It’s October: a time of days growing shorter, leaves changing color, and phone calls in the wee hours that rouse scientists from slumber notifying them they’ve won the highest honor in their fields. This week, the 2020 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to Harvey Alter, Michael Alton, and Charles Rice, whose research … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CRISPR Kudos, Bristol Myers’s Buy, RNAi Alliance & More”
Category: Seattle
BIO Launches ‘Biotech Votes’ Campaign to Encourage Registration and Informed Voting
Science is the way out of this pandemic—and scientific breakthroughs are on the ballot on November 3. To help you get ready for Election Day, BIO’s initiative Biotech Votes has resources to help you get registered and get informed. First, make sure you’re registered to vote. Check out this handy form to verify your voter … Continue reading “BIO Launches ‘Biotech Votes’ Campaign to Encourage Registration and Informed Voting”
Bio Roundup: MESO’s Miss, Pfizer’s Cancer Bet, Vaccine Promise & More
Amid the bombast of Tuesday’s presidential debate, viewers caught some discussion about the response to the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. In the crosstalk, the president made an unsupported claim that we are weeks away from having vaccines. It’s true that some pharmaceutical companies are already manufacturing their COVID-19 vaccine candidates … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: MESO’s Miss, Pfizer’s Cancer Bet, Vaccine Promise & More”
Bio Roundup: Grail Acquisition, Libra’s Launch, Tau Trial Results & More
In biotech, you can go home again. Four years ago, Illumina spun out cancer diagnostics startup Grail. This week, the gene sequencing giant announced it is acquiring Grail in an $8 billion cash and stock deal. Grail set out with the goal of developing a diagnostic test that detects cancer from the genetic snippets tumors … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Grail Acquisition, Libra’s Launch, Tau Trial Results & More”
Athira CEO Kawas: Alzheimer’s Drug Aims for “Recovery of Brain Function”
The key to Athira Pharma’s approach to Alzheimer’s disease is already inside each of us: a repair mechanism that can regenerate damaged neurons. What’s needed to begin the process is a pharmacological kickstart. Athira (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHA]]) is developing a drug intended to turn on the repair pathway. The company’s experimental therapy is a small molecule … Continue reading “Athira CEO Kawas: Alzheimer’s Drug Aims for “Recovery of Brain Function””
Xconomy Awards On-Demand ‘Meet the Finalists’ Webcast Series Continues This Week
The 2020 National Xconomy Awards complimentary two-week, 11-part, on-demand Meet the Finalists daily webcast series continues this Tuesday and Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET. Registration is complimentary and includes access to a networking app with already more than 600 life science contacts. The daily series leads up to the Thursday, Sept. 24 free online National Xconomy Awards … Continue reading “Xconomy Awards On-Demand ‘Meet the Finalists’ Webcast Series Continues This Week”
Bio Roundup: SeaGen Scores, Dyne’s Debut, Microbiome Moves & More
Gilead Sciences CEO Daniel O’Day has spoken openly about acquisitions as a way to build up the company’s drug pipeline. This week, it made its biggest buy yet. The $21 billion Immunomedics acquisition brings to Gilead a cancer drug that many analysts project will become a blockbuster seller. Some of those analysts think Gilead might … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: SeaGen Scores, Dyne’s Debut, Microbiome Moves & More”
Moderna CMO Talks COVID-19 Vaccine at the Xcelerate Keynote Series
The Xcelerate Keynote Series has added Moderna CMO Tal Zaks to the expert lineup of speakers set to present next Monday, Sept. 21. As you likely know, Moderna is one of the front-runners in the COVID-19 vaccine race, and we look forward to adding his insight to a packed agenda focused on innovative solutions during … Continue reading “Moderna CMO Talks COVID-19 Vaccine at the Xcelerate Keynote Series”
Seattle Genetics Lands $1.72B From Merck in Pair of Cancer Drug Deals
Seattle Genetics is in line to receive $1.72 billion from Merck via a pair of deals, one for a cancer drug that’s still in development and the other for partial rights to a therapy that won FDA approval earlier this year. The larger of the two deals is for the drug still in clinical development, … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Lands $1.72B From Merck in Pair of Cancer Drug Deals”
