03 Jan 10 clinical trials to watch in the first half of 2023
Highly anticipated study results are expected in Alzheimer’s, obesity and Huntington’s disease, while a pair of high-priced acquisitions could be put to the test.
The biotechnology industry begins 2023 at a crossroads.
In many ways, the sector is coming off of one of its toughest years in recent memory. Initial public offerings ground to a halt. A widely followed biotech stock index plunged nearly 30%. More than 100 companies restructured and cut jobs. And the sector suffered a rare defeat in Washington with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a law meant to lower drug costs.
Yet there were victories for biotech in 2022 as well. Three gene therapies for inherited diseases were approved by U.S. regulators, lifting a faltering field. A drug meant to slow Alzheimer’s disease unexpectedly succeeded in a Phase 3 trial. Small biotech companies also notched trial wins in schizophrenia, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and ulcerative colitis, and were handsomely rewarded with big stock surges. M&A activity picked up as the year wore on, too.
Key study readouts in obesity, cancer, and Alzheimer’s could determine what’s in store for the sector in 2023. Read more …