With plenty of panels happening at BIO 2024, one convention discussion highlighted the transformative potential of gene therapy and the challenges of funding these high-cost, one-time treatments. Experts from bluebird bio, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and other stakeholders emphasized the need for innovative payment models that reflect the long-term value of gene therapies.

GSK has secured a non-exclusive license to Elsie Biotechnologies' oligonucleotide discovery platform following a successful research collaboration.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has inaugurated a GMP-certified ultra-cold facility in Bleiswijk, Netherlands, to enhance its clinical trial network in Europe. This state-of-the-art facility supports the development of advanced therapies, including cell and gene therapies, biologics, and vaccines through comprehensive services, including ambient to cryogenic storage, clinical packaging, labeling, and distribution.

Kindeva Drug Delivery, the drug and device CDMO, is to expanding its facilities at its Charnwood campus in Loughborough, U.K. The expansion will support growth in demand for so-called green propellants, providing commercial-scale supply and doubling the company’s UK laboratory footprint.

The company will move its development services site from Skokie to Des Plaines, Illinois, where a construction project was announced to add new buildings for clinical manufacturing and related services. Vetter will also expand its commercial business at its 125-acre site in Saarland, Germany, to meet increasing customer demand for high quality injectables.

Sharp Services announced a significant expansion of its Macungie, Pennsylvania site, doubling its size to 315,000 square feet and enhancing production capacity for sterile injectable secondary packaging, including vial labeling, pre-filled syringe assembly, and autoinjector packaging. The expansion - driven by increasing demand for biologics and injectable medicines - will also add new packaging suites, cold storage, and create 75-100 new jobs.

Japan headquartered chemicals group, Asahi Kasei, is expanding its Bionova CDMO’s services to include plasmid DNA (pDNA) production for cell and gene therapy developers by establishing a new facility in The Woodlands, Texas, where it is set to begin research-grade pDNA production in early 2025 and GMP manufacturing later that year.

The San Francisco-based biotech secured $225 million to further develop its immune checkpoint enhancer, ALTB-268. This novel therapy aims to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases by regulating overactive immune responses without affecting normal immune defenses.

To meet increased market demand for parenteral manufacturing, leading CDMO Alcami has announced the strategic expansion of its sterile fill-finish manufacturing capabilities and capacity for a total of six fill-finish lines.

The Indianapolis-based drugmaker has announced it will increase its investment at its newest, 600-acre Lebanon, Indiana, site by $5.3 Bn, where it will make tirzepatide, the API used for its type-2 diabetes drug Mounjaro and obesity treatment Zepbound.

Sanofi has announced a collaboration with OpenAI, the ChatGPT parent, and Formation Bio, a technology-driven drug developer with a pipeline of drug assets, to accelerate drug development.

AstraZeneca has set an ambitious goal to achieve $80 bn in revenue by 2030, following on from their successful strategy that managed to generate $45 bn in revenue in 2023.

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) has announced a significant restructuring initiative, which includes laying off staff to streamline operations to enhance the group's lobbying effectiveness at better supporting the biotechnology industry.

For the remainder of this decade, the biologics industry could experience significant growth driven by the incidence of chronic diseases and the rise of autoimmune disorders due to aging populations and lifestyle changes – likely to fuel the demand for biologics as treatment options.

Jan van de Winkel, CEO of one of Europe’s leading biotech companies, Genmab, highlighted the need for Western pharma companies to embrace Chinese biotech innovation, despite growing anti-Chinese sentiment in the US.

The collaboration will focus on advancing novel compounds through clinical development, targeting significant unmet needs in psychiatric health, and includes an option-to-license agreement to develop next-generation therapies.

Pfizer and AstraZeneca announced a combined c.$1 bn in investments in France ahead of the annual 'Choose France' summit. Pfizer will invest $538.5 mn to enhance research and development, while AstraZeneca will invest $388 mn at its Dunkirk site, with both announcements' positive news for President Macron’s efforts to position Paris as a major European business hub.

Takeda joins major pharmaceutical companies in restructuring to focus on late-stage assets to drive growth after CEO Christophe Weber announced the shift, emphasizing the need for prioritization and efficiency.

Following its FDA approval in February, Teva is set to launch Simlandi, a biosimilar to AbbVie's arthritis drug Humira, in the coming weeks. Separately, Teva reported earnings missing analysts' estimates, although revenue was up.

The biologics drug substance CDMO says it is letting go of around 100 employees at its Seattle HQ and Colorado site - nearly 4% of its workforce – blaming post-pandemic economic strains.