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Biotech Hangout: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Brad Loncar, Tim Opler and more
A weekly discussion of all things biotech – breaking news, data, deals, and FDA actions – with a community of biotech industry leaders and experts. Join the live streams hosted by @BiotechCH, @daphnezohar, @bradloncar and @biotech1 on Twitter Spaces every Friday at 12pm ET.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 5 days ago1h 0m
Episode 195 - September 11, 2026
On this week's episode, Tess Cameron, Brian Skorney, Paul Matteis, and Yaron Werber open with a look at markets, noting the XBI slipped just over 3% amid concerns about energy prices, inflation, and long-term U.S. fiscal health weighing on the rate-sensitive sector. The conversation then turns to policy, discussing new FDA leadership appointments including Karim Mikhail as CBER director, with hosts noting the industry's hope for a calmer, less chaotic regulatory tone. They highlight the FDA's apparent openness to psychedelics, pointing to stock reactions across the space. On the data front, Novartis's pelacarsen missed expectations reducing Lp(a) relative to rival programs from Amgen and Eli Lilly, while its DM1 program also fell short, shifting attention to Dyne Therapeutics' upcoming expansion cohort data. The hosts debate whether Novartis's setbacks make early-commercial, post-Phase 3 companies more attractive acquisition targets given looming loss-of-exclusivity pressure across large pharma. In other data news, Roivant's mosliciguat hit its Phase 2 primary endpoints in interstitial lung disease, with the company already advancing to Phase 3. The episode closes with Biohaven's epilepsy trial hold pending further metabolite data, and questions over whether the hold could affect its recent SK Pharma deal. This episode aired on September 11, 2026.
- 3 weeks ago1h 1m
Episode 194 - August 28, 2026
On this week's episode, Daphne Zohar, Eric Schmidt, Sam Fazeli, and Graig Suvannavejh open with a strong week for biotech, partially driven by M&A, noting it's already past 2025's full-year total. The group turns to Moderna, whose melanoma cancer vaccine data sent shares up nearly 200% and stirred some mixed feelings from investors. Contrastly, BioNTech's decision to halt its colorectal cancer vaccine trial was also noted. In data news, Revolution Medicines' FDA approval of daraxonrasib (RASONQUE) for pancreatic cancer drew attention for its potential first-line use and implications for trials behind it, while Akeso/Summit's ivonescimab was approved in China for NSCLC and also reported positive Phase 3 data in biliary tract cancer, reinforcing the case for VEGF/PD-1 bispecifics. Also in data news, AstraZeneca's full dataset of eplontersen for ATTR-CM raised doubts about the class of RNA-targeted silencers over currently marketed drugs that “silence” TTR proteins, while EyePoint's Phase 3 miss in wet AMD sent shares down about 70%. The conversation shifts to policy, where the group discusses pros and cons of FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton, the HHS plans for two new deputy roles, alongside concerns over declining U.S. IND filings versus China's rising trial volume. The episode concludes with Amylyx raising over $500 million on strong avexitide data in post-bariatric hypoglycemia, and J&J's Imaavy earning a second indication, expanding the anti-FcRn class. *This episode aired on August 28, 2026.
- Aug 14, 202659 min
Episode 193 - August 14, 2026
On this week's episode, Chris Garabedian, Graig Suvannavejh, Paul Matteis, and Tess Cameron open with the biotech market. They describe 2026 as strong but discerning, with 19 Nasdaq IPOs this year and generalist investors still not fully back. The co-hosts also cover recent launches and raises, including Boulevard Bio's launch with Deerfield backing and Epicrispr's $90 million Series C raise for FSHD. In data news, Tenax's HFpEF candidate missed its primary and secondary endpoints, while Sionno's cystic fibrosis drug missed its biomarker target, sending shares down 90%. On the dealmaking front, Jazz acquired epilepsy biotech Actio for $820 million upfront to deepen its rare epilepsy pipeline, and Revolution Medicines struck a RAS-inhibitor partnership covering China development alongside a PRMT5 clinical collaboration. Elsewhere, AbCellera raised $200 million on positive Phase 2 vasomotor data, and Silence Therapeutics raised $175 million on positive polycythemia vera data, while Definium posted positive Phase 3 data for its psychedelic GAD candidate, and Cullinan/Taiho did the same for their lung cancer drug zipalertinib. In regulatory news, Neurocrine's Prader-Willi drug faced new safety scrutiny after reports of seven deaths, and Amgen's Tavneos was pulled by the EMA over misleading trial data. Belite Bio's tinlarebant earned FDA priority review for Stargardt disease, while rival Tarsus acquired Alkeus for about $800 million. The episode closed with a debate on expanding the COINS Act into biosecurity. This episode aired on August 14, 2026.
- Aug 7, 20261h 3m
Episode 192 - August 7, 2026
On this week’s episode, Sam Fazeli, Brian Skorney, Yaron Werber, and Strand Therapeutics CEO Jake Becraft open with the wave of dealmaking and a solid Q2 earnings season, then turn to the reports of the potential AstraZeneca/Bristol Myers merger, which the group called “more smoke than fire.” Next, as the trend of reverse mergers continues, the co-hosts note they’re increasingly well-received as a faster path to going public. Meanwhile, the IPO window has remained open and strong. The conversation moved to the ongoing China biotech debate, discussing the challenges and opportunities facing US biotech. In regulatory news, the FDA granted breakthrough therapy and orphan drug designations for Mirum’s volixibat, while Replimune received approval for Tudriqev (RP1) in melanoma after its third submission. The group also compared Moderna and BioNTech heading into a data-heavy second, noting BioNTech’s CEO change, and covered Ascendis’s strong launch against BioMarin in achondroplasia, now complicated by ITC patent litigation. The episode closed on a high note with Otsuka’s atrasentan, showing unprecedented two-year eGFR stabilization in IgA nephropathy. *This episode aired on August 7, 2026.
