Kyle LaHucik

A Euler diagram of four overlapping ellipses showing the number of terminated NIH grants by research area. The four categories shown are LGBTQ health (328 cancelled grants), minority health (319), youth health (168) and vaccines (109). The diagram also labels the number of terminated grants at the intersection of research areas: Of the 328 terminated LGBTQ grants, 207 also involved minority health research and 116 involved youth health.

My latest @opinion.bloomberg.com looks at the heartbreaking, harmful gutting of LGBTQ health-related research, which our analysis found was acutely targeted in the massive NIH cuts.

Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs raises $600M in biotech’s largest round of 2025 Isomorphic Labs, one of the leading AI-driven drug discovery companies within Alphabet, has reeled in $600 million in external financing as it nears the clinic.

NEW: Google’s bet on AI in drug discovery just got a lot bigger.

My latest with @kylelahucik.bsky.social on Isomorphic's $600 million round — the largest in biotech so far in 2025:
endpts.com/isomorphic-l...

Marks’ exit at FDA rattles an already teetering biotech industry FDA biologics chief Peter Marks resigns over vaccine dispute with HHS Secretary RFK Jr., causing biotech stocks to drop. Moderna down 11%, Sarepta down 7.5%, uniQure down 20%.

New: Peter Marks' ouster at the FDA has rattled biotech stocks and comes as the market was already wobbly. w/@drewsnews.bsky.social and @kylelahucik.bsky.social

endpts.com/biotech-mark...

Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity and DEI in the biomedical workforce could be terminated, according to documents obtained by Nature.

NEW: The NIH has begun terminating grants for active projects studying gender identity, DEI, environmental justice, climate change, among other topics.

At least 16 termination letters have already been sent — and hundreds more are coming, people inside NIH tell me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Kudos to the @endpts.com team for not running away from this issue like everyone else.

Bay Area biotech VC to shut down 15 months after launch, sources say The life science investment firm Bioluminescence Ventures will close its doors less than two years after its founding, despite raising nearly half a billion dollars to put into new companies, Endpoint...

Scoop with @kylelahucik.bsky.social and @andrewedunn.bsky.social: Bay Area biotech VC Bioluminescence Ventures is closing 15 months after launching with almost $500M across two funds. endpts.com/bay-area-bio...

Trump Administration Halts H.I.V. Drug Distribution in Poor Countries (Gift Article) PEPFAR’s computer systems also are being taken offline, a sign that the program may not return, as Republican critics had hoped.

The PEPFAR program, which distributes HIV drugs, is estimated to have saved 25 million lives. The Trump administration has stopped it and taken its computer system offline, raising fears the program is done for good. Story by @apoorvanyt.bsky.social [Gift link] nyti.ms/4aCJHSx 2/12

Biogen offers to buy out struggling neuro partner Sage Therapeutics Biogen has made an offer to acquire its partner Sage Therapeutics, according to a Friday evening regulatory disclosure, following months of setbacks by the smaller company that have led to a long slid...

A pre-JPM Friday firehose of news:

Four biotechs emerge with $800M: endpts.com/four-biotech...

Former top Moderna scientist's new startup: endpts.com/modernas-for...

Obesity drug startup Metsera files IPO: endpts.com/obesity-drug...

Biogen offers to buy partner Sage: endpts.com/biogen-offer...

CDER Director Patrizia Cavazzoni to step down ahead of Trump presidency Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, will step down, the agency confirmed Friday. An email was sent to employees announcing the departure.

The head of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research will be stepping down ahead of Trump's return

A huge White Oak scoop from @zacharybrennan.bsky.social

endpts.com/cder-directo...

AbbVie writes off $3.5B on Cerevel drug after Phase 2 failures AbbVie is taking a major loss in the wake of its Cerevel buyout. AbbVie said it will write off $3.5 billion following two mid-stage failures for emraclidine,

AbbVie wrote off $3.5 billion on the schizophrenia treatment from its Cerevel buyout, after the drug failed two Phase 2 studies. The drug was expected to be a major competitor with Bristol Myers' Cobenfy

endpts.com/abbvie-write...

