Good Day BIO: M&As can help patients – and bird flu's on the rise

A small biotech tells the FTC how M&As can help advance innovation for patients—and a rise in bird flu, including in the U.S., tells us that it’s time to advance gene editing and One Health. (591 words, 2 minutes, 57 seconds)

M&As can help patients, says small biotech

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a listening forum yesterday on the impact of mergers and acquisitions on a range of sectors—including biotech—and solicit input on how to modernize guidelines to detect and prevent “anti-competitive deals.” 

The context: In the midst of an “ongoing merger surge” and supply chain challenges, the FTC and Justice Department’s Antitrust Division launched a joint public inquiry “aimed at strengthening enforcement against illegal mergers,” as “many industries across the economy are becoming more concentrated and less competitive.” 

“I care a lot about making sure that we have markets in which new businesses can enter and innovate and grow,” said Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter during yesterday’s forum. “I care a lot about making sure that people have access to affordable, accessible food and drugs,” without the “scarcity” and “price gouging” that she said can result from consolidation and efficiencies. 

But the FTC should not block the acquisition of small biotechs by larger pharmaceutical companies, said Sheila Mikhail, Co-Founder and CEO of AskBio, the gene therapy company (and BIO member) developing therapeutics for Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, late-stage heart failure, and more. 

AskBio was acquired by Bayer Pharmaceutical (also a BIO member) at the end of December 2020—and this led to many benefits for the company, including financial security, the ability to combine synergistic technologies, and to leverage Bayer’s expertise in disease, clinical trials, and regulatory issues. 

AskBio’s acquisition by Bayer has led to “innovative drugs for patients,” she explained, allowing AskBio to continue R&D despite market conditions, improve the potency and safety of their drugs, and meet unmet patient needs. 

You can watch a recording of the forum here (with AskBio’s remarks starting around 38:00).  

Hundreds of birds washing ashore in Martha’s Vineyard is the latest evidence of the rise in avian flu worldwide—and of the need to advance biotech solutions to help keep birds, humans, and the economy healthy.

What’s happening: “This year’s outbreak of the H5N1 virus has resulted in the deaths of nearly 400,000 wild birds worldwide,” reports The New York Times.

What they’re saying: “The geographic extent of detection, the number of species that we’re getting with detections, the amount of disease we’re seeing in wild birds, this is all unprecedented,” U.S. Geological Survey research wildlife geneticist Andy Ramey told the New York Times. “It’s unknown territory and hard to know what to expect.” 

Don’t say we didn’t warn you…While the risk to the general public is currently still low, the CDC earlier this year warned that certain groups could be at risk of exposure—and if avian flu hits poultry farms, it could cost the sector tens of millions of dollars.

With gene editing, scientists are able to make chicken embryos resistant to bird flu and other deadly diseases—but this biotech faces hurdles including public misconceptions and regulatory challenges, we reported last year. 

In the meantime, we need a One Health approach—which can stop outbreaks by recognizing the links between the health of animals, humans, and the planet.

More in Bio.News: Deadly bird flu has knock-on effect on people

President Biden’s Wednesday: Delivering remarks on gas prices at 2 PM ET, where he’s expected to call for suspending the federal gas tax, per reports. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Bipartisan Senators have reached a “breakthrough” on gun safety legislation, which includes millions for mental health services, reports The Hill. U.S. Trade Rep. Ambassador Katherine Tai will appear before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.