The FDA has just made brexanolone (Zulresso) the first medicine approved specifically for post-partum depression, a potentially devastating disorder that afflicts roughly one in every seven new mothers in the U.S., according to the American Psychological Association. Now the drug’s owner, Sage Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SAGE]]), of Cambridge, MA, must convince doctors to prescribe and new … Continue reading “FDA OKs Depression Drug For New Moms: Fast Relief But Tough to Take”
Category: Boston
Magnitude Software Takes $179M from Private Equity Firm 3i Group
Austin—[Updated 10:10 a.m. See below.] Magnitude Software is selling a $179 million stake in the company to London-based private equity firm 3i Group. Chris Ney, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Magnitude, is investing alongside 3i, the company announced. The company didn’t say whether the PE firm’s investment gave it a controlling interest. Magnitude said … Continue reading “Magnitude Software Takes $179M from Private Equity Firm 3i Group”
Flipside Crypto Grading Scheme Expands to CoinMarketCap, Others
Flipside Crypto, a Boston startup developing analytics for cryptocurrencies, has landed its main metric onto CoinMarketCap and other financial websites including MarketWatch, TheStreet and Stocktwits, the company says. Founded in 2017, Flipside says its Fundamental Crypto Asset Score—FCAS for short—rates the health of blockchain-enabled currencies on a 1,000-point scale based on transaction data and the … Continue reading “Flipside Crypto Grading Scheme Expands to CoinMarketCap, Others”
Paratek Pharma’s CFO Pagán to Leave for Job at an Early-Stage Biotech
Douglas Pagán, chief financial officer of Paratek Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PRTK]]) since 2017, is resigning to take a role at an undisclosed early-stage biopharmaceutical company. Boston-based Paratek said Monday that Pagán’s last day will be April 5. He has entered into a consulting agreement through Dec. 23 to help with the transition of his responsibilities and … Continue reading “Paratek Pharma’s CFO Pagán to Leave for Job at an Early-Stage Biotech”
The Role of the Student Engineer in Medicine and Innovation
The last 50 years have seen many great technical advances in medical treatments, ranging from drug delivery and imaging to skin grafts and prosthetics. These advances—both large and small—have drawn on many fields and have transformed patient care. When examining the current state of clinical technology, the focus is naturally on the technology and its … Continue reading “The Role of the Student Engineer in Medicine and Innovation”
JLabs’ Luby Takes the Reins at TMC Innovation Institute in Houston
Houston—Tom Luby, the head of JLabs in Houston, has been named the new director of the Texas Medical Center’s Innovation Institute, the center announced Monday morning. Luby takes over the innovation institute three months after former director Erik Halvorsen left the role. Luby is already a known presence around the TMC innovation building thanks to … Continue reading “JLabs’ Luby Takes the Reins at TMC Innovation Institute in Houston”
Bio Roundup: Golumbeski’s Legacy, CRISPR Moratorium, Rebate Week & More
While all eyes in the biopharmaceutical world are currently trained on Bristol-Myers Squibb’s proposal to buy Celgene for $74 billion, it wasn’t that long ago that another company’s gaze was fixed on the Summit, NJ, drug maker. In the early 2000s, before the FDA approved Celgene’s flagship multiple myeloma drug lenalidomide (Revlimid), Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]] … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Golumbeski’s Legacy, CRISPR Moratorium, Rebate Week & More”
Boston Tech Watch: Dill the Pickle Robot, Via Separations & More
There’s robotics news, clinical research companies raising cash, and plenty of early-stage venture capital money moving in the Boston technology world this week. Read on for more: —Via Separations, a startup developing energy-efficient filtration technology, has raised $4.8 million in a Series A funding round. Safar led the round, which saw participation from PRIME Impact … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Dill the Pickle Robot, Via Separations & More”
Keen, a San Antonio SaaS Startup Owned by Scaleworks, Hires New CEO
San Antonio—Ben Kuhn has been promoted to become the CEO of Keen, a San Antonio startup that helps software developers with custom application programming interfaces for data collection and analytics. Kuhn was hired as the general manager of Keen in 2018, having previously worked at healthcare companies DaVita and Genentech. Most recently, he co-founded another … Continue reading “Keen, a San Antonio SaaS Startup Owned by Scaleworks, Hires New CEO”
C4 Therapeutics Taps NIBR’s Crystal for Chief Medical Officer Post
Adam Crystal has been appointed chief medical officer of C4 Therapeutics. Crystal comes to the Watertown, MA-based biotech from the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), where he led several oncology programs. Before working at NIBR, Crystal was a medical oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. C4 is developing drugs that treat disease through protein degradation, … Continue reading “C4 Therapeutics Taps NIBR’s Crystal for Chief Medical Officer Post”