Join Xconomy Next Week at the Virtual Xcelerate Keynote Series at Biotech Week Boston
Presented by Xconomy, the online Xcelerate Keynote Series at Biotech Week Boston on Monday, Sept. 21 places a spotlight on life science leaders who are breaking new ground with methods and solutions in R&D, planning, and production that are improving patient outcomes. As the industry navigates uncertainty, the keynote speakers will help drive your business … Continue reading “Join Xconomy Next Week at the Virtual Xcelerate Keynote Series at Biotech Week Boston”
Bio Roundup: COVID-19 Pact, Gavreto Approval, Generative Biology & More
COVID-19 research efforts are often characterized as a race between companies, a description that reflects the urgency to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. The description is not quite right. A race has one winner and public health officials have said we’ll need multiple vaccines to address the global need. Vaccine developers have progressed … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: COVID-19 Pact, Gavreto Approval, Generative Biology & More”
Grifols Moves Deeper Into Proteome R&D With $146M Deal for Alkahest
Alkahest, a company that analyzes blood proteins to develop therapies that address neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, is set to be acquired by partner Grifols in a $146 million deal. Grifols (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GRFS]]) announced Tuesday that it is acquiring the shares of privately held Alkahest that it does not already own. Barcelona, Spain-based Grifols says … Continue reading “Grifols Moves Deeper Into Proteome R&D With $146M Deal for Alkahest”
Bio Roundup: Pharma M&A, AbbVie’s Cancer Bet, Biofourmis Bucks & More
Labor Day is just around the corner and many people are looking forward to a last chance to celebrate the waning days of summer. But ahead of the holiday weekend, biopharmaceutical companies were hard at work closing deals. Food conglomerate Nestlé is delving deeper into pharmaceuticals with its $2.6 billion deal to acquire Aimmune Therapeutics, … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Pharma M&A, AbbVie’s Cancer Bet, Biofourmis Bucks & More”
Lumen Bioscience Lands $16M to Engineer “Edible” Antibody Drugs
If Lumen Bioscience achieves its goals, patients will be able to take its drugs the same way some people supplement breakfast: a spoonful heaped onto a bowl of cereal or mixed into juice. The startup harnesses spirulina, protein-rich cyanobacteria touted by many health enthusiasts as a “superfood.” Lumen CEO Brian Finrow (pictured above, right) acknowledges … Continue reading “Lumen Bioscience Lands $16M to Engineer “Edible” Antibody Drugs”
Early Bird Sale for Xcelerate at Biotech Week Boston Ends This Friday
Don’t miss out on savings for this year’s online Xcelerate Keynote Series at Biotech Week Boston – our early bird sale ends this Friday! Speakers include: Jeff Baker – Deputy Director, Office of Biotechnology Products, FDA Michelle McMurry-Heath – President & CEO, BIO John Maraganore – CEO, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Yvonne Greenstreet – Chief Operating Officer, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Andrew Plump … Continue reading “Early Bird Sale for Xcelerate at Biotech Week Boston Ends This Friday”
Biotech Roundup: FDA Culpa, Tricida Trips, Freenome’s Funding & More
Among the casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic: the credibility of government agencies entrusted with protecting public health. The FDA this week granted emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma as a treatment for infection by the novel coronavirus. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alez Azar both misrepresented the magnitude … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: FDA Culpa, Tricida Trips, Freenome’s Funding & More”
Athira Aims for the Nasdaq to Advance Alzheimer’s Drug to Phase 2 Tests
Many of the drugs tested in Alzheimer’s disease so far, and some still in development, aim to block or break up proteins associated with the progression of the memory-robbing disorder. Athira Pharma is taking a different approach—neuron regeneration. And it’s doing so by a tapping a protein first discovered in the liver. Seattle-based Athira has … Continue reading “Athira Aims for the Nasdaq to Advance Alzheimer’s Drug to Phase 2 Tests”
