BioBucks Newsletter
Dynavax lands in Sanofi’s cart, oral Wegovy gets the green light, and Medicare pricing carve-outs loom.
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Upfront Briefing
Sanofi is doing the year-end two-step: an agreed takeout of Dynavax to bulk up vaccines, plus an EU nod for Wayrilz in immune thrombocytopenia.
Meanwhile, the FDA signed off on Novo Nordisk’s oral Wegovy — a big milestone in the GLP-1 format race (no injections, no excuses).
On the policy front, some big pharma players with White House pricing deals may dodge new Medicare drug price demonstrations — which is one way to make “most favored nation” feel… selective.
Tape Action
| Instrument |
Last close |
1D % |
YTD % |
| S&P 500 |
6,909.8 |
0.5% |
17.5% |
| Nasdaq 100 |
25,587.8 |
0.5% |
21.8% |
| Russell 2000 |
2,541.1 |
(0.7%) |
13.9% |
| XBI (Biotech ETF) |
124.9 |
(0.8%) |
38.7% |
| Nasdaq Biotech |
5,803.6 |
(0.4%) |
34.6% |
| Clinical Trials ETF (BBC) |
39.5 |
(1.7%) |
65.0% |
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Risk was up, biotech was down: S&P 500 +0.5% green while XBI (0.8%) lagged.
- Biotech breadth leaned red, led lower by BBC (1.7%) as the day’s standout mover.
The Big 3
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Sanofi to acquire Dynavax, boosting vaccine pipeline
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Sanofi announced its intent to acquire Dynavax, which will add a marketed adult hepatitis B vaccine and a phase 1/2 shingles candidate to Sanofi's portfolio.
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Why it matters:
Sanofi is buying immediate vaccine cashflows (a marketed Hep B product) plus a pipeline shot on goal (shingles), reinforcing vaccines as a core growth pillar heading into 2026.
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Source:
PR
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FDA approves Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy for obesity
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The FDA has approved Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy, positioning the company strongly in the competitive obesity drug market and potentially expanding patient access.
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Why it matters:
Oral delivery lowers friction versus injectables and widens the addressable obesity pool—raising the ceiling for GLP-1 adoption while intensifying the race for manufacturing scale and payer coverage.
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Source:
BioPharma Dive
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Pharma companies may avoid Medicare drug price cuts
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Major pharmaceutical companies with White House pricing deals may be exempt from new Medicare drug price demonstrations, potentially impacting future drug pricing policy.
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Why it matters:
If “pricing-deal” signatories get carved out of the new demos, it reshapes incentives: some firms may trade voluntary concessions for policy insulation—while everyone else faces a tougher pricing backdrop.
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Source:
STAT
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More:
Endpoints
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Everything Else that broke
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Sanofi's Wayrilz approved in EU for immune thrombocytopenia. — PR
- Neurocrine's Valbenazine fails Phase III trial. — BioSpace
- Trump administration's vaccine schedule plan causes concern. — STAT
- Sanofi updates on tolebrutinib MS regulatory submission. — PR
- Pfizer reports patient death in Hemophilia A trial. — BioSpace
Deal Flow
M&A / BD&L
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Sanofi to acquire Dynavax, adding a marketed adult hepatitis B vaccine and a Phase 1/2 shingles candidate to its vaccines franchise. —
PR
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Windtree sells cardiovascular pipeline drug candidates. — PR
- Singlera Genomics signs European distribution agreement. — PR
VC / Private Financings
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Labcorp backs Cellens for bladder cancer test development. — Endpoints
IPOs / Follow-Ons
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No notable IPOs / follow-ons in the last 24 hours.
Academic Corner
- Vagus nerve-mediated neuroimmune modulation for rheumatoid arthritis: a pivotal randomized controlled trial. — Nature Medicine
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Happy holidays from the Biobucks Team … we’ll be taking a break for the long weekend but will be back next week!
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