Gene Therapy Boom, Cracking Alzheimer’s: What’s Hot on May 21
Our annual half-day life sciences variety show, “What’s Hot in Biotech,” is back. Join Xconomy on May 21 at Bristol-Myers Squibb’s brand new offices in Kendall Square for a series of candid discussions, in a variety of formats, on some of the topics that will shape the healthcare landscape of tomorrow—from the volatile macro-environment to … Continue reading “Gene Therapy Boom, Cracking Alzheimer’s: What’s Hot on May 21”
Nerissa Kreher Leaves Avrobio for Tiburio Chief Medical Officer Post
Tiburio Therapeutics has appointed Nerissa Kreher to the newly created position of chief medical officer. Kreher held that post at her previous company, Avrobio (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVRO]]). Her experience also includes positions at Shire, Zafgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZFGN]]), and Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALXN]]). In January, Tibiurio launched from biotech accelerator Cydan, backed by $31 million in funding. … Continue reading “Nerissa Kreher Leaves Avrobio for Tiburio Chief Medical Officer Post”
X4 Completes Reverse Merger with Arsanis, Looks Ahead to Phase 3 Test
X4 Pharmaceuticals is the latest biotech to join the public markets, but it didn’t follow the IPO path to get there. Cambridge, MA-based X4 said Wednesday that it completed its “reverse merger” with Arsanis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ASNS]]). Such business combinations enable a privately held company to go public by merging with a publicly traded business. Shares … Continue reading “X4 Completes Reverse Merger with Arsanis, Looks Ahead to Phase 3 Test”
Nominations Are Open for the 2019 Xconomy Awards in Boston
John Maraganore, CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals; Penny Heaton, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute; digital health leader Pear Therapeutics; and renowned women-in-science advocate and MIT professor emerita Nancy Hopkins. These outstanding leaders were among the winners of the 2018 Xconomy Awards, which celebrate the top people, companies, and organizations in Boston … Continue reading “Nominations Are Open for the 2019 Xconomy Awards in Boston”
Clinical Analytics Platform TriNetX Raises $40M to Speed Drug Trials
TriNetX, a Cambridge, MA, developer of data analytics software for clinical research, has raised $40 million in a Series D funding round led by Merck’s corporate venture capital fund, the company said. The company’s analytics platform helps pharma companies detail the many aspects of a clinical trial—from choosing hospital locations with adequate populations of patients … Continue reading “Clinical Analytics Platform TriNetX Raises $40M to Speed Drug Trials”
The Investments Cisco, Samsung, Toyota, and Chevron Are Making in AI
Austin—If you’re a startup talking up your artificial intelligence chops in your venture capital pitch, you’re not alone. For Cisco Investments, the venture arm of tech giant Cisco, artificial intelligence is no longer one of the key trends to watch for during pitches in 2019. That’s according to Noah Yago, a director at Cisco Investments, … Continue reading “The Investments Cisco, Samsung, Toyota, and Chevron Are Making in AI”
Drug-Price Watchdog ICER Dives into Trump-Fueled Pharma Rebate Debate
[Updated 3/13/19, 12:20pm. See below.] With public and political winds blowing in the same direction, significant reform of the complicated U.S. drug-pricing system seems ever more likely. One part of the system that the Trump administration wants to overhaul are the secret rebates that drug makers, insurers, and middlemen negotiate behind closed doors. Replacements for … Continue reading “Drug-Price Watchdog ICER Dives into Trump-Fueled Pharma Rebate Debate”
Jibo’s Last Dance, and the Social Robot’s Hope for the Afterlife
Last summer, dozens of former Jibo employees returned to the defunct company’s Boston offices for a long weekend of pizza, beer, and brainstorming. The task: How do you teach the company’s “social robot” to say goodbye? Rich Sadowsky, Jibo’s former head of security and privacy, had helped organize the volunteer group over a Jibo alumni … Continue reading “Jibo’s Last Dance, and the Social Robot’s Hope for the Afterlife”
The Life, Troubles, and Celgene Legacy of Deal Guru George Golumbeski
George Golumbeski is one of the most prolific dealmakers in the biopharmaceutical world. But the deal that changed his life is a pact he made with himself when he was ten years old. Playing with friends in front of his house in Hampton, VA, he watched his mother drag his dead-drunk father, a U.S. Air … Continue reading “The Life, Troubles, and Celgene Legacy of Deal Guru George Golumbeski”
FDA Clears Way for AquaBounty to Raise Salmon in America’s Heartland
