulate Bio; Konstantinos Tsioris, co-founder and president, OneCyte Biotechnologies; and Cheryl Barton, director, Pharmavision, discuss the advancement of neuroscience, developments in weight loss drugs, and the evolving political climate’s impact on the industry.

Neuroscience is “having a moment”, according to the panel, with advancements, such as Vertex’s Journavx, a non-opioid treatment for moderate to severe acute pain (1). The panel wondered if this is the beginning of a set of new central nervous system (CNS) breakthroughs. As evidence, the panel pointed to Professor Sergiu Pasca of Stanford, 

’s work to replicate one of the most prominent human nervous pathways for sensing pain, which their licensing office is calling an “assembloid”, in a lab dish (2). The researchers noted that missing in these assembloids, importantly, “were organoids representing other brain regions that are critical to the discomfort experienced by people who are in pain. The assembloids themselves don’t ‘feel’ any pain,” Pasca said. “They transmit nervous signals that need to be further processed by other centers in our brains for us to experience the unpleasant, aversive feeling of pain” (2).

In a roundup of headline news, the panel shared their opinions on pharmaceutical tariffs and their stock market ramifications, including reshoring of manufacturing opportunities and also infrastructure investments, such as Novartis’ new spending of approximately $23 billion in infrastructure in the United States (3). The panel also examined weight loss drug fluctuations, including Pfizer discontinuing development of experimental weight-loss pill danuglipron, due to drug-induced toxicity in a trial patient (4), while Lexicon Pharmaceuticals stands to gain up to $1 billion ($75 million upfront payment) from an exclusive license agreement with Novo Nordisk A/S for LX9851, a first-in-class, oral non-incretin development candidate in obesity and associated metabolic disorders (5).

FDA Approves Novel Non-Opioid Treatment for Moderate to Severe Acute Pain

GEN. Key Neural Pain-Sensing Pathway Recreated in a Lab Dish. Genetic Engineering News. 

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News

Ohlen, E. This Pharma Giant Will Invest $23 Billion in the U.S. It’s a Sign Trump’s Tariffs Are Working. 

Beasley, D. Pfizer Ends Development of Weight-loss Pill Danuglipron. 

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Announces Exclusive License Agreement with Novo Nordisk for LX9851. 

Videos

Mike Exton, Andrew Thomson, Konstantinos Tsioris, and Cheryl Barton go behind the headlines to discuss the advancement of neuroscience, weight-loss drugs, and the evolving political climate’s impact on the industry.

: Behind the Headlines Episode 14–Investment Trends, Policy Realignments, and Vaccines

In episode 14, panelists Christian Cobaugh, PhD, CSO and founder of Vernal Biosciences; Eswar Iyer, PhD, co-founder and CSO, Aikium Inc., and Vincenzo Antignani, PhD, Technical training lead, Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America, Inc., adjunct facility Northeastern University & Governing Committee (GC) Member, NIIMBL | The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, discuss a mixture of investment trends, policy realignments, trade and stock recalibrations, and an apparent crusade against vaccines both new and old. 

Performance advances in both China and India have led to renewed investments from other countries into both infrastructure and licensing agreements. Novo Nordisk has bought into the “triple G” idea, gaining a GLP-1/GIP/glucagon triple agonist from China’s United Laboratories for up to $2 billion (1). In addition, AstraZeneca is committing up to $11 billion to Chinese Collaborations including a Beijing R&D Hub (2).

Changing skills requirements for future workforce in a time of turmoil was a major consideration for the panel, appearing and reappearing throughout the conversation. It included the re-folding of recently fired National Institutes of Health workers, as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. pursues his plans to slash the Department of Health and Human Services’ workforce by 25%, implement massive reorganization, and consolidate authorities, creating a new agency for a ‘Healthy America’ (3).

Conversation also turned to attitudes toward messenger RNA, as the United States outlines plans to end vaccine funds for poor countries, in parallel to several other efforts to frame vaccines as just-one-choice-among-many-options, to discuss with one’s healthcare provider (4).

Lastly, 23andMe’s future in bankruptcy protection after having held, at its highest, a market valuation of $6 billion dollars, was bruited about. The panel also examined the company’s chances of legally selling customer genomic data as a lift raft, and also, what the demise of such a pioneering company means in the overall commercial landscape at this time.

