Bayer Layoffs, a Big Alzheimer’s Deal and ASGCT Wrap

Bayer made news this week announcing 1,500 layoffs as part of an effort to save €500 million ($540 million) in 2024 and €2 billion ($2.16 billion) in 2026, reminiscent of BMS’ announcement of a major restructuring that will involve 2,200 layoffs and aims to save $1.5 billion by the end of 2025. Bayer’s news just about rounds out the Q1 2024 earnings season highlighted by strong sales of GLP-1 weight loss drugs. However, it was Amgen that emerged as a big winner, with revenue increasing over 22% from Q1 2023. In other news this week, Takeda took another deep dive into the Alzheimer’s space with a deal worth up to $2.2 billion with AC Immune for global rights to an immunotherapy that targets toxic forms of amyloid beta. And the BIOSECURE Act got an update, now naming WuXi Biologics among the Chinese firms that U.S. companies are expected to cut ties with, and setting a deadline of 2032. Finally, we discuss the major takeaways from last week’s 2024 American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) annual meeting. While the cell and gene therapy space faces many challenges, promising updates included Regeneron’s news that its gene therapy improved hearing in two young deaf children. And throughout the week, Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), spoke with positivity on how the community is now working to address the challenges it now faces, touching on topics such as accelerated approval, global regulatory convergence and the Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium, aimed at accelerating the delivery of AAV-based gene therapies for rare diseases.