News Updates
Tracking Rare Disease Drug Development Challenges Amid a Shifting Policy Environment
Rare diseases are defined as those which affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. Despite advancements in rare disease research and development due to incentives created in the Orphan Drug Act more than 40 years ago, many rare diseases still lack effective treatments due to the complex science and limited market incentives involved in their development. Of the 10,000+ known rare diseases, less than 10% have an FDA-approved treatment. The Inflation Reduction Act's healthcare provisions are an example of policies that discourage investment in rare disease treatments, leading to discontinued research, layoffs, and ultimately delayed treatments for patients. Incubate's Rare Disease Investment Tracker measures the impacts of a challenging policy environment on rare disease R&D.
Pyxis Oncology
Layoffs
Boston, MA
1-50 employees
20% reduction in workforce.
Sutro Biopharma
Layoffs
South San Francisco, CA
201-500 employees
Reducing headcount by nearly 50 percent.
Kiromic Biopharma
Layoffs
Houston, TX
1-50 employees
Furloughed substantially all of its workforce.
Atea Pharmaceuticals
Layoffs
Boston, MA
51-200 employees
25% reduction in workforce.
ALX Oncology
Layoffs
San Francisco, CA
51-200 employees
ALX Oncology, a Bay Area biotech firm currently running clinical trials for its anticancer therapy, announced Wednesday that it’s laying off about 30% of its staff.
CRISPR Therapeutics
Layoffs
Switzerland
51-200 employees
Laying off an undisclosed number of employees.
Lava Therapeutics
Layoffs
Netherlands
51-200 employees
Laying off 30% of its staff.
Encoded Therapeutics
Layoffs
South San Francisco, CA
51-200 employees
29% reduction in workforce, mostly in technology and early-stage R&D functions.
X4 Pharmaceuticals
Layoffs
Boston, MA
51-200 employees
43 employees laid off. All pre-clinical programs paused.
Bristol Myers Squibb
Layoffs
Princeton, NJ
10,001-50,000 employees
67 employees laid off in New Jersey.