Behind the Headlines Episode 14–Investment Trends, Policy Realignments, and Vaccines

Behind the Headlines is a bi-weekly panel discussion examining the latest trends, readouts, and other factors that drive pharmaceutical news and innovation. Each episode features consultants, venture capitalists, scientists, patient advocates, and journalists discussing the prior weeks’ top news while seeking to highlight the more enduring lessons that hide behind the headlines.

In episode 14, panelists Christian Cobaugh, PhD, CSO and founder of Vernal Biosciences; Eswar Iyer, PhD, co-founder and CSO, Aikium Inc., and Vincenzo Antignani, PhD, Technical training lead, Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America, Inc., adjunct facility Northeastern University & Governing Committee (GC) Member, NIIMBL | The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, discuss a mixture of investment trends, policy realignments, trade and stock recalibrations, and an apparent crusade against vaccines both new and old.

Performance advances in both China and India have led to renewed investments from other countries into both infrastructure and licensing agreements. Novo Nordisk has bought into the “triple G” idea, gaining a GLP-1/GIP/glucagon triple agonist from China’s United Laboratories for up to $2 billion (1). In addition, AstraZeneca is committing up to $11 billion to Chinese Collaborations including a Beijing R&D Hub (2).

Changing skills requirements for future workforce in a time of turmoil was a major consideration for the panel, appearing and reappearing throughout the conversation. It included the re-folding of recently fired National Institutes of Health workers, as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. pursues his plans to slash the Department of Health and Human Services’ workforce by 25%, implement massive reorganization, and consolidate authorities, creating a new agency for a ‘Healthy America’ (3).

Conversation also turned to attitudes toward messenger RNA, as the United States outlines plans to end vaccine funds for poor countries, in parallel to several other efforts to frame vaccines as just-one-choice-among-many-options, to discuss with one’s healthcare provider (4).

Lastly, 23andMe’s future in bankruptcy protection after having held, at its highest, a market valuation of $6 billion dollars, was bruited about. The panel also examined the company’s chances of legally selling customer genomic data as a lift raft, and also, what the demise of such a pioneering company means in the overall commercial landscape at this time.

Click the video above to watch the discussion.

References

1. Sunny, M. Novo Bets on 'Triple G' Obesity Drug in up to $2 billion Deal with Chinese Biotech. Reuters. March 24, 2025, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/novo-licenses-chinese-biotechs-obesity-102141800.html

2. Philippidis, A. AstraZeneza Commits Up to $11B+ to Chinese Collaborations, Beijing R&D Hub, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, March 21, 2025. https://www.genengnews.com/topics/drug-discovery/astrazeneza-commits-up-to-11b-to-chinese-collaborations-beijing-rd-hub

3 Owermohle, S.; Lawrence, L.; and Bannow, T. RFK Jr. Plans to Slash HHS Workforce by 25% in Massive Reorganization. Stat News. March 27, 2025, https://www.statnews.com/2025/03/27/rfk-jr-10000-job-cuts-hhs-restructuring-health-agency-impacts-cdc-fdaG-nih-cms

4Kirchgaessner, S.; Glenza, J. Trump Administration at ‘War’ with mRNA Technology: Scientists Alarmed Vaccine Skeptics Could Kill Research. The Guardian. March 27, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/27/trump-vaccine-skeptics-research-funding

5. Satija, B.; Shah, A.; Misra, S. DNA Testing Firm 23andMe Files for Bankruptcy as Demand Dries Up. Reuters, March 25, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/dna-testing-firm-23andme-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy-sell-itself-2025-03-24/