FDA Adds Plasma as 2nd COVID-19 Treatment Under Emergency Guidelines
The FDA has authorized the use of plasma from people who have recovered from infection by the novel coronavirus as a treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, a move widely perceived as influenced by political pressure given the lack of clear evidence of clinical benefit. Treating patients with plasma—the water, salts, and proteins that make up … Continue reading “FDA Adds Plasma as 2nd COVID-19 Treatment Under Emergency Guidelines”
Bio Roundup: J&J Buyout, BioMarin Rebuffed, Poseida on Hold & More
While business is historically slow in August, this month seems to be bucking the trend, just like so many other unexpected developments in 2020. Perhaps life sciences executives have been less distracted by summer excursions this year in a world in which the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly curtailed travel. This week two pharmaceutical companies announced … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: J&J Buyout, BioMarin Rebuffed, Poseida on Hold & More”
Bio Roundup: Seres Soars, MesoBlast Vote, Duchenne Decision & More
The road of drug development is rife with detours and disappointments but Seres Therapeutics showed this week that course corrections can work. Four years after its microbiome therapy failed in a mid-stage study, the company reported early positive data from a pivotal test of its treatment for a type of gut infection. The results are … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Seres Soars, MesoBlast Vote, Duchenne Decision & More”
Bio Roundup: A Telehealth Combo, FDA’s BCMA OK, Biogen’s Bet & More
The novel coronavirus has driven the pharmaceutical industry to upend its research priorities. Big Pharma companies are focusing on vaccine development and a slew of biotechs are testing compounds, previously intended for a wide range of indications, as potential COVID-19 treatments. This week saw another major development brought on by industry efforts to adjust to … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: A Telehealth Combo, FDA’s BCMA OK, Biogen’s Bet & More”
GlaxoSmithKline Multiple Myeloma Drug Earns FDA’s First Anti-BCMA Nod
Patients with advanced multiple myeloma have a new treatment option with the FDA’s approval of a GlaxoSmithKline drug that targets B-cell maturation antigen, a protein found on the surface of cancerous plasma cells. The agency OK’d the London-based pharma giant’s cancer drug, belantamab mafodotin (Blenrep), based on the results of a study in which patients … Continue reading “GlaxoSmithKline Multiple Myeloma Drug Earns FDA’s First Anti-BCMA Nod”
GentiBio Joins Cell Therapy Chase With $20M and New Treg Technology
One of the challenges facing cell therapy developers is collecting enough cells to produce a viable treatment. It’s a particularly pronounced problem for therapies employing regulatory T cells (Tregs), a type of immune cell that’s relatively scarce in the blood, says GentiBio CEO Adel Nada. Some biotech companies are developing Treg cell therapies from a … Continue reading “GentiBio Joins Cell Therapy Chase With $20M and New Treg Technology”
Bio Roundup: Cerevel’s Shell, Thrive’s Rise, Drug Price Drama & More
The biotech IPO market is buzzing but Cerevel Therapeutics is showing that there’s more than one path to the public markets. This week the neuroscience drug developer reached a deal to merge with publicly traded Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp II. If you’ve never heard of Arya (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARYBU]]), it’s a shell company that Perceptive Advisors … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Cerevel’s Shell, Thrive’s Rise, Drug Price Drama & More”
Bio Roundup: Jazz Drug OK’d, Gilead’s Bet, Moderna Patent Decision & More
EQRx launched in January during the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference with an audacious pledge to create 10 new drugs in as many years and then sell them at “dramatically” lower prices than existing medicines. But it offered few specifics about how it would achieve those goals. This week, drug licensing deals it made with two … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Jazz Drug OK’d, Gilead’s Bet, Moderna Patent Decision & More”
Bio Roundup: Moderna Publishes, Life Science Cash, AdComm Votes & More