It’s been more than three years since the FDA approved salmon from AquaBounty Technologies, but debates about labels and other requirements have kept the genetically engineered fish from reaching dining plates. On Friday, the FDA removed the last regulatory hurdle standing in the company’s way. The FDA lifted an “import alert,” a rule that kept … Continue reading “FDA Clears Way for AquaBounty to Raise Salmon in America’s Heartland”
Bio Roundup: Gottlieb Exits, Bristol Defends, Biogen Buys & More
In early 2017, Scott Gottlieb was considered the most moderate of the potential candidates to head the Food and Drug Administration, which is the most powerful regulator of medical products in the world. It wasn’t a high bar to clear. Libertarians who had questioned some of the basic premises of the FDA were in the … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Gottlieb Exits, Bristol Defends, Biogen Buys & More”
Boston Tech Watch: .406, Circle, Haven, Shift, LinkSquares & More
The Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan-led healthcare moonshot has a name. The venture capital dollars continued to roll in for A.I. startups. The Akamai-Janrain deal was pegged at $125 million. And a local VC firm is reloading for a new fund. Read on for more of this week’s Boston technology and innovation news. —Shift Technology, … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: .406, Circle, Haven, Shift, LinkSquares & More”
Bright Cellars Uncorks $8.5M Round for Wine Subscription Service
A few years ago, the frothiest market in tech was arguably startups selling subscriptions to boxes of curated goods, such as clothing, beauty products, and food, which would arrive on customers’ doorsteps each month. The buzz around this area of e-commerce may have subsided a bit, but there are still a ton of box subscription … Continue reading “Bright Cellars Uncorks $8.5M Round for Wine Subscription Service”
Steering Lyft’s IPO: What Investors Will Weigh During the Roadshow
Much has been said about Lyft’s early lead over Uber in the “horserace” to become the first ride-hailing app company to go public. But now that San Francisco-based Lyft has filed its 276-page IPO prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, potential investors can focus on much more detailed considerations as they decide whether … Continue reading “Steering Lyft’s IPO: What Investors Will Weigh During the Roadshow”
Net@50: The Roots and Future of the Internet
The first message was sent over Arpanet, the precursor to the Internet, in October 1969. Now, a half-century later, the Net has changed the world—enabling unprecedented communication, widespread access to education and ideas, and a range of services that have improved business and quality of life for billions. That same technology platform, though, is increasingly … Continue reading “Net@50: The Roots and Future of the Internet”
Sunovion Pharma Promotes Antony Loebel to President & CEO
Antony Loebel, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, has been promoted to CEO of the Marlborough, MA, company. Sunovion is a subsidiary of Japan-based Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Group. Loebel is also head of global clinical development for Sumitomo. He will start his new role at Sunovion on April 1, succeeding Nobuhiko … Continue reading “Sunovion Pharma Promotes Antony Loebel to President & CEO”
Al Gore: Coming Tech Revolution Could Take More Jobs Than It Makes
Al Gore may just be on the side of the Luddites. Yes, that’s the radical faction of British textile workers at the onset of the Industrial Revolution who broke into factories to smash the new machines that they feared would someday put them out of work. But no, Gore is not yet raging against the … Continue reading “Al Gore: Coming Tech Revolution Could Take More Jobs Than It Makes”
Intel Reveals Ideas on Promoting AI in U.S. as Chinese Growth Looms
Even as the executive order President Trump issued last month on artificial intelligence furthered the conversation about a developing national strategy for the sector, it was met with certain criticism. A common complaint was that the plan won’t implement itself. “The administration’s American AI Initiative includes all of the right elements; the critical test will … Continue reading “Intel Reveals Ideas on Promoting AI in U.S. as Chinese Growth Looms”
Xconomy Awards Boston
The annual Xconomy Awards Boston honors the top people, companies, and organizations that make the Boston life sciences ecosystem one of the most vibrant and innovative in the world. An esteemed panel of judges will help pick the winners. Please join us at the Awards Gala on September 12, 2019, to find out the winners. … Continue reading “Xconomy Awards Boston”
Joining AI Drug Discovery Race, Erasca Adds $22M For Cancer Work
Erasca, a biotech startup run by the former CEO of Ignyta, debuted in December with $42 million and an audacious plan to “erase cancer,” but provided little explanation as to how. Erasca is still keeping many of those details under wraps. But Jonathan Lim, the company’s co-founder and executive chairman, this week outlined, at least … Continue reading “Joining AI Drug Discovery Race, Erasca Adds $22M For Cancer Work”
Blue Squad Aims to Bring Election Tech Up and Down the Ballot