Four biotechs emerge with $800M and in-licensed assets on Friday Four biotechs launch with $800M total: Windward Bio, Kardigan, Ouro Medicines & Timberlyne Therapeutics. Three licensed drugs from Chinese firms, while Kardigan has undisclosed cardio assets.

In the week leading up to #JPM25, eight biotechs raised megarounds for a whopping total of $1.73 billion (likely heavily tranched)

Four disclosed Friday

Verdiva $411M
Kardigan $300M
Aviceda $207M
Tenvie $200M
Windward $200M
Timberlyne $180M
Ouro Medicines $120M
Aspect Biosystems $115M

@endpts.com

Would love to hear from more biopharma startup founders, first-time entrepreneurs, early-stage VCs and others in drug development about their thoughts on this. DM me or reach out at klahucik@endpointsnews.com

Live updates: At least 5 dead in Los Angeles wildfires; new blaze in Hollywood Hills The Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills follows other blazes in the L.A. area, including the Palisades and Eaton fires, that have displaced tens of thousands.

About 400 incarcerated people are fighting California's wildfires for a few dollars a day in payment. "The conditions in California prisons are so terrible that fighting wildfires is a rational choice,” Matthew Hahn, a former incarcerated firefighter, said. www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025...

Want to start a fight among virus experts? Ask about HIV’s new name HIV is now "Lentivirus humimdef1" by another name. Virus researchers are not happy.

fascinating read on naming viruses from @jasonmast.bsky.social

“We have this joke,” he said. “When you go to a nice dinner, you shall not discuss sex, politics, religion and taxonomy.”

Aiolos team reunites with $411M for new biotech with obesity drugs from China There's a shopping bonanza for new obesity medicines going on among a marquee cohort of biopharma investors who are in-licensing treatment candidates from Chinese and European drug developers. Joining...

Following the likes of Kailera & Metsera last year, a new obesity biotech has emerged with clinical-stage assets. London & San Fran biotech Verdiva begins with $411 million, an oral GLP-1 set for Phase 2 this year and preclinical amylin prospects.

The team mainly derives from GSK-acquired Aiolos

Maze files for first biotech IPO of 2025, following $115M funding boost Maze Therapeutics has submitted its pitch for an initial public offering after disclosing a $115 million Series D, forging a neuroscience spinoff and running into a dealmaking hurdle with the FTC.

Maze Therapeutics opens the biotech IPO window (maybe) with a Tuesday night S-1 filing

Follows a hectic 2024 for the Bay Area biotech: FTC hurdle, then a Shionogi deal to save its Pompe drug, offloading of an ALS drug candidate & finally a $115 million Series D during the holidays

@endpts.com

Regeneron buys London-based ocular biotech Regeneron, maker of the blockbuster ophthalmology medicine Eylea, has acquired an ocular biotech, the large biopharma confirmed to Endpoints News on Thursday.

Exclusive: Regeneron bought a London ocular biotech called Oxular, backed by Forbion and others

Its delivery device could be used for Regeneron's "future ocular gene therapies, with the goal of accelerating the time it will take to reach clinical readiness," a spokesperson told @endpts.com

A look at biotech's year of the megaround 2024 was the year of the private megaround. Nine-figure financings dominated biotech's venture funding landscape, with 96 such rounds tallied by Endpoints News. The bevy of megarounds drowned out smal...

Biotech startups landed 96 megarounds ($100m+) in 2024, according to an @endpts.com tally, nearing a 2021 peak.

I took a look behind the numbers and the 94 companies (Metsera and Seaport each did two rounds) that bagged the large financings

Neumora's major depression drug flunks first of three Phase 3 trials Neuroscience drug developer Neumora Therapeutics released highly anticipated results from the first of three Phase 3 trials for its experimental major depression drug, saying Thursday that navacaprant...

