Author: Alex Lash

I've spent nearly all my working life as a journalist. I covered the rise and fall of the dot-com era in the second half of the 1990s, then switched to life sciences in the new millennium. I've written about the strategy, financing and scientific breakthroughs of biotech for The Deal, Elsevier's Start-Up, In Vivo and The Pink Sheet, and Xconomy.

American Copycats: Can Biosimilars Catch On And Cut Costs In U.S.?

Americans need to spend less on healthcare. Anyone disagree? No country spends like we do: 17 percent of our gross domestic product the past four years, in fact, according to the World Bank. No other country—rich, poor, big, small, frozen, tropical, whatever—comes close. (OK, except for the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu. Really.) Now … Continue reading “American Copycats: Can Biosimilars Catch On And Cut Costs In U.S.?”

Antibody Maker AnaptysBio Joins IPO Queue With $86M In Its Sights

San Diego-based AnaptysBio, a developer of antibody-based drugs, has placed a stake in the ground to go public, filing IPO paperwork Wednesday. The 10-year-old firm recently raised a $40 million Series D round of funding from crossover investors, setting itself up for a run at the public markets. Crossover investors have helped fuel the three-year … Continue reading “Antibody Maker AnaptysBio Joins IPO Queue With $86M In Its Sights”

For CFO Krognes, Neurosci Startup Denali Taps Genentech Again

Denali Therapeutics of South San Francisco, CA, said Tuesday it has brought on Steve Krognes as chief financial officer. Krognes comes from Genentech, where he was CFO and a member of the firm’s executive committee since 2009. Denali launched in May with a huge cash commitment from its backers and three Genentech alumni: chairman Marc … Continue reading “For CFO Krognes, Neurosci Startup Denali Taps Genentech Again”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Amgen, Grizzlies, Topol, Faraday & More

As biotech ended its worst market month since the recession, it was fitting that one of the week’s best stories was about bears. Grizzlies, to be precise. Grizzlies are oh-so-Western, so of course we were intrigued, and even better, the story involves a West Coast biotech company. The Wall Street Journal broke news this week … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Amgen, Grizzlies, Topol, Faraday & More”

With New CEO, Seattle’s Faraday Pharma Aims to Exploit Ikaria Roots

[Updated 9/3/15, 11:30 am. See below.] Tiny Faraday Pharmaceuticals of Seattle launched last year to try what its predecessor Ikaria couldn’t do: Turn the cutting-edge research of founder Mark Roth, a MacArthur Foundation “genius” award winner, into a medical product. Now Faraday, which emerged from stealth and announced a round of funding last year but … Continue reading “With New CEO, Seattle’s Faraday Pharma Aims to Exploit Ikaria Roots”

At Summer’s End, Can Crossover Winds Stay At Biotech’s Back?

For certain parts of the population, “summer” is a verb, and in the U.S., one does it until Labor Day. One more week, then, before sunburned financial types return to their desks and biotech IPO hopefuls hit the road to plead their cases. Whether August’s market volatility continues its stomach-churning ways or recedes in September’s … Continue reading “At Summer’s End, Can Crossover Winds Stay At Biotech’s Back?”

CRISPR Cash: Intellia The Latest Gene-Editing Firm To Nab Big Money

As top scientists head toward a summit later this year to hammer out rules governing the use of gene editing, companies developing one form of the technology, known as CRISPR-Cas9, for human medicine continue to raise cash hand over fist. The latest is Intellia Therapeutics, of Cambridge, MA, which announced today a $70 million round … Continue reading “CRISPR Cash: Intellia The Latest Gene-Editing Firm To Nab Big Money”

With FDA OK, Amgen’s Heart Drug Faces Rival (And Health Budgets)

[Updated and corrected 8/27/15, 7:28pm, see below.] The new race to fight cholesterol is on. For the second time in a month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for people with dangerous levels of cholesterol who aren’t getting enough help from statins, which have long been among the world’s most prescribed … Continue reading “With FDA OK, Amgen’s Heart Drug Faces Rival (And Health Budgets)”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Adaptive, Synthorx, USC v. UCSD, 23andMe

The West Coast, according to the self-aggrandizing myth, is a place of re-invention, non-conformism, un-convention. You see this box, man? Our brains are over here, thinking outside of it. It’s all good. Just ask Don Draper. Sometimes it just leads to a new Coke commercial, at least in Mad Men’s retelling of the tale, but … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Adaptive, Synthorx, USC v. UCSD, 23andMe”

