Bio Roundup: Trump’s Scalps, Policy Pressure, NASH Crash & More
Summary
Another price clash could come with the growing epidemic of NASH; that is, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a fatty liver disease that can lead to scarring, cancer, and transplants and has no approved pharma treatment. But on a panel he moderated, speakers noted that, while one major administration proposal (an international price index) seemed terrible for the industry, a second one (elimination of rebates) might help them. The vote, which could pave the way for approval by March 4, comes despite mixed clinical results and the fact that esketamine is a chemical relative of the addictive party drug ketamine. —Shares of AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN ) climbed more than 9 percent on better-than-expected sales largely driven by cancer drugs, an area of focus in its transformation under CEO Pascal Soriot. —Vor Biopharma of Boston has raised a $42 million Series A round , led by 5am Ventures and RA Capital Management, to push its lead product, a cell therapy for acute myeloid leukemia, toward human studies.