If it seems like biotech investments have defied the financial headwinds of the pandemic, maybe it’s because they have. In the second quarter, 16 of the top 25 largest early-stage venture capital deals were investments in life science companies. The figures come from the National Venture Capital Association and financial research firm Pitchbook. This week … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Moderna Publishes, Life Science Cash, AdComm Votes & More”
Last Chance for Xconomy Awards Nominations – Deadline is Friday, July 17
Have you had your say yet? The 2020 National Xconomy Awards represent the very best our life science industry has to offer. It is our privilege to recognize emerging companies and technologies, highlight groundbreaking business collaborations and strategies, celebrate corporate responsibility and diversity, and promote the innovation that delivers new therapeutics and better health to all. Finalists … Continue reading “Last Chance for Xconomy Awards Nominations – Deadline is Friday, July 17”
Bio Roundup: Blackstone’s Billions, Biogen Finishes Filing, Novavax at “Warp Speed” & More
Cash flowed throughout the life sciences ecosystem this week as Blackstone (NYSE: [[ticker:BX]]) raised a record-setting life sciences fund, companies of all stages announced new financings, and money continued to find its way to those working on efforts to treat or prevent COVID-19. Financiers poured $100 million or more into at least three biotechs, a … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Blackstone’s Billions, Biogen Finishes Filing, Novavax at “Warp Speed” & More”
VelosBio Tacks on $137M to Advance Its ROR1-Targeting Cancer Antibody Drugs
Dave Johnson has known UC San Diego physician and cancer reseacher Thomas Kipps for nearly 20 years. Now Johnson, CEO of San Diego-based cancer drug developer VelosBio, has secured $137 million to accelerate the company’s goal of developing targeted therapies based on an antibody program developed by Kipps that homes in on tumors with a … Continue reading “VelosBio Tacks on $137M to Advance Its ROR1-Targeting Cancer Antibody Drugs”
Novavax Gets $1.6B in Operation Warp Speed Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine
The federal government’s Operation Warp Speed has made its biggest financing award yet, promising $1.6 billion to a Maryland biotech to help advance its investigational COVID-19 vaccine and ready millions of doses in preparation for its possible success. Gaithersburg, MD-based Novavax, which has never before brought a product to market, announced the federal award Tuesday. … Continue reading “Novavax Gets $1.6B in Operation Warp Speed Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine”
PacBio CEO, CFO Plan Retirements and More People on the Move
Here’s a look back at some of the life science industry’s executive appointments, departures, and retirements from recent weeks: —Pacific Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PACB]]) CEO Michael Hunkapiller and Chief Financial Officer Susan Barnes are retiring. —Moderna (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]) appointed Ray Jordan as chief corporate affairs officer. —Aridis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARDS]]) appointed Hasan Jafri its chief medical officer. … Continue reading “PacBio CEO, CFO Plan Retirements and More People on the Move”
Bolt Bio Adds $93.5M to Move Ahead Immune-Stimulating Cancer Drugs
Ten months ago Randy Schatzman was appointed CEO of cancer drug developer Bolt Biotherapeutics, and tasked with getting its first drug candidate into the clinic, building out its C-suite, and raising more money. On Wednesday Schatzman checked the last box on that priority list, closing a $93.5 million Series C financing round from a group … Continue reading “Bolt Bio Adds $93.5M to Move Ahead Immune-Stimulating Cancer Drugs”
Bio Roundup: Gilead’s Pionyr Grab, Relay to IPO, Unicorn Sana & More
Uncertainty related to the continued spread of the pandemic continued to consume most of the oxygen in the room this week, but life sciences news outside of that arena continued apace. Once considered all but shuttered, the IPO market again saw an active week between new public debuts and more companies joining the queue. Indeed, … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Gilead’s Pionyr Grab, Relay to IPO, Unicorn Sana & More”
Shattuck Labs Nabs $118M for Cancer Drugs Like Keytruda, But Better