With New Tools, Adaptive Bio Ready To Bolt Together A Drug Business

Like countless biotech companies with platform technologies that have preceded it, Seattle’s Adaptive Biotechnologies aims to be a drug company. Adaptive has made a name for itself by sequencing the cells of the human immune system. That’s no easy feat, because unlike other cells in the body, certain immune cells shuffle their DNA to help … Continue reading “With New Tools, Adaptive Bio Ready To Bolt Together A Drug Business”

Veracyte Names New CMO As It Builds Out Lung Diagnostic Business

Diagnostics firm Veracyte (NADSAQ: [[ticker:VCYT]]) has named Neil Barth as its new chief medical officer. Barth founded an oncology clinic in Orange County, CA, and has served previously as CMO of the diagnostic companies Agendia and Ambry Genetics. The new hire comes as South San Francisco, CA-based Veracyte tries to build momentum for its Percepta … Continue reading “Veracyte Names New CMO As It Builds Out Lung Diagnostic Business”

100 Years But Only One Drug: Sickle Cell Patients Wait For Help

Last week, 100,000 Americans with sickle cell disease and millions more around the world got encouraging news. Investors gave a vote of confidence, in the form of a $120 million IPO, to Global Blood Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GBT]]), a four-year-old biotech working on a pill that could become the biggest medical advance ever for the disease. … Continue reading “100 Years But Only One Drug: Sickle Cell Patients Wait For Help”

Ex-Adaptive CFO Schorno Resurfaces Quickly At 23andMe

Dean Schorno has joined 23andMe, a genetic information company with drug development aspirations, as its chief financial officer and head of operations. Schorno was previously at Seattle’s Adaptive Biotechnologies for a year and before that at Bay Area diagnostics company Genomic Health. Adaptive said last week that Chad Cohen would replace Schorno as CFO.

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Global Blood, Invitae, GeneWEAVE, Adynxx

Before the arrival of the summer doldrums, Global Blood Therapeutics managed to go public, although “managed” probably isn’t the right word for a debut that beat pre-IPO targets and then doubled its price the first day on the Nasdaq. It’s a big vote of confidence in the South San Francisco, CA-based company, whose lead drug … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Global Blood, Invitae, GeneWEAVE, Adynxx”

Global Blood Thera Nabs $120M IPO, Doubles Share Price On First Day

[Updated with first-day trading information, 1pm, 8/12/15.] The biotech bull run rolls on. Halfway through its first day of trading Wednesday, Global Blood Therapeutics has nearly doubled its share price, which for now makes the four-year-old company worth more than $1 billion. The firm sold 6 million shares at $20 each to raise $120 million … Continue reading “Global Blood Thera Nabs $120M IPO, Doubles Share Price On First Day”

Flush With Cash, Adaptive Biotech Hires Former Zillow CFO

Three months after raising $195 million, Seattle’s Adaptive Biotechnologies has a new chief financial officer to manage all that cash. The company said Monday it has hired Chad Cohen, the former CFO of real estate information firm Zillow Group, also based in Seattle. Cohen joined Adaptive’s board in March. Adaptive specializes in sequencing the cells … Continue reading “Flush With Cash, Adaptive Biotech Hires Former Zillow CFO”

In Tough Diagnostics World, Will Ruling Out Cancer Be Good Business?

The high cost of cancer treatments is a huge topic of conversation these days. One way to trim those costs is to not give treatments to people who don’t need them. That sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s a knotty problem, and it’s at the heart of the current debate over the nationwide practice of … Continue reading “In Tough Diagnostics World, Will Ruling Out Cancer Be Good Business?”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Hutch, Gilead, Soon-Shiong IPO & More

After a week off, the roundup is back. Up in Seattle, comments that the president of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center made a month ago raised some fresh hackles. In San Francisco, Gilead Sciences raised the roof with its quarterly earnings, Foresite Capital raised $450 million, and the Gladstone Institutes raised a much smaller … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Hutch, Gilead, Soon-Shiong IPO & More”

Radius Health Hires Ex-GSK Lorraine Fitzpatrick as CMO

Radius Health (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RDUS]]) of Waltham, MA, a developer of treatments for osteoporosis and cancer, said today it has brought Lorraine Fitzpatrick on board as chief medical officer. Fitzpatrick previously was with GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]) and Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]). Fitzpatrick joins an executive team that went through a tremendous amount of churn in late 2013 and … Continue reading “Radius Health Hires Ex-GSK Lorraine Fitzpatrick as CMO”

