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Heather McKenzie

Heather McKenzie

Senior Editor

Heather McKenzie is a professional journalist with more than five years experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Since joining BioSpace, she has written more than 200 features and breaking news articles with a particular focus in neuroscience and gene therapy. She has also traveled internationally to cover global biotech hubs such as Israel. In previous roles, she has covered current affairs, sports, education and politics. She previously spent eight years as a senior content producer for executive-level business conferences in the pharma/biotech, legal, energy and business strategy sectors. In her free time, Heather enjoys creative writing, spending time with family and playing with her energetic Russian Blue cat Roofus. She hails from Toronto and has also lived in Chicago and Chesapeake, Virginia. You can reach her at heather.mckenzie@biospace.com.

3D Illustration of Human Heart Anatomy
Cardiovascular disease
Alnylam’s Amvuttra Approved as First RNAi Silencer for Rare Type of Cardiomyopathy
The FDA approval of Alnylam’s Amvuttra sets up a three-way race with Pfizer and BridgeBio, which both market transthyretin stabilizers for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.
March 20, 2025
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8 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Dorval, Quebec, Canada - September 3, 2021: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. head office building in Dorval, Quebec, Canada. Novartis is a global healthcare company based in Switzerland.
Spinal muscular atrophy
Novartis’ Intrathecal Zolgensma Effective in Older Children
After bringing Zolgensma to market in 2019 as the first gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, Novartis is back with an intrathecal formulation intended for older patients.
March 19, 2025
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Podcasts
Sarepta’s Elevidys Death, FDA’s Vaccine Move, Weldon Whiplash, PDUFAs in Cardio
Sarepta will update Elevidys’ label after a patient died following treatment; the FDA issues flu vaccine recommendations without advisor input; Trump CDC nominee Dave Weldon pulled at last minute; and FDA decisions expected for Alnylam’s Amvuttra in ATTR-CM and Milestone’s etripamil in tachycardia.
March 19, 2025
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Podcasts
COVID Reflections, Novo’s Next-Gen Weight Loss Struggles, Another Depression Miss, More
BioSpace remembers COVID-19 five years after the pandemic was declared, Novo Nordisk’s CagriSema again misses expectations as the company joins a lawsuit filed by drug compounders against the FDA, Viking secures ample supply of its investigational obesity medication, J&J strikes out in depression, and Makary and Bhattacharya near confirmation.
March 12, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Man with medical or hygienic mask standing over dead covid 19 or Corona virus raised their hand to win the Covic-19 or Coronavirus, At last mankind will win and survive over the virus concept
Editorial
The Shape of a Pandemic: Boom, Bust and Recover
As we reflect on five years of COVID-19, it’s clear that the impacts are still unfolding. The life sciences—and we as individuals—will never be the same again.
March 11, 2025
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6 min read
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Jef Akst
Modern collage with human heart and hands stock illustration
Cardiovascular disease
Deep Dive: Cardiovascular Disease Back in the Spotlight
In this deep dive, BioSpace explores the diverse therapeutic modalities now in development, as well as the opportunities and battles for market dominance in this emerging space.
March 10, 2025
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: Novavax/Getty Images, STR/NurPhoto
COVID-19
Novavax Applies Lessons Learned From Turbulent COVID-19 Experience
As sales of its COVID vaccine plummet, Novavax is looking ahead toward other novel vaccines, brought to market with the help of the company’s pharma partners—something it opted not to do as the pandemic swept the globe in 2020.
March 10, 2025
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Editorial
FDA Weathers Bait-and-Switch Storm as Staff and Sites Come and Go
Marty Makary, likely FDA commissioner under President Trump, appeared before Congress this week as the agency he’s set to lead continues to be rocked by sweeping changes and about-faces.
March 7, 2025
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3 min read
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Jef Akst
Podcasts
Tariff Threat Continues, More Meetings Cancelled, AbbVie Makes Obesity Play, More
Pfizer reacts to Donald Trump’s tariff threats on big pharma, another regulatory meeting is canceled under RFK Jr., AbbVie and Eli Lilly strike mid-sized deals in obesity and molecular glues, priority review vouchers set to take a hit and immuno-oncology matures.
March 5, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Rear view businessman in front of many different doors choosing one. Difficult decision, important choice, failure or success concept. Decisive ways to unknown future, business opportunity symbol.
Cancer
The Search for the Next Keytruda: Immuno-Oncology’s Next Play
More than a decade after Merck’s Keytruda and BMS’ Yervoy ushered in the immuno-oncology revolution, the space is at a crossroads, with experts highlighting novel targets, combinations and pre-emptive immunization as the next wave for IO.
March 3, 2025
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7 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Editorial
Transparency Missing in Action at HHS Despite Leaders’ Calls for Clarity
In the five weeks since Donald Trump returned as U.S. president, the FDA, NIH and CDC have been thrown into disarray, with meetings regarding vaccines and rare diseases canceled or indefinitely postponed—all without a clear reason why.
February 28, 2025
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4 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Podcast
Trump’s Pharma Tariffs, Another GLP-1 Compounding Lawsuit, Bluebird’s Bailout, More
As FDA seeks to rehire some fired employees, Donald Trump threatens to enact tariffs on pharma companies unless they reshore manufacturing; another lawsuit hits the complex GLP-1 compounding space as Eli Lilly offers expanded Zepbound options; and struggling gene therapy biotech bluebird bio goes private in an attempt to stay solvent.
February 26, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Ribonucleic acid strands consisting of nucleotides important for protein bio-synthesis - 3d illustration
Drug Development
RNA Editing Hits the Clinic, Fueling New Hope for Rare and Common Diseases
With the modality now in early clinical trials, experts say more efficiency, broader editing capabilities and delivery breakthroughs are needed to propel RNA editing to the next stage.
February 24, 2025
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: bluebird bio logo on wall/device, courtesy of Pavlo Gonchar
Mergers & acquisitions
Bluebird, Facing Cash Crunch, To Go Private In Deal Valued at $30M
The proposed acquisition by global investment firms Carlyle and SK Capital Partners could net shareholders $3 per share plus potential CVR dollars and provide bluebird bio with primary capital to expand the commercial reach of its gene therapies.
February 21, 2025
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3 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Silver Spring, MD, USA 11/10/2020: Exterior view of the headquarters of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This federal agency approves medications, vaccines and food additives for human use.
FDA
FDA Reels From ‘Indiscriminate’ Job Cuts Under Trump as Biopharma Appeals for Clarity
Morale is low at the FDA, which was hit with layoffs this week following RFK Jr.’s confirmation. Biopharma leaders and agency insiders fear further workforce cuts could delay new medicines.
February 20, 2025
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
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