Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) moved a step closer today to becoming the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13 along party lines to send Kennedy’s nomination to the Senate floor for confirmation. Given RFK’s stance on vaccines, the vote was immediately reflected in lowered stock prices of biopharma companies with vaccine portfolios. Amid heavy trading, some companies saw momentary dips, while a few, including Moderna Inc., struggled to fully bounce back. Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) dropped to a low of $34.30 after the vote – down 9.5% from a morning high of $37.92.

Updated Maia phase II data pushes its stock higher

New and positive data for Maia Biotechnology Inc.’s lead candidate propelled the stock 14% higher at midday. The pivotal phase II THIO-101 study of Thio, a telomere-targeting agent sequenced with Regeneron Inc.’s immune checkpoint inhibitor Libtayo (cemiplimab), as a third-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer showed median overall survival (OS) of 16.9 months for the 22 NSCLC patients who received at least one dose of Thio in parts A and B. Studies of standard-of-care NSCLC in a similar setting have shown OS of five to six months, the company said. Interim data released last September of the phase II showed the combination producing 16 patients who surpassed 12-month survival follow-up. The median survival follow-up in third-line treatment was 10.6 months vs. standard-of-care OS of 5.8 months. Maia shares (NASDAQ:MAIA) were going for $2.16 each at midday.

A biopharma M&A scorecard: Some wins, lots of losses

As the number of mega-mergers have increased in recent years, and the purchase price of innovative companies rises, it is apparent that many lucrative buyouts fail to meet expectations, although a few outperform from time to time. BioWorld analyzed 21 M&As completed in the past 14 years to determine whether the money paid resulted in a lower, equal or greater match in product sales for the buyer. In most cases, the answer – delivered in a three-part series of articles – was “no” or “not yet.” But there were a few that stood out as shining examples of what can happen when the bet pays off.

DMD heart drug scores for Cumberland in phase II

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. unveiled top-line data from the phase II trial in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) called Fight DMD. The study evaluated ifetroban, an oral therapy for Duchenne DMD heart disease, the leading cause of death in such patients. High-dose ifetroban treatment resulted in an overall 3.3% improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction, the company said. Ifetroban binds to TxA2 and PGH2 receptors, blocking their activity and downstream signaling pathways. The mechanism prevents platelet activation, aggregation, and thrombosis, while also causing vasodilation. Cumberland’s shares (NASDAQ:CPIX) were trading at $2.42, up 29 cents, or 13%.

Radiopharma Advancell raises $112M in series C for alpha therapies

Aussie radiopharma company Advancell Co. Ltd. closed an oversubscribed $112 million series C round that will accelerate clinical development of its pipeline of radionuclide therapies and allow it to expand its manufacturing capacity. Advancell previously raised funding in August 2022 to take its lead targeted alpha-emitting radiotherapy, ADVC-001, for metastatic prostate cancer to the clinic. Advancell is currently enrolling patients for the highest dose cohort of the multicenter TheraPb phase I/II trial. Alpha emitters are larger and travel shorter distances but are expected to cause more damage to the target with less off-target effects.

China blacklists Illumina as part of US tariffs counter

The Chinese government blacklisted two American companies, including gene sequencing-focused biotechnology firm Illumina Inc. and fashion brand PVH Corp., citing threats to China’s “national sovereignty, security and development interests.” Both San Diego-based Illumina and New York-headquartered PVH were added to China’s “unreliable entity list” on Feb. 4, 2025, as the People’s Republic of China countered with retaliatory tariffs of about 10% to 15% on certain American imports, as a response to tariffs imposed earlier by the U.S.

Newco news: Akribion harnessing G-dase E nuclease, with initial focus in cancer

Newco Akribion Therapeutics GmbH has raised €8 million (US$8.3 million) in a seed round to develop a new and potent class of RNA-targeted CRISPR nucleases, which, rather than cleaving specific nucleic acids, can destroy every type of nucleic acid in a cell. The company has bioinformatics tools for identifying RNA sequences that are specific to cancer cells and will use lipid nanoparticle carriers to deliver the guide RNA and the nuclease payloads to these intracellular targets. In effect, the nuclease, called G-dase E, shreds all DNA and RNA in cells where the guide RNA matches the target RNA sequence.

Also in the news

Advancell, Anaptys, Annovis, Aplagon, Bioarctic, Biontech, Biotheus, Fondazione Telethon, GH Research, Halozyme, Imfinzi, Immunome, Janssen Cilag, Kadimastem, NGM, NLS, Ocugen, Pfizer, Salarius, Spur, Tectonic, Tonix, Trisalus, Uniqure, United, Uvax, Vanda, Vetigenics