Hear This: Dolby Family Puts More Cash Into Alzheimer Alternatives

[Updated, 7/27/15, 7:35pm. See below.] After a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, audio engineering pioneer Ray Dolby died in 2013. Now his family is using the fortune he left behind to help find treatments that take a different tack than much of the work in the field to date. Through both venture and philanthropy, the family … Continue reading “Hear This: Dolby Family Puts More Cash Into Alzheimer Alternatives”

FDA OKs Cholesterol Fighter Praluent For More Patients Than Expected

The FDA has approved alirocumab (Praluent), a drug that gives people who aren’t helped enough by statins a new option to lower their cholesterol and fight heart disease. How many people might that be, however, is a subject of intense scrutiny, as the FDA seems to have given doctors wide discretion in prescribing the drug. … Continue reading “FDA OKs Cholesterol Fighter Praluent For More Patients Than Expected”

With $22M Shot of Venture, Sutro Spinout Aims For Better Vaccines

[Corrected 7/27/15, 1.49pm. See below.] Spun out of its namesake two years ago, vaccine maker SutroVax has reeled in a $22 million Series A round to push forward a type of vaccine that uses sophisticated chemistry to boost its power. SutroVax came from South San Francisco, CA-based Sutro Biopharma, which has developed technology to stitch … Continue reading “With $22M Shot of Venture, Sutro Spinout Aims For Better Vaccines”

Well-Funded Denali Adds CMO Carole Ho, Another Genentech Alum

Denali Therapeutics has named Carole Ho as its chief medical officer and head of development. Ho becomes the latest ex-Genentech executive to join the neuroscience startup, which launched in May with $217 million in backing. Ho, who was previously vice president of early clinical development at Genentech, joins at least three other alums at Denali, … Continue reading “Well-Funded Denali Adds CMO Carole Ho, Another Genentech Alum”

In Biotech, Everyone’s Going Public. What’s Your Excuse?

Biotechs everywhere are going public these days. You might have heard. Approaching the traditional market lull in August, we’re up to nearly 40 life science IPOs in 2015, by my own count, with plenty more lined up. That’s more than half way to last year’s mark and already past the 2013 total. I weighed in … Continue reading “In Biotech, Everyone’s Going Public. What’s Your Excuse?”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Receptos, ProNAi, Protagonist & More

Once again, the big West Coast news of the week came from an East Coast company, Celgene, making it rain. (That’s a figure of speech, unfortunately. Out here, rain would be about as welcome as a cure for cancer these days.) Tuesday, Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) said it would pay $7 billion-plus to scoop up San … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Receptos, ProNAi, Protagonist & More”

Protagonist Nabs $40M, Eyes 1st Trial Of Oral Peptide In Gut Disease

Protagonist Therapeutics thinks it has solved a biological riddle, and several investors are shelling out $40 million to help test the company’s solution in humans for the first time before the end of 2015. If that first trial goes well, Protagonist’s investors might start dreaming of a big payoff. The drug being tested is in … Continue reading “Protagonist Nabs $40M, Eyes 1st Trial Of Oral Peptide In Gut Disease”

With $36M Funding, Arivale Walks Line To Push Wellness Business

They employ doctors, prescribe tests, and for $2,000 a year they’ll help you keep on top of your health, but they don’t diagnose illnesses. That’s the line new Seattle health startup Arivale wants to walk in providing “wellness” help to its customers—who, Arivale officials stress, are “participants,” not patients. “We aspire to help people optimize … Continue reading “With $36M Funding, Arivale Walks Line To Push Wellness Business”

West Coast Bio Roundup: Cowboys, UCSD v. USC, Global Blood & More

[Corrected, 7/13/15, 12.33pm. See below.] How often does one of our roundups feature a real roundup? In my In Translation column this week, I profiled San Francisco Bay Area neuroscientist Ted Yednock, who is taking on the desert to rehabilitate a cattle ranch in central Nevada (above). He and his partner are also taking on … Continue reading “West Coast Bio Roundup: Cowboys, UCSD v. USC, Global Blood & More”

21st Century Cures Act Passes House, Now Must Navigate Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives took a big step this morning toward major changes in the federal government’s relationship to biomedical research, funding, and regulation. The chamber passed the 21st Century Cures Act, a bill championed early on by a Democrat and a Republican, by a vote of 344-77, an astonishing percentage in this age … Continue reading “21st Century Cures Act Passes House, Now Must Navigate Senate”

