Each week we highlight five things affecting the life sciences industry. Here’s the latest.
Heart devices lead medtech’s summer financing surge
- Per MedTech Dive, venture capital funding in medtech rebounded strongly in 2025, with summer financings heavily focused on new heart devices such as pulsed field ablation and fluid management systems.
- Additional funding also flowed to neuromodulation and other device categories, highlighting broad investor confidence in next-generation medical technologies.
FDA approves first drug for chronic lung disease
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Brinsupri, the first oral treatment for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, a chronic condition affecting up to half a million adults, according to Reuters.
- Clinical trials showed the drug significantly reduced respiratory symptoms, with both approved doses priced at $88,000 annually.
Biopharma layoffs surge in 2025 amid restructuring pressures
- Biopharma layoffs in 2025 have already exceeded 13,000 by July, a 31% increase from the same point last year, as companies face patent expirations, trial failures and regulatory changes, reports PharmaVoice.
- Both large pharma and biotech firms are cutting staff, with reasons ranging from pipeline reprioritization to funding shortfalls, signaling ongoing restructuring likely to extend into 2026.
Biotech market recovers to new normal
- After a turbulent start to 2025 marked by regulatory upheaval, layoffs and market fluctuations, the private biotech sector is stabilizing. Investors are cautiously optimistic, especially in areas like cardiorenal, oncology and neuropsychology, while remaining wary of vaccines and gene therapies due to regulatory uncertainty, reports Fierce Biotech.
- Venture capital is now favoring biotech’s closer to clinical stages, with strong interest in high-need therapeutic areas. Meanwhile, Big Pharma is actively acquiring private biotech assets to offset looming patent cliffs, fueling deal activity despite a stalled initial public offering market.
Biggest shake-up in UK type 2 diabetes care in a decade
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) draft guidelines proposed a major overhaul in type 2 diabetes care by prioritizing SGLT-2 inhibitors as first-line treatments and expanding access to GLP-1 receptor agonists, aiming to prevent complications such as heart failure and kidney disease.
- The guidelines also introduced personalized treatment plans based on individual health profiles and conditions, with the goal of saving nearly 22,000 lives if 90% uptake is achieved, writes NICE.
For more insights in life sciences, check out RSM’s industry outlook.