Austin—All politics is local, the adage goes, and those campaigns are sorely stuck in analog mode. That’s why Shion Deysarkar co-founded Blue Squad two years ago as a “digital coalition” to support progressive candidates by providing them with greater access to accurate voter data. Now, Blue Squad is more formally launching as a political tech startup … Continue reading “Blue Squad Aims to Bring Election Tech Up and Down the Ballot”
Vertex Faces Choice After Second CF Drug Combo Succeeds in Phase 3
An experimental Vertex Pharmaceuticals cystic fibrosis treatment that combines three of the company’s drugs has hit the main goals of two late-stage studies. It’s the second cystic fibrosis (CF) three-drug cocktail from Boston-based Vertex that has succeeded in two Phase 3 studies. With positive results for both drug combos, the company now must choose which … Continue reading “Vertex Faces Choice After Second CF Drug Combo Succeeds in Phase 3”
Data in Hand, Alnylam to Seek OK for Second RNAi Drug
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals this morning released new data that it believes to be good enough to bring the second-ever RNA interference medicine to market, a treatment for a potentially deadly, rare genetic disease called acute hepatic porphyria. Alnylam’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) experimental drug givosiran met its main goal in a 94-patient Phase 3 study called Envision. The … Continue reading “Data in Hand, Alnylam to Seek OK for Second RNAi Drug”
Beam Brings In $135M to Turn CRISPR Base Editing into Drugs
Beam Therapeutics made a splash last year when it launched with $87 million to develop medicines that use a more precise form of CRISPR editing. Beam’s promise of CRISPR-based therapeutics that swap out specific bases or “letters” in the genome—something the current generation of CRISPR-based drugs can’t do—has been so enticing to investors that now … Continue reading “Beam Brings In $135M to Turn CRISPR Base Editing into Drugs”
A Glimpse of A.I.’s Future? MIT-IBM Research Lab Sees Early Progress
The capabilities of artificial intelligence technologies have increased significantly in the past decade, but there’s a growing sense that new breakthroughs are needed for the field to continue delivering on its promise. David Cox and his colleagues have dedicated themselves to identifying and breaking down “the fundamental core barriers” to advancing A.I., he says. In … Continue reading “A Glimpse of A.I.’s Future? MIT-IBM Research Lab Sees Early Progress”
Two Years and Done: FDA Commissioner Gottlieb To Resign
Two months after insisting on Twitter that he wasn’t going anywhere, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced his resignation today. He leaves a record of health and medical regulation that was more active than critics who spoke out against his nomination in early 2017 might have expected. Gottlieb’s remit extended beyond drugs, of … Continue reading “Two Years and Done: FDA Commissioner Gottlieb To Resign”
Tasso Gets $6M For Device That Lets Users Self-Collect Blood Samples
Tasso, a Seattle-based startup that is developing an at-home blood sample collection device, announced Tuesday it has raised $6.1 million from investors. The new money will support its effort to launch sales of the device, Tasso OnDemand, in the coming months, and to add staff, Tasso says. Vertical Venture Partners, a Silicon Valley-based investment fund, … Continue reading “Tasso Gets $6M For Device That Lets Users Self-Collect Blood Samples”
Deciphera Pharma’s CEO Taylor to Retire, Hoerter Named Successor
Michael Taylor, president and CEO of Deciphera Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DCPH]]) since 2014, is retiring. Starting on March 18, Taylor will move to a six-month role as senior advisor to the company to help with the transition of his responsibilities. He will also retain his seat on the Waltham, MA, company’s board of directors. The company … Continue reading “Deciphera Pharma’s CEO Taylor to Retire, Hoerter Named Successor”
Ex-PepsiCo Exec Mehmood Khan Joins Life Biosciences as CEO
Life Biosciences has appointed Mehmood Khan to serve as its CEO. Khan joins Boston-based Life Bio from PepsiCo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PEP]]), where he was vice chairman and chief scientific officer. His experience also includes time at Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE: [[ticker:TAK]]), where he was president of the Takeda Global Research & Development Center. In January, Life Bio … Continue reading “Ex-PepsiCo Exec Mehmood Khan Joins Life Biosciences as CEO”
Zafgen Taps Biogen Exec Priya Singhal as New R&D Chief
On the heels of positive Phase 2 data for its lead product, an experimental type 2 diabetes treatment, Zafgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZFGN]]) has hired Priya Singhal as head of R&D. Singhal was most recently a senior VP at Biogen. Zafgen is trying to bounce back from the 2016 decision to abandon its then-lead drug candidate beloranib, … Continue reading “Zafgen Taps Biogen Exec Priya Singhal as New R&D Chief”
Retailers Turn to Analytics, 3D Tech to Promote Fit, Reduce Returns