After Celgene Deal, Juno Revs Armored CAR For Ovarian Cancer Trial

Juno Therapeutics has built remarkable momentum—including last week’s much-dissected $1 billion deal with Celgene—upon early success treating leukemia and lymphoma patients with a first generation of experimental T cell therapies developed by its academic partners. Now, with one of those partners, Seattle-based Juno (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JUNO]]) is about to start another landmark trial: The first test … Continue reading “After Celgene Deal, Juno Revs Armored CAR For Ovarian Cancer Trial”

Tackling Sickle Cell, Global Blood Therapeutics Joins IPO Queue

With an important clinical trial underway, South San Francisco, CA-based Global Blood Therapeutics hopes to join the ranks of public biotech companies. It has filed for an IPO worth as much as $115 million, although that target could change as an offering draws closer. The news comes six months after the firm said it raised … Continue reading “Tackling Sickle Cell, Global Blood Therapeutics Joins IPO Queue”

For Biotech Cowboys, It’s No Ride Into The Sunset

[Corrected 7/8/15, 3:48pm. See below.] Some people who’ve made it big in biotech drive fast cars. Some take outlandish vacations. Some don’t take any vacations at all. (I’m sure you know the type.) But for a few San Francisco Bay Area biotech veterans, the reward for a long, successful career is the chance to swap … Continue reading “For Biotech Cowboys, It’s No Ride Into The Sunset”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Juno, UCSD v. USC, Natera, LSDF & More

It was a short work week leading up to the 4th of July, but it was long on news out West. There were plenty of fireworks of the legal, political, and financial variety, with an academic lawsuit in Southern California, a legislative defeat for the Washington state life sciences community, a big Bay Area IPO, … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Juno, UCSD v. USC, Natera, LSDF & More”

Ex-Genzyme Chief Henri Termeer Signs On As Sarepta Advisor

Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]) of Cambridge, MA, has hired former Genzyme head Henri Termeer as an advisor as the company waits for word from FDA about its Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment eteplirsen. As Xconomy reported Monday, Sarepta has asked the agency to start its final review of eteplirsen and decide whether the drug should come … Continue reading “Ex-Genzyme Chief Henri Termeer Signs On As Sarepta Advisor”

Celgene To Pay $1B For A Big Piece of Juno and T Cell Therapies

[Updated 6/29/15 7:00 pm. See below.] It seemed only a matter of time. One of biotech’s most aggressive deal makers, Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) has struck a wide-ranging, billion-dollar partnership with one of biotech’s highest-profile drug makers, Juno Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JUNO]]), whose T cell therapies are part of a wave of products that could transform the … Continue reading “Celgene To Pay $1B For A Big Piece of Juno and T Cell Therapies”

BioMarin, Sarepta Update Positions In Race To Produce DMD Drug

The race to produce a drug to treat and perhaps cure one version of the rare Duchenne muscular dystrophy remains neck and neck. The entrants, BioMarin Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BMRN]]) and Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]), both had updates this morning in their final push to have their drugs approved by the FDA. BioMarin is a few … Continue reading “BioMarin, Sarepta Update Positions In Race To Produce DMD Drug”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Bock, Celladon, Arivale, Conkwest & More

It was a big week across the nation for Xconomy’s biotech coverage. We launched Exome, a redesigned site with more stories, livelier graphics, and other features to give readers a more comprehensive snapshot of the day’s health, biotech, and life sciences news. We’ve had great feedback from readers so far; please keep it coming. If … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Bock, Celladon, Arivale, Conkwest & More”

Bon Appetit: Seres And Its Microbiome Gut Treatment Notch $134M IPO

In the first big test of public investor appetite for the human microbiome, Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MCRB]]) has priced shares tonight for its initial public offering at $18 each. The Cambridge, MA-based developer of bacteria-based treatments for serious gastrointestinal ailments sold 7.43 million shares to gross nearly $134 million. That sum is one-third more than … Continue reading “Bon Appetit: Seres And Its Microbiome Gut Treatment Notch $134M IPO”

On Eve of Seres IPO, A Rival Nonprofit Microbiome Treatment Expands

If you’re an investor anticipating the potential $100 million-plus IPO of microbiome company Seres Therapeutics, your wait should be over before the weekend comes. If you’re a patient with a terrible bacterial infection in your gut anticipating Seres’ lead product, you’ll probably have to wait at least a couple more years. But that doesn’t mean … Continue reading “On Eve of Seres IPO, A Rival Nonprofit Microbiome Treatment Expands”

