CRISPR Setbacks, Vaccine Policy Reversed, and an Oral Antibiotic Breakthrough — This Week in Biotech #54

In this week’s recap, we spotlight three biotech stories that reveal where the sector is headed, both the promise and the pitfalls:

• Gene therapy trials stumble hard: Intellia’s in vivo CRISPR trial was hit with a serious liver toxicity case, sending shares tumbling and reigniting concerns over editing DNA inside the body. But the real blow came for Rocket Pharma, which saw a patient death trigger an FDA clinical hold and a 60% stock drop. Safety remains the field’s biggest challenge.

• CDC reverses COVID vaccine guidance: Under new leadership from RFK Jr., the CDC will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy kids and pregnant women. The move was praised by skeptics and blasted by the medical community, who warned it undermines trust in science and public health.

• A win for antibiotic innovation: GSK and Spero reported that their oral UTI drug matched IV antibiotics in a phase 3 trial, prompting an early stop for efficacy. If approved, it would be the first oral carbapenem in the U.S., a potential game-changer for patients with drug-resistant infections. Shares of Spero surged 250%.

Thanks for tuning in. I’ll be back next week with more biotech news you need to know.