Click the video above to watch the discussion.

1. Sunny, M. Novo Bets on 'Triple G' Obesity Drug in up to $2 billion Deal with Chinese Biotech. 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/novo-licenses-chinese-biotechs-obesity-102141800.html

2. Philippidis, A. AstraZeneza Commits Up to $11B+ to Chinese Collaborations, Beijing R&D Hub, 

https://www.genengnews.com/topics/drug-discovery/astrazeneza-commits-up-to-11b-to-chinese-collaborations-beijing-rd-hub

3 Owermohle, S.; Lawrence, L.; and Bannow, T. RFK Jr. Plans to Slash HHS Workforce by 25% in Massive Reorganization. 

https://www.statnews.com/2025/03/27/rfk-jr-10000-job-cuts-hhs-restructuring-health-agency-impacts-cdc-fdaG-nih-cms

4Kirchgaessner, S.; Glenza, J. Trump Administration at ‘War’ with mRNA Technology: Scientists Alarmed Vaccine Skeptics Could Kill Research. 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/27/trump-vaccine-skeptics-research-funding

5. Satija, B.; Shah, A.; Misra, S. DNA Testing Firm 23andMe Files for Bankruptcy as Demand Dries Up. 

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/dna-testing-firm-23andme-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy-sell-itself-2025-03-24/

Christian Cobaugh, Eswar Iyer, and Vincenzo Antignani go behind the headlines to discuss a mixture of investment trends, policy realignments, trade and stock recalibrations, and an apparent crusade against vaccines both new and old. 

Behind the Headlines Episode 14–Investment Trends, Policy Realignments, and Vaccines

Behind the Headlines: Budget Cuts, Reshoring, and Biotech Buyouts 

Behind the Headlines is a bi-weekly panel discussion examining the latest trends, readouts, and other factors that drive pharmaceutical news and innovation. Each episode features consultants, venture capitalists, scientists, patient advocates, and journalists discussing theprior weeks’ top news while seeking to highlight the more enduring lessons that hide behind the headlines. 

In this episode, Neil Hunter, Independent Communications Consultant;Alex Philippidis, Senior Business Editor for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Inside Precision Medicine; Joanna Sadowska, PhD, EMBA Technical Writer, Be Biopharma;and Carl Schoellhammer, PhD, Partner - Life Science / Biopharma Strategy Consulting, DeciBio examine whether small government in the U.S. is bad for big pharma’s business interests. With 

 and access to public funding reduced, potential investors are further discouraged not only because innovation is stymied but also because pressure to lower drug prices(1) and overall accessibility means return on investmentin the pharmaceutical sector, along with the broader healthcare markets, are increasingly uncertain.

Panelists also discussed the effects of tariffs on accelerating near-shoring and reshoring of manufacturing to the U.S., with the most recent example being Merck’s announcement of an expansion of capacity for Gardasil (2).Lastly, in a deal that puts an exclamation point on a torrid time for bluebird bio’s spinout, BMS buys 2seventybio (3), while Astra Zeneca acquires EsoBiotec, whose technology can genetically modify immune cells directly inside the body, affording “many more patients access to transformative cell therapy treatments delivered in just minutes rather than the current process which takes weeks,” according to a statement from the company (4).

HHS Announces 15 Additional Drugs Selected for Medicare Drug Price Negotiations in Continued Effort to Lower Prescription Drug Costs for Seniors. Press release. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. January 17, 2025. 

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hhs-announces-15-additional-drugs-selected-medicare-drug-price-negotiations-continued-effort-lower

Merck Unveils New Facility to Increase Vaccine Production Capacity. News release. Merck. March 11, 2025. https://www.merck.com/news/merck-unveils-new-facility-to-increase-vaccine-production-capacity/

2seventy bio Enters into Definitive Agreement to be Acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb. News release. 2seventy bio. March 10, 2025.

https://ir.2seventybio.com/news-releases/news-release-details/2seventy-bio-enters-definitive-agreement-be-acquired-bristol

AstraZeneca to acquireEsoBiotec to advance cell therapy ambition.News release. Astra Zeneca. March 17 2025.

https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2025/astrazeneca-to-acquire-esobiotec.html

Neil Hunter, Alex Philippidis, Joanna Sadowska, PhD, EMBA, and Carl Schoellhammer, PhD go behind the headlines to discuss the impact of federal budget cuts on future pharma investments, reshoring efforts, and biotech buyouts.  