- Aug 3, 20261h 0m
Episode 191 - July 31, 2026
On this week's episode, Graig Suvannavejh, Tim Opler, Yaron Werber, Paul Matteis, and Brian Skorney kicked off with a review of the market, noting pressure in the XBI despite a longer-term bounce-back from trough levels, though they see biotech fundamentals as largely intact. The group also discussed the trend of reverse mergers as an alternative to traditional IPOs, along with AI's expansion and uncertain role in accelerating drug discovery. In regulatory news, the co-hosts welcomed the return of FDA advisory committee meetings, including those for Capricor and Replimune, and highlighted Anthony Fauci's recent Senate testimony on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In deals, J&J struck an in vivo CAR-T partnership with Sail Biomedicines, with potential readthroughs for Legend Biotech, and Argenx is set to acquire Forte Biosciences to bolster its immunology pipeline. The group also highlighted Lilly's recent acquisition of psychedelics company AtaiBeckley, opening a broader discussion on deals in the psychedelics space. The episode concluded with company news including Alnylam shares dropping 30% following disappointing updated guidance, Novo Nordisk’s Phase 3 study for its anti-IL-6 ligand antibody, and MapLight’s Phase 2 schizophrenia readout. *This episode aired on July 31, 2026.
- Jul 24, 202658 min
Episode 190 - July 24, 2026
On this week's episode, Josh Schimmer, Brian Skorney, Eric Schmidt, and Brad Loncar kick off with IPOs and raises, including Scribe's IPO, the first preclinical biotech IPO since the COVID era, which priced in a modest but upsized deal. The group also covers Mentari's additional $200 million raise ahead of its reverse merger with InMed, leading the co-hosts to question if reverse mergers are a positive for biotech or a worrisome trend. Next, the group turns to Colossal Biosciences' talks to raise at a $20–30 billion valuation, prompting a broader question of what counts as biotech and where the industry's roots lie. The conversation turns to a recap of BiotechTV's inaugural U.S. Science Summit, where a central theme was the need to better explain biotech's work to the general public. The co-hosts then cover the fallout at Immix, whose CMO (hired in March 2025) turned out to be a fugitive on the run; the company disclosed the news in an 8-K, as they believed it not to be a material event. In data news, Dyne's Z-rostudirsen received FDA acceptance and priority review for DMD. The episode concludes with a discussion on policy, debating whether upcoming FDA adcomms for Replimune and Capricor signal a shift under new leadership. *This episode aired on July 24, 2026.
- Jul 17, 202658 min
Episode 189 - July 17, 2026
On today’s episode, Yaron Werber, John Maraganore, SamFazeli, and Matt Gline open with a discussion of biotech market volatility, withmMatt noting that it often seems driven more by opaque factor dynamics than company-specific fundamentals. The group then turns to Eli Lilly’s continued“Amazonification” and reinventing the pharma business as it acquires a variety of different companies, including this week’s $2.8B upfront acquisition of Atai Beckley, a psychedelic-focused company. The conversation turns to BioCentury’s reporting on Asia-to-West NewCos, prompting a debate about whether China is uniquely changing the market or simply reflects broader shifts in cheaper, faster development. On policy, the group covers BIO’s response to the OMB proposal that could inject political review into federal grant decisions. The co-hosts also debate Kalshi’s move to create prediction markets around clinical trial and regulatory outcomes. On pipeline updates, the group discusses Merck’s approval of Lipfendra, the first oral PCSK9 drug, and the broader class implications. In CNS, Biogen and Ionis’ diranersen tau ASO data spark a discussion of aconfusing dose response, ASO tolerability, tau as a target in Alzheimer’s disease, and the promise of alternative modalities from Arrowhead and Alnylam. The episode closes with M&A and financing, including AstraZeneca’s licensing deal with Dizal for the EGFR exon 20 inhibitor sunvozertinib andErasca’s RAF data plus its $500M financing, which Sam views as a strong market signal despite a volatile biotech backdrop. This episode aired on July 17, 2026.
- Jul 10, 20261h 0m
Episode 188 - July 10, 2026
On this week's episode, Sam Fazeli, Josh Schimmer, Eric Schmidt, Paul Matteis, and special guest STAT's Matt Herper open on the market, noting that despite a wobbly day for biotech, the XBI holds strong gains year-to-date. The conversation turns to FDA transparency, where the co-hosts flag that CRLs haven't been released since April and that the agency may be walking back that practice. The co-hosts debate whether the FDA is swinging too far toward leniency after Agios' mitapivat won priority review in sickle cell disease despite missing its primary endpoint last year. On AI in drug discovery, Matt Herper recaps an interview with Anthropic's CEO about a new research tool, noting that it's plausible the tool helps industry pick better targets and lower the failure rate. In M&A, Vertex's largest-ever deal takes Crinetics for $10 billion net of cash, staking a claim in the specialty rare endocrine space, while Novartis expands its ADC portfolio with Myricx for $1.1 billion upfront plus $400 million in milestones — the second European ADC deal in recent months. On data, AstraZeneca and Ionis' eplontersen trial in ATTR-CM missed its endpoint, showing no benefit or biomarker signal on top of background tafamidis; the group then discusses the readthroughs for BridgeBio, Alnylam, and Pfizer's ATTR therapies. This episode aired on July 10, 2026.
About Biotech Hangout
A weekly discussion of all things biotech – breaking news, data, deals, and FDA actions – with a community of biotech industry leaders and experts. Join the live streams hosted by @BiotechCH, @daphnezohar, @bradloncar and @biotech1 on Twitter Spaces every Friday at 12pm ET.
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