Introducing Exome, Xconomy’s New Home For Biotech and Health Coverage

By now you’ve had a day or two to meet Exome, Xconomy’s new place for all things life sciences, health, and biotech, which launched Monday. Let me amend that. Some things are new, which I’ll get to in a moment, but some things remain the same: the reporting and analysis you expect from me, Ben … Continue reading “Introducing Exome, Xconomy’s New Home For Biotech and Health Coverage”

Welcome To The Sharing Economy. Cancer Researchers Are Next.

We’re sharing everything these days. Rides. Spare rooms. Pictures of things wrapped in bacon. Our thoughts, 24 hours a day. Next up: Cancer data? It can’t come soon enough for Charles Sawyers. Sawyers is one of the world’s most decorated cancer researchers, and his long resumé includes crucial work that helped make imatinib (Gleevec) one … Continue reading “Welcome To The Sharing Economy. Cancer Researchers Are Next.”

Lee Hood’s “100K” Long-Term Health Study Spins Out Startup

[UPDATED: 6/19/15, 3:53pm. See below.] There are several long-term studies taking place around the world to track the health of large groups of people. One in Seattle called the 100K Wellness Project is spinning out a new company called Arivale with a caffeinated jolt of local investment cash. The 100K is being run by the … Continue reading “Lee Hood’s “100K” Long-Term Health Study Spins Out Startup”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Avalanche, CytomX, BioMarin, Dubs & More

We’re in a Golden State of mind this week, and we’ll splash down with several items from beyond the arc in Northern California, home of the new NBA champions. Gene therapy developer Avalanche Biotechnologies tried to take it to the rack with important Phase 2a data, but investors rejected the shot with emphasis. CytomX Therapeutics … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Avalanche, CytomX, BioMarin, Dubs & More”

Shifting to Cancer Immunotherapy, CytomX Bags $70M In Crossover Cash

[Corrected 6/17/15, 12:30pm. See below.] CytomX Therapeutics is crossing over in more ways than one. With the help of investors who typically make bets on the public side of the market, the private biotech has reeled in a $70 million Series D financing. These so-called “crossover” investors are often a sign that a biotech is … Continue reading “Shifting to Cancer Immunotherapy, CytomX Bags $70M In Crossover Cash”

Joining The “Big Data Party,” Fred Hutch Hires Broad’s Top Techie

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle said today it has hired a new chief information officer, Matthew Trunnell, as the biomedical institution moves into an era of deep genomic sequencing and other information-heavy approaches to help find new, targeted treatments for cancer and other diseases. A new president and director, D. Gary Gilliland, … Continue reading “Joining The “Big Data Party,” Fred Hutch Hires Broad’s Top Techie”

Avalon Debuts Three More Tiny Biotechs In Risk-Share Deal With GSK

We fly, you buy. That’s been the formula for the Avalon Ventures-GlaxoSmithKline biotech collaboration, with Avalon scouting for ideas around the country and GSK bankrolling them into startups that it can ultimately acquire. Avalon announced three more tiny startups today to bring the total so far to six. Today’s debuts are Adrenergics, going after treatments … Continue reading “Avalon Debuts Three More Tiny Biotechs In Risk-Share Deal With GSK”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: PCSK9, Amgen, SeaGen, Twist, Serenus

The biggest West Coast news happened near the nation’s capital this week. Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) of Thousand Oaks, CA, saw its next-generation anti-cholesterol drug evolocumab (Repatha) get a thumbs-up, with caveats, from an FDA advisory panel. Next comes the agency’s decision later this summer whether to approve the drug, and for which patients. The panel … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: PCSK9, Amgen, SeaGen, Twist, Serenus”

Rare Heart Disease Advocate: “I’m More Relieved Than I’ve Ever Been”

[Corrected 6/10/15, 10:14pm. See below.] Katherine Wilemon had a celebratory glass of wine a couple hours ago, which some say is good for the heart. Even better for Wilemon, however, is the reason she’s celebrating: In a two-day discussion about two new drugs aimed at high cholesterol, a panel of outside advisors recommended that the FDA … Continue reading “Rare Heart Disease Advocate: “I’m More Relieved Than I’ve Ever Been””