Today's Pharma Pulse
CMS to launch Medicare GLP‑1 Bridge program with $50 monthly copay for obesity drugs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will start a short‑term demonstration on July 1 2026 offering eligible Part D beneficiaries a flat $50 monthly copay for three branded GLP‑1 obesity treatments. The program runs through December 31 2027 and aims to gather utilization data ahead of potential broader policy decisions.
Investment in UK Biotechs Shows Early Signs of Recovery, Report Says
Investment in UK biotechnology firms is rebounding after a mid‑2025 slowdown, according to the BioIndustry Association. In the first quarter of 2026, equity funding reached roughly $210 million, a 75% year‑over‑year rise. The number of deals climbed to 48, and the UK Life Sciences Investment Fund added £500 million (about $620 million) to the capital pool. Foreign investors now provide more than half of the funding, underscoring renewed global confidence.
Deregulation Accelerates AI Drug Discovery Across Borders
Two articles were just published in English featuring Insilico and my OpenClaw noticed. Here is an interesting story. In 2017, before going into China, we set up Insilico Korea and I spent a considerable amount of time there trying to...
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY): Among the Best Stocks to Buy While the Market Is Down
Eli Lilly announced a strategic acquisition of Kelonia Therapeutics for up to $7 billion, with $3.25 billion paid upfront and up to $3.75 billion in milestones. Kelonia’s in‑body CAR‑T platform, led by Phase 1 candidate KLN‑1010, expands Lilly’s oncology pipeline beyond its dominant weight‑loss franchise....
Blocking Gut “Signal Two” Expands Tregs, Curbs IBD
Blocking immune 'signal two' in the gut expands a specialized regulatory T cell population, suppressing intestinal inflammation and suggesting a new therapeutic approach for inflammatory bowel disease and related autoimmune conditions. immunology
Cornell Researchers Show Stem‑Cell Vesicles Halt Cellular Aging in Lab
Researchers at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine have shown that extracellular vesicles derived from embryonic stem cells can completely halt cellular senescence in cultured cells. The finding opens a new molecular pathway for anti‑aging interventions that biohackers and biotech...
FDA Greenlights First Ibogaine Derivative Trial and Fast‑tracks Three Psychedelics
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the inaugural human study of noribogaine, an ibogaine metabolite, for alcohol‑use disorder and awarded priority‑review vouchers to three psychedelic candidates targeting depression and PTSD. The actions follow President Donald Trump's executive order to...
FDA Grants Priority Review to Ifinatamab Deruxtecan for Treated Small Cell Lung Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has placed the B7‑H3‑directed antibody‑drug conjugate ifinatamab deruxtecan, co‑developed by Daiichi Sankyo and Merck, under priority review for patients with previously treated extensive‑stage small cell lung cancer. The agency set a Prescription Drug User...
NTLA Set to Unveil First In‑Vivo CRISPR Phase 3 Data
Here is a video of me entering my office tomorrow knowing that $NTLA is about to present the first-ever Phase 3 data of an In Vivo (!) CRISPR Gene Editing Program. Somehow - and after @adamfeuerstein’s🧵👇- I have a feeling...
StockWatch: Trump Order Lifts Psychedelic Drug Shares
President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14401, directing the FDA to accelerate research and grant Commissioner’s National Priority Vouchers (CNPVs) to breakthrough psychedelic therapies. The order also mandates the HHS to allocate at least $50 million through ARPA‑H to partner with...
Novartis Antimalarial Clears Key WHO Review to Get the Combo Drug to Babies
Novartis’s Coartem Baby, the first antimalarial specifically designed for infants, has cleared the World Health Organization’s pre‑qualification review, allowing public‑sector and donor agencies to procure the drug in regions lacking robust regulatory systems. The formulation, a liquid‑dissolvable, cherry‑flavored version of artemether‑lumefantrine,...
Team Finds Surprising Food Source for Tumors
University of Rochester researchers discovered that cancer cells, particularly breast tumors, consume the antioxidant glutathione as a primary fuel source. Analysis of tumor fluid revealed abundant glutathione, and preclinical experiments showed that inhibiting its uptake slows tumor growth. The team...
CVS Denies Planned Parenthood 'Strategic Partnership' Over Abortion Pill Access
CVS Health publicly rejected claims that it has a strategic partnership with Planned Parenthood of Greater New York to dispense the abortion pill mifepristone. The dispute follows the removal of partnership language from Planned Parenthood’s annual report and comes as...
Creative Biolabs Launches Integrated Microfluidic Platform for Neuron‑on‑a‑Chip and Cell Sorting
Creative Biolabs announced a new one‑stop microfluidic platform that merges neuron‑on‑a‑chip technology with cell‑sorting chips. The integrated service is designed to cut reagent waste, automate assays and deliver more physiologically relevant data for drug discovery, disease modeling and precision diagnostics.
FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Plixorafenib for BRAF‑Mutated Spinal Tumors
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted breakthrough therapy designation to Plixorafenib, an investigational BRAF inhibitor targeting adult patients with BRAF V600E‑mutated high‑grade glioma of the spine. Early data show a 67% response rate, prompting faster regulatory review. The...