A new type of depression drug from Neumora has failed the first of three Phase 3 trials, marking a gloomy beginning to 2025 for the brain disease biotech

Navacaprant performed almost the exact same as placebo on the primary endpoint. J&J is testing a similar type of KOR antagonist dubbed aticaprant

Indian drugmaker Anthem Biosciences files for $397 mln IPO Indian contract drugmaker Anthem Biosciences filed for a 33.95-billion-rupee ($397 million) initial public offering, draft papers showed on Tuesday, at the fag end of what has been a red-hot year for companies listing on the stock market.

British slang is wild - "at the fag end of what has been a red-hot year for companies listing on the stock market."

cigarette butt ... but maybe they shouldn't use that?

FDA approves subcutaneous version of Bristol Myers' Opdivo A decade after Bristol Myers Squibb first won approval for its PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo, the cancer drug has been approved in a subcutaneous form that's becoming a new area of competition for ...

Opdivo gets the subQ (under the skin) approval from FDA

Keytruda subQ is next on deck

Bristol Myers Squibb exec told @endpts.com they expect ~30-40% of eligible patients will switch from IV version of the blockbuster cancer immunotherapy

“pharma bros” on today’s Connections 👀

Breaking: Novo reveals 23% weight loss with CagriSema, falling short of high expectations Novo Nordisk's CagriSema achieves 22.7% weight loss in Phase 3 trial, missing 25% target. Stock drops 26% as results fall short of expectations.

BREAKING: Novo Nordisk's CagriSema fails to hit 25% weightloss benchmark in Phase 3 readout. Novo’s stock $NVO crashed by as much as 26% pre-market Friday.
endpts.com/novo-reveals...

In blow to compounders, FDA reaffirms tirzepatide shortage is over The FDA has reaffirmed that the shortage of Eli Lilly’s blockbuster obesity and diabetes medications is resolved, dealing a blow to pharmacies and telehealth services that have capitalized on providin...

Tirzepatide shortage is over, says FDA. That means compounding pharmacies making lots of copies of brand-name Zepbound and Mounjaro have to stop soon.

endpts.com/in-blow-to-c...

The Endpoints 2024 winners and losers list: Who was up and who was down in biopharma Endpoints News reviews 2024's biopharma winners & losers: Eli Lilly dominates obesity market, megadeals decline, I&I sector thrives, and FDA's setback in misinformation fight.

The 2024 winners and losers in the pharma world are in. Who's up and who's down? Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.
endpts.com/endpoints-wi...

David Epstein gets $140M for Ottimo's bifunctional take on hot PD-1xVEGF field David Epstein has retired three times. And he quickly went to work when he got back in the saddle earlier this fall as CEO and chair of Ottimo Pharma, a ...

shortly after selling Seagen for $43B, David Epstein has collected $140M for his next bet

he says Ottimo Pharma isn't just a me-too PD1xVEGF biotech. They're focused on bifunctionals instead

“in today’s world, one of the things that’s changed is people make copies of things pretty darn quick"

Drugmakers including Purdue Pharma paid middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers to not restrict painkiller prescriptions, a New York Times investigation has found. nyti.ms/3BL5vOS

Flagship gene therapy startup Ring Therapeutics nearly halves workforce in latest job cuts Ring Therapeutics, a startup looking to advance a new type of virus to deliver gene therapies, has let go

Ring Therapeutics ~halves workforce in second round of layoffs this year for the Flagship startup working on a new type of virus to delivery gene therapies

w/@maxbayer.bsky.social for @endpts.com

Novartis turns to BioAge for new targets based on longevity and exercise BioAge Labs, which began nearly a decade ago as an anti-aging biotech and then turned to obesity this year, is going back to its roots and teaming up with Novartis ...

BioAge inks collab w/Novartis’ DARe group (didn’t know that unit existed until this week)

“We’re trying to learn from examples of successful aging where some people live a lot longer, a lot healthier than others do. We’re learning from a paradigm that already works,” said BioAge CEO Kristen Fortney

It's been really cool to see the accelerating migration to Bluesky. Check out our @endpts.com starter pack for editors / writers to follow.

bsky.app/starter-pack...