One size fits most (at best), and a women’s sizing system created during the Depression doesn’t gibe in an e-commerce business that prizes personalization. That’s why startups are turning to new technologies like 3D scanning and machine learning software to produce customized clothing that can be made for the masses. “People want to buy a … Continue reading “Retailers Turn to Analytics, 3D Tech to Promote Fit, Reduce Returns”
Cybersecurity on Tap: Agenda for Cyber Madness in Boston April 8
When it comes to cybersecurity, no one has all the answers. The best anyone can do is try to fend off cyber attacks with the latest technology and strategies, learn from their successes and failures, and maybe even share their experiences for the benefit of others. That last point is the goal of “Cyber Madness: … Continue reading “Cybersecurity on Tap: Agenda for Cyber Madness in Boston April 8”
After AGTC Deal Flops, Biogen Bets $800M on Gene Therapy Rival Nightstar
Biogen’s biggest recent foray into gene therapy, an ill-fated pact with AGTC, didn’t pay dividends. So the company this morning agreed to buy a rival, Nightstar Therapeutics, and its portfolio of gene therapies for rare eye diseases, for $800 million. Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) this morning agreed to pay $25.50 per share in cash for Nightstar … Continue reading “After AGTC Deal Flops, Biogen Bets $800M on Gene Therapy Rival Nightstar”
Privacy Watch: FTC, Facebook, EU, the Cloud Act, & More CA bills
Privacy issues continued to boil to the surface in February. In part, it’s a reflection of the long tail of consequences that began in early 2018 when the broader public learned that Facebook had shared data from millions of user profiles with now-shuttered political marketing firm Cambridge Analytica. The consequences of that wider public awareness … Continue reading “Privacy Watch: FTC, Facebook, EU, the Cloud Act, & More CA bills”
SPECIAL REPORT: 2019 Biopharma Outlook – Facing an Uncertain Future
After years of boom times, the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry is dealing with unprecedented threats on several fronts: public backlash against high drug prices, slowing sales, and the possibility of more government regulation. In this Xconomy Special Report, our veteran biotech journalists Alex Lash and Ben Fidler bring you deep insights, based on conversations with key … Continue reading “SPECIAL REPORT: 2019 Biopharma Outlook – Facing an Uncertain Future”
Boston Tech Watch: CoinMetrics, Bedrock Data, Modulate & Jobcase
[Updated 10:30 am. See below.] A handful of Boston-area startups landed seed funding rounds this week, while another tech firm raked in $100 million in growth equity. Two acquisitions also rounded out the week’s tech news. —CoinMetrics, a cryptocurrency market data startup, has raised $1.9 million in seed funding from Castle Island Ventures, Fidelity Investments, … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: CoinMetrics, Bedrock Data, Modulate & Jobcase”
Bio Roundup: Pharma in DC, Bristol-Cel in Trouble, Roche Gets A Spark
Could a shareholder revolt doom the planned marriage of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene? Analysts have hinted at the possibility since the two companies shook hands in January, but the threat became real this week. Bristol (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) and Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) have campaignned heavily, starting with a joint presentation by their CEOs at the J.P. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Pharma in DC, Bristol-Cel in Trouble, Roche Gets A Spark”
What’s Hot in Boston Biotech 2019
Biomedical innovation is moving faster than ever—and yet in 2019, the biopharma industry looks to be in for a bumpy ride. A volatile stock market has slowed biotech’s multi-year bull run, dinging valuations and leaving prospects for future offerings less clear. Mixed signals from the White House have led to even more uncertainty surrounding the … Continue reading “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech 2019”
Ex-Google CEO: New MIT College Could Help Shrink A.I. Talent Gap
Eric Schmidt believes we’re entering an era where artificial intelligence will underpin most facets of human life. But we don’t yet have enough people with the right skills to build that future. Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and former executive chairman of its parent company Alphabet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOGL]]), argues that the A.I. talent shortage … Continue reading “Ex-Google CEO: New MIT College Could Help Shrink A.I. Talent Gap”
7 Tips for Biotech Companies Seeking Capital in a Volatile Market
Last year was a remarkable year for biotech companies going public. Not only did an unusually large number of biotech companies go public, but a significant number of early-stage biotech companies went public at premium valuations relative to their later-clinical stage peers. There were approximately 58 biotech IPOs in 2018 (excluding offerings with under $25 … Continue reading “7 Tips for Biotech Companies Seeking Capital in a Volatile Market”