Q3 Earnings Kick Off With J&J, Bluebird in Tough Spot, Novo-Catalent Deal Under Fire, More

It’s that time again: earnings season. Q3 calls started out with a bit of a snore from J&J, which did beat analyst expectations but announced no big shakeups or surprises. As expected, the company saw shrinking revenue for its blockbuster Stelara, which just lost to Lilly’s Omvoh in a head-to-head clinical trial in Crohn’s disease.

Last week, a concerning study was published regarding seven children who developed blood cancers after being treated with bluebird bio’s gene therapy Skysona. This publication comes at a time when the company is struggling to regain its share price, which has dropped below the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement. The bad news about Skysona also fits with another trend BioSpace covered this week: accelerated approvals gone wrong.

In other news, Sanofi is following some of its pharma peers and looking to sell its consumer healthcare unit. This follows similar moves from J&J, which spun off Kenvue last year, as well as GSK, Pfizer and others. And Senator Elizabeth Warren (Mass.-D) is upping the pressure on Novo in relation to its acquisition of Catalent, penning a letter to the Federal Trade Commission voicing concerns about the potential effects of such a deal, should it go through.

Finally, bispecific antibodies make a comeback in oncology.