Vinay Prasad’s leaked memo has caused a decline in vaccine manufacturers’ stock prices and sparked debate among experts. The memo, which surfaced over the weekend, contains claims from the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) director that COVID-19 vaccines have resulted in the deaths of at least 10 children. This incident is the latest challenge faced by the vaccine sector this year. Additional scrutiny has come from changes within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where a newly restructured advisory committee is preparing for its next meeting under new leadership.
At the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Richard Pazdur, who was recently promoted to lead the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, has submitted his retirement paperwork just weeks after reportedly taking on the role with reluctance.
The Alzheimer’s disease research community is closely following developments at the 2025 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference in San Diego. Last week, Johnson & Johnson’s anti-tau candidate failed in mid-stage trials, while Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 semaglutide was declared a “definitive” failure. Some analysts believe these setbacks could benefit anti-amyloid therapies produced by Biogen and Eli Lilly. Roche also reported positive results for its latest antibody treatment, signaling renewed interest in a field it had previously stepped back from during earlier controversies surrounding Aduhelm.
In treatments for obesity, Novo Nordisk released data showing that its next-generation amycretin did not reach a weight-loss plateau over 36 weeks in patients with type 2 diabetes. The competition between Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly continues as both companies adjust pricing strategies for their GLP-1 products. This week, Eli Lilly announced another price reduction for Zepbound via its LillyDirect self-pay platform.
This week’s edition of BioPharm Executive features an overview of leading venture capital investments in female-founded biotech firms and provides analysis of market expectations for biotechnology in 2026.