Behind the Headlines: Episode 13; Budget Cuts, Reshoring, and Biotech Buyouts 

Behind the Headlines Episode 12–Cell and Gene Therapies, New Genomics Tools, and Recent Partnerships

 is a bi-weekly panel discussion examining the latest trends, readouts, and other factors that drive pharmaceutical news and innovation. Each episode features consultants, venture capitalists, scientists, patient advocates, and journalists discussing the prior weeks’ top news while seeking to highlight the more enduring lessons that hide behind the headlines.

In this episode of Behind the Headlines, Brian Feth, CEO and founder of Xcell Biosciences; Thomas Heathman, chief commercial officer of Ori Biotech; and Matthew Lauber, Sr director of BioSeparations, Waters Corporation, discuss commercialization challenges in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) space and advances in new genomics tools from Roche, Illumina, and Eikon. In addition, the panelists review Biogen’s and Stoke Therapeutics’ collaboration for the development and commercialization of zorevunersen, a therapy for Dravet’s syndrome (1); Thermo Fisher Scientific’s purchase of Solventum’s purification and filtration business (2); and Eli Lilly’s $27 Billion plant expansion in the United States due to tax breaks extensions and tariffs threats

Pfizer said the discontinuation of its last remaining cell therapy program was due to several reasons, including “limited interest in gene therapies for the bleeding disorder…However, the company said it will redirect its time and resources towards Hympavzi, an injectable drug approved in October to prevent or reduce bleeding episodes in hemophilia A or B patients aged 12 years and older” (3). Our panel pointed out that a good amount of business process and commercialization rationale went into this decision. This coincides with the Carlysle groups purchase of a CGT Pioneer bluebird bio, for only $30 million (4), and illustrates investor wariness and strong commercial headwinds for the CGT field. 

Recently, new genomics tools have been introduced into the market. Roche has unveiled a new class of next-generation sequencing with its novel sequencing by expansion technology (5), while at the same moment Illumina unveils first-of-its-kind spatial transcriptomics technology (6). In the same moment, Eikon has released novel single-molecule tracking technology, demonstrated through “clinical studies now operating in 28 countries, across five continents, we are accelerating the development of much-needed therapies while continuing to expand our research and development capabilities,” said Roger M. Perlmutter, MD, PhD, CEO and Board Chair of Eikon Therapeutics, in a press release (7).

Biogen. Biogen and Stoke Therapeutics Enter into Collaboration to Develop and Commercialize Zorevunersen for the Treatment of Dravet Syndrome, a Rare Genetic Epilepsy Associated with Refractory Seizures and Neurodevelopmental Impairments. 

Thermo Fisher Strikes Deal for Solventum’s Filtration Unit

Santhosh. C. Pfizer Stops Commercialization of Hemophilia Gene Therapy Beqvez, 

Carlyle. bluebird bio Announces Definitive Agreement to be Acquired by Carlyle and SK Capital. 

Roche. Roche Unveils a New Class of Next-generation Sequencing with its Novel Sequencing by Expansion Technology. 

Illumina. Illumina Unveils First-of-its-kind Spatial Transcriptomics Technology. 

Genetic Engineering News. Eikon Therapeutics Raises $350 Million to Support Clinical Stage Programs, Pipeline Development. 

Brian Feth, Xcell Biosciences; Thomas Heathman, Ori Biotech; and Matthew Lauber, Waters Corporation go behind the headlines and discuss commercialization challenges in the cell and gene therapy space; advances in new genomics tools from Roche, Illumina, and Eikon; and the latest development and manufacturing partnerships. 

Behind the Headlines Episode 11–GLP-1 Patent Expiry, Recent Acquisitions, and Indirect Costs Capping

In episode 11, Benjamin McLeod, founder of Convey BIO, Abhi Naravane, PhD, MBA, partner, PA Consulting, and Marianna Tcherpakov, PhD, director Business Development, CMC Services, Frontage Laboratories, discussed advertisements for GLP-1s shown during Super Bowl LIX, several large deals in the wake of the 2025 JP Morgan Health Care Conference, right sizing of the government under the Trump administration, the move toward capping National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant indirect costs at 15%, and a couple of interesting new companies that came onto our radar last week.