Checkpoint inhibitors do one thing: release the molecular brake that keeps immune cells from recognizing and targeting tumors. This cancer immunotherapy approach has saved countless lives and turned drugs from Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb into blockbuster products. But what if a single drug could block checkpoint proteins while simultaneously sparking an anti-tumor response? That’s … Continue reading “Shattuck Labs Nabs $118M for Cancer Drugs Like Keytruda, But Better”
Bio Roundup: A Royal IPO, Akili Arrives, Orca Bio Surfaces & More
The biggest life sciences deal this week involves a company that doesn’t discover or develop drugs, or even sell them. Yet its mark is found on pharmaceutical products spanning the entire sector. Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RPRX]]) acquires the royalty rights for drugs. Most of those royalties are for products that are already approved, but the … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: A Royal IPO, Akili Arrives, Orca Bio Surfaces & More”
Alpine Immune Sciences Lands AbbVie as R&D Partner for Lupus Drug
Alpine Immune Sciences’ lupus drug candidate now has AbbVie lined up to continue the compound’s development. The drug, ALPN-101, is ready for Phase 2 testing, which will be conducted by Seattle-based Alpine. The deal announced Thursday grants AbbVie (NYSE: [[ticker:ABBV]]) an exclusive option to license the drug after that study. The North Chicago, IL-based pharmaceutical … Continue reading “Alpine Immune Sciences Lands AbbVie as R&D Partner for Lupus Drug”
FDA Reverses Authorization for Use of Antimalarials to Treat COVID-19
The FDA on Monday revoked its emergency authorization permitting use of the antimalarial drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat the novel coronavirus, citing a lack of evidence of their efficacy. In late March the agency authorized the drugs, which President Donald Trump touts often as a potential treatment, for patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 … Continue reading “FDA Reverses Authorization for Use of Antimalarials to Treat COVID-19”
Biotech Roundup: BIO on Racism, AbbVie Antibodies, IPO Surge & More
At the start of 2020 thousands of biotechies anticipated spending the second week of June in San Diego, hobnobbing at the annual conference hosted by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Instead, attendees from 64 countries spanning 28 times zones convened online this week for the first-ever virtual BIO International Convention. There, topics once as unanticipated as the … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: BIO on Racism, AbbVie Antibodies, IPO Surge & More”
Moderna Finalizes Plan, Dose for Phase 3 Test of mRNA COVID Vaccine
Less than a month after reporting preliminary early-stage data for its experimental vaccine for the novel coronavirus, Moderna has finalized the plan for a Phase 3 test. The study, set to begin next month, is targeting enrollment of about 30,000 volunteers, Moderna (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]) announced Thursday. Those patients will be randomly assigned to receive either … Continue reading “Moderna Finalizes Plan, Dose for Phase 3 Test of mRNA COVID Vaccine”
Bio Roundup: Race and Pharma, ASCO Recap, Warp Speed Ahead & More
Race is not a topic that often comes up in pharmaceutical discussions but perhaps it should. Disease doesn’t discriminate by race, but health and economic disparities put some groups at higher risk than others. And yet clinical trials fail to reflect the broad spectrum of patients that drug makers aim to treat. Racial disparities are … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Race and Pharma, ASCO Recap, Warp Speed Ahead & More”
NodThera Adds $55M to Advance Drugs to Better Regulate Inflammation
Our immune systems are designed to monitor for signs of foreign molecules, and among the first responses to such signals of potential danger are the formation of structures called inflammasomes. But the innate immune system’s natural inflammatory reaction, a protective mechanism meant to tackle any impending infection or injury, may also cause damaging inflammation in … Continue reading “NodThera Adds $55M to Advance Drugs to Better Regulate Inflammation”
Chinook, Aduro Merger Plan Sets Up New Kidney Disease-Focused Biotech
Chinook Therapeutics and Aduro Biotech, each pursuing different approaches to the same rare disease, are now converging on a path to combine their operations into a single company focused on developing new treatments for kidney disorders. The merger agreement announced Tuesday will result in a business whose ownership will be split evenly between the shareholders … Continue reading “Chinook, Aduro Merger Plan Sets Up New Kidney Disease-Focused Biotech”
