Emergent BioSolutions

Recent news includes Pfizer’s withdrawal of Oxbryta, Vertex partnering with Lonza for Casgevy, Emergent BioSolutions’ $400 million BARDA contract for mpox vaccine, and Bristol Myers Squibb’s approval of Cobenfy for schizophrenia. Discussions also cover ARCH Ventures’ $3 billion biotech fund and Flagship Pioneering’s $3.6 billion raise, along with COVID-19-associated childhood myopia and patent thickets.

GeneDx, rebranded from Sema4 in 2023, has seen a 3,600% stock surge due to a successful pivot to whole exome and genome sequencing, focusing on rare disease diagnosis in children. The company projects $255-265 million in revenue for 2024 and aims for profitability in 2025, supported by a $3 billion market for rare disease testing expected to grow rapidly.

The mpox outbreak has prompted a global research effort, leveraging lessons from Covid-19 to accelerate vaccine and treatment development. Challenges include vaccine availability and treatment access, particularly in Africa. Adaptive trial designs and streamlined regulatory processes from Covid-19 are aiding mpox research, but financing and infrastructure remain barriers, especially in affected regions.

The WHO's mpox declaration led to significant stock market increases for pharmaceutical, medical tech, and biopharmaceutical companies, while airline stocks declined, reflecting investor concerns about mpox's global spread.