Oruka Therapeutics to Host Conference Call to Report Week 16 Data for ORKA-001 From the Ongoing EVERLAST-A Trial on April...
Oruka Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ORKA) announced it will present Week 16 data from its EVERLAST‑A Phase 2a trial of ORKA‑001, an investigational antibody for moderate‑to‑severe plaque psoriasis. The results will be released on Monday, April 27, 2026, during an 8:00 a.m. ET conference call and webcast. ORKA‑001...
Popular Weight-Loss Drug May Cut Heart Attack Risk by 54%, New Studies Find
Recent studies show tirzepatide, the GLP‑1/GIP agonist behind Zepbound and Mounjaro, slashes major cardiovascular events by 54% in patients after angioplasty and cuts complications by roughly 30% after aortic valve replacement. The benefits persisted for at least a year, translating...
FDA Approves Eli Lilly's Foundayo, First New Oral Weight‑Loss Pill in Years
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Eli Lilly’s once‑daily oral weight‑loss pill, Foundayo, marking the first new molecular entity for obesity in years. Priced between $149 and $349 a month, the drug promises a simpler regimen that could broaden...
WHO Pushes Supranational Vaccine Approval System, Sparking Regulatory Debate
The World Health Organization is advancing a supranational mechanism that would use its Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to influence vaccine approvals inside sovereign states. The proposal, highlighted by a recent analysis, cites Israel’s first test case and raises questions about...
EMA Gives Redemplo (Plozasiran) Positive Opinion, Paving Way for EU Launch
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a positive opinion for Redemplo (plozasiran), an RNA interference therapy for severe hypertriglyceridemia. The opinion triggers a 67‑day window for the European Commission to grant final marketing...
Discovery of a Novel Vulnerability in Aggressive Lymphoma Could Change Future Therapy
Researchers at the University of Cologne’s Center for Molecular Medicine have identified the protein cFLIP as a critical driver of resistance in diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma (DLBCL), especially the ABC subtype. By overexpressing cFLIP, lymphoma cells block both intrinsic and...
‘Science Fiction’: How Life-Saving Organs Are Being Kept Alive Outside the Body
Organ shortages have driven a shift from static cold storage to active preservation methods. Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) keeps kidneys and livers metabolically active in a nutrient‑rich, oxygenated circuit, extending viable time outside the body. An Australian first double transplant...
Letter to the Editor: Standard Chemoradiotherapy with Concurrent and Adjuvant Camrelizumab in Patients with High Risk Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Multicentre, Randomised,...
A phase‑3 BMJ trial showed that adding the PD‑1 inhibitor camrelizumab to concurrent chemoradiotherapy and 17 cycles of adjuvant maintenance extended progression‑free survival in high‑risk nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but overall survival did not improve significantly (HR 0.59, P = 0.19) after a median 39.9‑month...
Consumer Biotech Poised to Dominate, Telehealth Captures Value
I’ve said this before: I believe consumer biotech will become the most compelling sub-sector within biotech - without question - and one of the most attractive investment opportunities overall. At its core, this category targets products that slow or reverse aging,...
AI's First Real Test: Designing Drugs at Isomorphic Labs
Isomorphic Labs Is About to Find Out If AI Can Actually Design a Drug https://t.co/vhQTwhIO85
WHO Flags Malaria in 80 Countries as Novartis Gains First Infant Treatment Prequalification
The World Health Organization confirmed that malaria remains endemic in 80 countries, accounting for 610,000 deaths in 2024, while Novartis secured WHO prequalification for Coartem Baby, the first malaria therapy specifically approved for newborns under 4.5 kg. Both developments underscore lingering...
MIB‑626 NMN Shows Lifespan Boost and New Mechanism
1. No living forever 🙈 2. Some MIB-626 (crystaline polymorph, pure NMN) human clinical trial results are in 😀 3. About to resubmit a revised mouse MIB-626 paper with Alice Kane, showing improved health measures + lifespan & a putative new mechanism...
GLP‑1s Spark Massive Consumer Biotech Revolution
GLP-1s have paved the way for massive consumer biotech Discussed in Lifespan and still rolling out as predicted
CIBRA Capital Places $21 Million Merger‑Arbitrage Bet on Amicus Therapeutics Ahead of BioMarin Deal
CIBRA Capital Ltd disclosed a $21.17 million purchase of 1,476,861 Amicus Therapeutics shares, raising its stake to 11.78% of the fund’s assets. The trade is a classic merger‑arbitrage play on BioMarin Pharmaceutical’s pending $14.50‑per‑share cash offer for Amicus. Analysts see the...
Nesprin‑2 Protein Blocks Heart Cancer, May Aid Other Tumors
Wondered why we don’t hear about heart cancer? Contraction-sensing Nesprin-2 protein is discovered to prevent heart cancer By causing cells to pulse (or adding in Nespirin) we might be able to treat cancer in other organs 👏 @ScienceMagazine https://t.co/A8fOuw31N2
KAIST Researchers Reveal How Graphene Oxide Kills Superbugs Without Harming Humans
A team from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) led by Prof. Sang Ouk Kim and Prof. Hyun Jung Chung identified how graphene oxide binds to bacterial membranes and destroys them, leaving human cells untouched. The discovery underpins...