Bio Roundup: ASCO Opens, Merck Takes On COVID, Evofem’s Approval & More
A year ago about 40,000 people gathered in Chicago for the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Today a virtual version of the ASCO conference, the cancer field’s largest, kicks off, with oncologists and others tuning in from throughout the country and around the world to check out the latest in cancer … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: ASCO Opens, Merck Takes On COVID, Evofem’s Approval & More”
Variant Emerges With $16M to Find “Outlier Humans” to Reveal New Drugs
Human DNA holds secrets that, once uncovered, have led scientists to develop a number of treatments for disease. A slew of biopharmas and biotechs—not to mention national health systems—have hoovered up genetic data from millions of people in hopes of leveraging the information contained within to drive their R&D. Variant Bio, which debuted Thursday with … Continue reading “Variant Emerges With $16M to Find “Outlier Humans” to Reveal New Drugs”
Former Aimmune Exec Stephen Dilly Named Sierra Oncology’s New CEO
Sierra Oncology (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRRA]]) has appointed Stephen Dilly to serve as its president and CEO starting June 1. He is also joining the Vancouver, BC-based company’s board of directors. Dilly retired as CEO of Aimmune Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AIMT]]) in 2018. His experience also includes positions at Genentech, Chiron BioPharma, and SmithKline Beecham. Sierra acquired its … Continue reading “Former Aimmune Exec Stephen Dilly Named Sierra Oncology’s New CEO”
AbCellera Raises $105M to Advance Antibody Discovery Operations
Most of the best-selling drugs worldwide today are antibodies, and in the three decades-plus since the first such drug was approved, makers of such treatments have begun endeavoring to design drugs to tackle ever more difficult classes of therapeutic targets. Vancouver, BC-based AbCellera, which launched in 2012 based on work by CEO Carl Hansen (pictured), … Continue reading “AbCellera Raises $105M to Advance Antibody Discovery Operations”
New Webinars: In Vitro Hepatotoxicity Assessment Solutions & Enzyme Fragment Complementation Tech
Xconomy Insight is excited to offer two special webinars to our community this June. Sponsored by Eurofins, registration is free to all. Applying Cell-based In Vitro Assays to Improve In Vitro Hepatotoxicity Assessment Challenges Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 Time: 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT Duration: 1 hour Register today In this webinar, we will … Continue reading “New Webinars: In Vitro Hepatotoxicity Assessment Solutions & Enzyme Fragment Complementation Tech”
Generation Bio Leads a Trio of Biotech Companies Aiming for the Nasdaq
COVID-19 has ravaged the economy, and it was expected to quash the IPO market, too. But the biotech sector is defying the pandemic with crossover financings and freshly minted public companies. On Friday, three firms added their names to the list of life science companies preparing to join the public markets. Gene therapy company Generation … Continue reading “Generation Bio Leads a Trio of Biotech Companies Aiming for the Nasdaq”
Bio Roundup: mRNA Vaccine Data, Rise of Rallybio, Roche’s Protein Play & More
As the nation started to reopen this week following two months of closed businesses and stay-at-home orders, public health officials and economists cautioned that society won’t truly return to anything resembling a pre-pandemic normal without a COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]) moved one step closer to filling that need with the release of preliminary Phase … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: mRNA Vaccine Data, Rise of Rallybio, Roche’s Protein Play & More”
Bio Roundup: FDA Dings BMS, Genfit’s Fall, Alexion’s Activist & More
This was a disappointing week for at least two major drug makers. French firm Genfit reported a trial failure in an intensely competitive indication, and New York-based Bristol Myers Squibb encountered a delay when the FDA declined to review its experimental multiple myeloma treatment. Genfit (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GNFT]]) was developing a treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: FDA Dings BMS, Genfit’s Fall, Alexion’s Activist & More”