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Research from Water Tower Research

Water Tower Research is a leading equity research firm that provides research on micro, small and mid cap companies.

Water Tower Research was founded by Wall Street veterans after witnessing a fundamental shift in the investment research industry with the result being a declining knowledge base among investors, a lack of awareness and a shrinking pool of fundamental research being conducted on companies across the small-cap and micro-cap spectrum. The same issues are now increasingly occurring in the mid-cap space. This sea change within the investment community is impacting not only the companies themselves but also current shareholders and potential investors. With significantly less active sell-side sponsorship by Wall Street, a substantial information gap has developed between companies and various constituents in the financial community. The net result is fewer channels for insight and information to flow between companies and investors.

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<ul><li>M&amp;A and deal activity provided a much-needed tailwind for biotech last week.</li><li>Exiting a positive, but mostly expected, ASCO weekend, we witnessed the second-largest biotech acquisition in 2025, with SNY buying BPMC for $9.1 billion, and a mega-licensing deal, as BMY will pay up to $11.1 billion for co- rights to BNTX’s PD-1/VEGF (read-across to TIL, SMMT, PFE, MRK).</li><li>Gene and cell therapy (NTLA, BEAM, CRSP) got a boost, as the heads of the HHS, FDA, CBER, NIH, and CDC expressed support for faster rare disease approvals at an FDA roundtable. </li></ul>

M&amp;A and deal activity provided a much-needed tailwind for biotech last week.Exiting a positive, but mostly expected, ASCO weekend, we witnessed the second-largest biotech acquisition in 2025, with SNY buying BPMC for $9.1 billion, and a mega-licensing deal, as BMY will pay up to $11.1 billion for co- rights to BNTX’s PD-1/VEGF (read-across to TIL, SMMT, PFE, MRK).Gene and cell therapy (NTLA, BEAM, CRSP) got a boost, as the heads of the HHS, FDA, CBER, NIH, and CDC expressed support for faster rare disease approvals at an FDA roundtable. 

Biopharma Week in Review Large M&A and Licensing Deals Provide a Boost

<ul><li>Large pharma’s bounce from the mostly ineffective Most- Favored-Nation (MFN) executive order was short-lived, as new CMS draft guidance for Medicare price negotiations threatened certain drug combos.</li><li>President Trump’s MFN executive order lacked a clear plan to lower drug prices, with any immediate moves likely facing legal challenges.</li><li>Listen to the WTR Biotech Flashcast for our MFN take.</li></ul>

Large pharma’s bounce from the mostly ineffective Most- Favored-Nation (MFN) executive order was short-lived, as new CMS draft guidance for Medicare price negotiations threatened certain drug combos.President Trump’s MFN executive order lacked a clear plan to lower drug prices, with any immediate moves likely facing legal challenges.Listen to the WTR Biotech Flashcast for our MFN take.

Biopharma Week in Review MFN Fears Overdone but Medicare Negotiation Changes Reapplied Pressure

<ul><li>FDA Commissioner Martin Makary injected some regulatory optimism with his first public comments, advocating for accelerated drug approval pathways.</li><li>While biopharma headlines were a roller coaster, investors appeared ready to grasp any positive news, despite more signs of FDA dysfunction.</li><li>In an E&amp;Y report reviewed by Reuters, 25% pharma tariffs would increase drug costs by $51 billion, leading to either 12.9% higher prices or reductions in R&amp;D efforts and workforce. </li></ul>

FDA Commissioner Martin Makary injected some regulatory optimism with his first public comments, advocating for accelerated drug approval pathways.While biopharma headlines were a roller coaster, investors appeared ready to grasp any positive news, despite more signs of FDA dysfunction.In an E&amp;Y report reviewed by Reuters, 25% pharma tariffs would increase drug costs by $51 billion, leading to either 12.9% higher prices or reductions in R&amp;D efforts and workforce. 

Biopharma Week in Review: Makary Sparked FDA Optimism; Growing Pushback on HHS Changes

<ul><li>In a week of bad industry news, biopharma surprisingly held onto its bounce from recent two-year lows.</li><li>With pharma tariffs now expected by June and federal health agencies’ prospects looking worse, we may be close to peak negativity, but too much uncertainty remains for any confidence in a bottom.</li><li>In obesity, LLY had a win for an oral GLP-1, while PFE lost, affecting NVO, GPCR, VKTX, AMGN, MTSR, ALT, and TERN. VERV gained on CVD data and BMY’s heart drug failed, affecting CYTK and EWTX, while MURA stopped development.</li></ul>

In a week of bad industry news, biopharma surprisingly held onto its bounce from recent two-year lows.With pharma tariffs now expected by June and federal health agencies’ prospects looking worse, we may be close to peak negativity, but too much uncertainty remains for any confidence in a bottom.In obesity, LLY had a win for an oral GLP-1, while PFE lost, affecting NVO, GPCR, VKTX, AMGN, MTSR, ALT, and TERN. VERV gained on CVD data and BMY’s heart drug failed, affecting CYTK and EWTX, while MURA stopped development.

Biopharma Week in Review Shrugging Off Constant Bad News; LLY Winning Obesity Drug Race

<ul><li>Trump’s pick for CDC director, former Congressman Dave Weldon, had his nomination withdrawn just hours before the Senate committee hearing.</li><li>Weldon lacked sufficient support from Republicans to clear the committee, as he adhered to his anti-vaccine views more strongly than RFK Jr.</li><li>While vaccine makers (PFE, MRNA, BNTX, NVAX) rebounded briefly on the news, other federal actions kept the space under pressure, including the termination of NIH grants for research on vaccine hesitancy and uptake. </li></ul>

Trump’s pick for CDC director, former Congressman Dave Weldon, had his nomination withdrawn just hours before the Senate committee hearing.Weldon lacked sufficient support from Republicans to clear the committee, as he adhered to his anti-vaccine views more strongly than RFK Jr.While vaccine makers (PFE, MRNA, BNTX, NVAX) rebounded briefly on the news, other federal actions kept the space under pressure, including the termination of NIH grants for research on vaccine hesitancy and uptake. 

Biopharma Week in Review - March 17, 2025

United States

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is a global biopharmaceutical company. The Company develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, and sells pharmaceutical and nutritional products. Bristol-Myers Squibb products and experimental therapies address cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis, organ transplant  rejection, and psychiatric disorders.

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Bristol Myers Squibb Co (BMY US)

Biopharma Week in Review Large M&A and Licensing Deals Provide a Boost

Gene and cell therapy (NTLA, BEAM, CRSP) got a boost, as the heads of the HHS, FDA, CBER, NIH, and CDC expressed support for faster rare disease...

Water Tower Research

Biopharma Week in Review MFN Fears Overdone but Medicare Negotiation Changes Reapplied Pressure

President Trump’s MFN executive order lacked a clear plan to lower drug prices, with any immediate moves likely facing legal challenges.

Water Tower Research

Biopharma Week in Review: Makary Sparked FDA Optimism; Growing Pushback on HHS Changes

FDA Commissioner Martin Makary injected some regulatory optimism with his first public comments, advocating for accelerated drug approval pathways.

Water Tower Research

Biopharma Week in Review Shrugging Off Constant Bad News; LLY Winning Obesity Drug Race

With pharma tariffs now expected by June and federal health agencies’ prospects looking worse, we may be close to peak negativity, but too much...

Water Tower Research

Biopharma Week in Review - March 17, 2025

Trump’s pick for CDC director, former Congressman Dave Weldon, had his nomination withdrawn just hours before the Senate committee hearing.

Water Tower Research

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