The panel takes a looks at Bain Capital’s acquisition of Mitsubishi Tanabe, where Japan’s supply of weight loss drugs seems a prime motivation (1), and of a similar scale in terms of overall dollar value, 

Therapeutics from Blackstone Life Sciences for an initial almost $1 billion upfront payment in a deal potentially worth up to $3.1 billion. The deal brings with it Anthos’ abelacimab, a novel factor XI inhibitor for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation patients and blood clot prevention in cancer patients, which is in clinical trials (2). 

Causing much conversation and exchange of strong opinion is the 

Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates

 document issued by NIH on Feb. 7, 2025, which caps NIH grant indirect costs at 15%. The panel was divided, some seeing this as being realistically in line with the rest of society, while others believe it is off-target in terms of creating more downstream harm than good (3).

To round out the conversation, two new interesting companies noticed at the 

 were pointed to as holding promising new approaches. Aikium has a platform that enables Yotta-scale (10

) machine learning on massive libraries by combining the world’s only artificial intelligence-driven trillion-protein messenger RNA display for large proteins and patented generative AI based on protein language models (4). Promise BIO explores a broad range of the post-translational modification landscape, “by integrating chemical knowledge, statistics, and advanced algorithms to address the computational burden while ensuring no biologically-relevant factors are overlooked” (5). 

Brain Capital. Bain Capital to Acquire Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation. Press Release. Feb. 7, 2025. 

https://www.baincapital.com/news/bain-capital-acquire-mitsubishi-tanabe-pharma-corporation

Anthos Therapeutics. Blackstone Life Sciences and Anthos Therapeutics Announce Agreement for Anthos to be Acquired by Novartis for up to $3.1 billion. Press Release. Feb 11, 2025. 

https://anthostherapeutics.com/press-release/anthos_2025-02-11_release/

NIH. Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates. NIH Notice, NOT-OD-25-068. Feb. 7, 2025. 

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-068.html

Spivey, C. Aikium's AI-Driven mRNA Engine Looks to Address Undruggable Disordered Proteins. BioPharm International.com. Feb. 10, 2025. 

https://www.biopharminternational.com/view/aikium-ai-driven-mrna-engine-looks-to-address-undruggable-disordered-proteins

Promise Bio. Promise.bio (accessed Feb. 18, 2025). 

Benjamin McLeod, Abhi Naravane, PhD, MBA, and Marianna Tcherpakov PhD go behind the headlines to talk about the latest big acquisitions, GLP-1 Super Bowl advertising, and changes in NIH funding. 

Leroy (Lee) Hood, MD, PhD discusses the potential impact of precision medicine, moving towards a more preventive health model, and the role of AI in health information.

Lee Hood on Precision Medicine and Shifting Towards Prevention

Leroy (Lee) Hood, MD, PhD, has developed a long list of paradigm-shifting scientific instruments that have made possible major advances in the biological and medical sciences.

We had a chance to speak with Hood at the 

 World Conference in Santa Clara, CA, where he discussed the practicalities of turning a disease care system into a health maintenance system and also his plans to develop a new peptide information-based pharmaceutical company.

"Data-driven health is at an enormous turning point, and it's going to trigger, I think, within less than a five-year period, the ability to analyze literally millions of people with regard to their genome and [transcriptome], and from that derive the optimization of wellness, healthy aging, and even the ability to detect and reverse diseases early,” Hood told 

Hood went on to talk about the real-world adoption of preventive medicine versus treatment of chronic disease, suggesting that uptake will likely need to come from an economic point-of-view, given that there would potentially be an enormous amount of savings by avoiding chronic disease.

Hood is president and co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology. He is also senior vice president and chief science officer of Providence St. Joseph Health. He is one of only 15 individuals elected to all three US National Academies—the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine. Hood played a key role in founding or co-founding 15 different biotechnology companies, including Amgen, Applied Biosystems, Rosetta, and Arivale. Hood was the recipient of the 1987 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for translating the genetics of antibody diversity into explicit molecular terms.

Hood, a pioneer of systems biology and systems medicine, shared his personal interest in starting a new peptide-based, informational-driven pharmaceutical company that would address wellness and longevity.

Chris Spivey

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