Pharma & Biotech
-
Merck Doubles Down on Domestic Manufacturing with $70 Billion Investment
Pharmaceutical giant Merck is boosting its U.S. investments to more than $70 billion, according to Reuters. The move underscores its commitment to strengthening domestic manufacturing and research. The company already has major operations throughout Montco. It plans to expand biologics and small-molecule production and enhance R&D capabilities across its U.S. network. Merck’s expansion includes construction…
-
Merck Finalizes $10 Billion Acquisition, Expands COPD Treatment Portfolio
Pharmaceutical giant Merck, which maintains major operations in Montgomery County, has completed its $10 billion acquisition of Verona Pharma, writes the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. The acquisition strengthens its cardio-pulmonary treatment lineup with the addition of Ohtuvayre, a breakthrough therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Verona Pharma now operates as a wholly…
-
Wistar to Honor Dr. Svetlana Mojsov Whose Discovery of GLP-1 Protein is Behind Blockbuster Weight-Loss Drugs
The Wistar Institute honors Svetlana Mosjov, Ph.D., as the 2025 Helen Dean King Award recipient. Dr. Mojsov, research associate professor at the Rockefeller University, is this year’s Helen Dean King Award winner and will speak at the annual event at noon (ET) at The Wistar Institute on October 21, 2025. Wistar’s Helen Dean King Award…
-
Wistar Institute’s New iCure Consortium Aims to Develop Personalized HIV Treatment Strategies
A new five-year, $17 million research award has been used to fund and launch Wistar’s new iCure Consortium. The goal of the iCure Consortium is to develop more unique and individualized regimens and strategies to cure HIV through tailored care and medicine. “It really is the culmination of a years-long investment in HIV, HIV treatment,…
-
Amid Continued Financial Struggles, Warrington’s Windtree Therapeutics Shifts Focus
Following failed forays into real estate and crypto, Warrington-based Windtree Therapeutics is reinventing itself as a waste management and environmental services firm, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal. This surprising pivot comes after the company’s struggle to find a partner for its drug candidate pipeline. “Capital is scarce out there, especially for cardiovascular…
-
Wistar Scientists Discover p53 Can “Read” Cellular Signals to Direct Immune Response
Wistar Institute researchers have overturned three decades of scientific thinking about p53, the most important tumor suppressor protein in cancer research. In a study published in Molecular Cell, they reveal for the first time that this critical protein, responsible for halting cell division or initiating cell death, changes its binding sites according to specific cellular signals. The…
-
West Chester-Based Verrica Gets Medication Approval in Japan, Triggering $10M Milestone Payment
The regulatory approval of Verrica Pharmaceuticals‘ Ycanth in Japan has triggered a $10 million milestone payment to the West Chester-based company by its overseas partner, Torii Pharmaceutical, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal. Verrica CEO Jayson Rieger said that the dermatology therapeutics company expects to receive the payment within the next several weeks…
-
Wistar Institute Launches Center for Advanced Therapeutics to Accelerate Scientific Innovation into Future Medicines
The Wistar Institute announces the opening of its new Center for Advanced Therapeutics (CAT) to harness the power of Wistar science and speed creation of new drugs and therapies for human health. The CAT is led by Paul Lieberman, Ph.D., and capitalizes on a history of groundbreaking Wistar research in cancer, immunology and infectious disease.…
-
Wistar Institute Appoints Katherine Aird, Ph.D., to Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center
The Wistar Institute, an international biomedical research leader in cancer, immunology and infectious diseases, has announced the appointment of Katherine Aird, Ph.D., as co-leader and professor in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center. Aird’s research is in cancer metabolism and cell cycle disruption, which influence cancer cell growth…
-
Merck’s Oral Cholesterol Therapy Offers Easier Alternative to Injections
Merck, the pharmaceutical giant with multiple locations across Montco, is reporting success with a new oral cholesterol drug, according to Reuters. The drug, enlicitide decanoate, recently met its main goal in a late-stage trial by reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, which is a major risk factor for heart disease. Merck anticipates patent losses for their…
-
Audubon’s Globus Medical Wins $9.5 Million Settlement
Audubon’s Globus Medical has secured a major courtroom win, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal. A federal jury awarded the Montco medical device maker $9.5 million in a patent dispute. The 2021 case alleged that Illinois-based Life Spine’s Prolift line of implants infringed on several Globus patents. The contested technology involves expandable spinal…
-
Doylestown’s Pennsylvania Biotech Center Recruits Hepatitis C Cure Inventor
Michael J. Sofia, the inventor of the Hepatitis C cure, has joined the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center in Doylestown, working towards a cure for Hepatitis B, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal. Sofia will be the distinguished professor and principal investigator at the Bucks County biotech center, a life sciences incubator and educational hub…
-
Wistar Institute Receives $17 Million NIH Grant for Personalized HIV Cure Research
The Wistar Institute recently announced the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted it a five-year, $17 million research award to launch iCure Consortium to develop individualized “cure regimens” for HIV. The Wistar-led, iCure Consortium’s objective is to advance strategies to cure HIV through tailored personalized medicine. “Today 38 million people still live with HIV worldwide,…
-
Minaris Advanced Therapies CEO Talks Navy Yard Life Sciences Firm’s Long-Term Vision
Orla Cloak, Ph.D., the newly-appointed CEO of Minaris Advanced Therapies at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, recently discussed the firm’s plans to refine its long-term strategy, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal. Dr. Cloak joins the company with 20 years of commercial leadership experiences within the life sciences industry. Minaris Advanced Therapies was established…
-
Wistar Institute Recruits Computational Biologist Simon Chu, Ph.D., as Caspar Wistar Fellow in the Caplan Cancer Center
The Wistar Institute, an international biomedical research leader in cancer, immunology and infectious disease, has announced the appointment of Simon Chu, Ph.D., as Caspar Wistar Fellow in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program. Chu’s research focuses on genomics data analysis, through the creation & design of novel computational programs and applied machine learning, to uncover and interpret cancer and…
-
Northeast Philadelphia’s PCI Pharma Services Receives Massive Investment, Now Valued At $10B
PCI Pharma Services, the Northeast Philadelphia-based contract development and manufacturing company has received a multibillion-dollar investment that now values the company at $10 billion, writes Ryan Sharrow for the Philadelphia Business Journal. The new investment was co-led by two private equity firms: Bain Capital and Kohlberg. The latter has previously invested in PCI Pharma, while…
-
WSJ: Merck Makes $10 Billion Move as Keytruda Patent Expiration Nears
Merck is making big pharma waves again with a $10 billion deal to acquire Verona Pharma, reports Colin Kellaher for the Wall Street Journal. The move bolsters Merck’s pipeline with the COPD drug Ohtuvayre as the company prepares to lose the patent of Keytruda in 2028. With operations in both West Point and North Wales,…
-
Wistar Institute Opens New HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center
The Wistar Institute recently celebrated a ribbon cutting for the opening of its new HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center. The vision for the center is to uncover the fundamental science that powers tomorrow’s cures for HIV and other viral diseases. The belief is that revealing how viruses work and how the immune system responds,…
Founding Partners
Advertisement
Affiliate Partners
