The industry has been abuzz since the weekend when talks of a potential mega-merger between Bristol Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca were reported. Meanwhile, Pfizer, Merck and others release second quarter earnings, with some disclosing pipeline discontinuations and cost-cutting measures. Finally, all eyes turn to the FDA in the wake of heated advisory committee meetings for Capricor Therapeutics and Replimune.

Rumors of biggest pharma merger ever drop amid Q2 earnings, contentious FDA adcomms

BioSpace

Hello, and welcome to BioSpace's The Weekly. I'm your host, Jeff Axt. And this week certainly started off with a bang. We learned that Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca are engaged in talks of a potential mega merger. Analysts say the deal is unlikely to go through, but if it did, the two giants would combine into the biggest pharma company of all time. Otherwise, this week has been busy with more second quarter earnings, so we'll have updates for you today on Pfizer and Merck.

And finally, we'll recap those FDA adcoms from last week. So Capricor Therapeutics found itself arguing over statistical analyses, and advisors ultimately voted against the approval of its, against recommending the approval of its cell therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Sorry, I'm going to start that last part of.

And finally, we'll recap those FDA adcoms from last week. Capricor Therapeutics found itself arguing over statistical analyses, and advisors ultimately voted against recommending the approval of its cell therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy. Replimune, meanwhile, got a vote in support of its immunotherapy for advanced melanoma. Replimune, meanwhile, got a vote in support for its immunotherapy for advanced melanoma. Let's get started.

Hi, guys. Thank you for holding down the fort last week. How did you all survive the first week of the earnings hell period? Gosh. We survived. We're here. We're still here. Good. I coined a new term called FDA adcoms hell week. Right. That really layered on top of an already busy earnings week. You had a lot going on. Yeah. Thank you for coming back, Jeff.

Rumors of biggest pharma merger ever drop amid Q2 earnings, contentious FDA adcomms

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

Rumors of biggest pharma merger ever drop amid Q2 earnings, contentious FDA adcomms

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.