EMA Gives Positive Opinion to Itvisma Gene Therapy for SMA
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a positive opinion on Itvisma (onasemnogene abeparvovec), a one‑time gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy type 1. The recommendation puts the therapy on a fast track to EU...
Weekly Reads: $1B+ Neurona Acquisition, Cells + Organs = Better Transplant?, DAXX in Germ Cells, KRAS
UCB announced a strategic acquisition of Neurona Therapeutics for over $1 billion, including a $650 million cash payment. The deal brings Neurona’s lead cell‑therapy candidate NRTX‑1001, a line of engineered inhibitory interneurons targeting drug‑resistant epilepsy, into UCB’s pipeline. The acquisition signals UCB’s...
Merck Inks $1 B Multi‑year AI Pact with Google Cloud
Merck has sealed a multi‑year, up‑to‑$1 billion partnership with Google Cloud to embed its Gemini Enterprise AI suite across the drugmaker’s research, manufacturing, commercial and corporate functions. The deal will touch roughly 75,000 Merck employees and aims to turn the company...
Keck Medicine and Tempus AI Launch AI‑Powered Precision Medicine Across USC Health Network
Keck Medicine of USC and data‑science firm Tempus AI announced a strategic partnership to embed AI‑driven precision‑medicine tools across the University of Southern California health system. The collaboration will touch more than 1.5 million patient visits each year and focus on...
EU Reform Expands Biosimilar Access and Shortens Originator Exclusivity
The European Union secured a political agreement in December 2025 on a pharmaceutical legislation reform that expands the Bolar exemption and revises the exclusivity framework for biologics and biosimilars. The changes aim to accelerate biosimilar market entry and intensify competition, potentially...
WHO Launches First Global Tuberculosis Vaccine Accelerator Forum, April 27‑28 2026
The World Health Organization will host the inaugural global Tuberculosis Vaccine Accelerator Forum on April 27‑28, 2026, gathering health leaders, funders, and vaccine developers to review progress and set a roadmap for novel TB vaccines. The two‑day summit aims to...
Cleveland Clinic Trial Shows Pulsed Field Ablation Cuts Recurrence in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
A Cleveland Clinic‑led study of 388 patients demonstrated that pulsed field ablation (PFA) as a first‑line therapy for persistent atrial fibrillation lowered one‑year arrhythmia recurrence compared with standard antiarrhythmic drugs. The findings, presented at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting, could...
HIV Medication Reverses Epigenetic Aging Markers in First Human Proof-of-Concept Trial
A proof‑of‑concept trial found that the HIV pre‑exposure drug FTC/TAF (Descovy) significantly reduced several epigenetic aging clocks in healthy adults, with declines of up to 3.4 years in heart, brain and metabolic markers. The molecular data showed an improved immune...
Johnson & Johnson Joins TrumpRX
Johnson & Johnson has begun offering three branded diabetes drugs—Invokamet, Invokamet XR and Invokana—and the blood‑thinner Xarelto on the government‑run TrumpRX site and its own JNJ Direct platform. All three diabetes products are priced at $225, a 62% cut from...
How Blood-Based Brain Biomarkers Predict Alzheimer’s Progression
Recent research highlights plasma phosphorylated tau217 (p‑tau217) as the most accurate blood‑based marker for forecasting Alzheimer’s disease, achieving up to 96% diagnostic precision. Elevated p‑tau217, together with GFAP, neurofilament light chain and low amyloid‑beta ratios, predicts incident dementia, while obesity...
Stanford Researchers Cure Type‑1 Diabetes in Mice with Low‑Toxicity Stem‑Cell Transplant
Stanford Medicine scientists announced a combined blood‑stem‑cell and pancreatic‑islet transplant that cured or prevented type‑1 diabetes in all treated mice without chronic immunosuppression. The protocol uses a reduced pre‑conditioning regimen, creating a mixed immune system that tolerates donor tissue, and...
Merck Launches Idvynso as Kailera Therapeutics Sets Record $625M Biotech IPO
Merck received FDA clearance on April 21 for Idvynso, a once‑daily, integrase‑free HIV switch pill, and Kailera Therapeutics raised $625 million in the largest biotech IPO ever, reshaping both therapeutic options and capital markets.
Assessing the Roche Acquisition of SAGA Diagnostics and the Future of Molecular Residual Disease Monitoring
Roche has agreed to acquire Sweden‑based SAGA Diagnostics for up to $595 million, adding the ultra‑sensitive Pathlight™ MRD platform to its Foundation Medicine portfolio. Pathlight tracks tumor‑specific structural variants in circulating DNA, achieving sub‑one‑part‑per‑million detection limits and a 13.7‑month lead time...
New Cytometer Measures Cell Stiffness to Improve Disease Diagnosis
Researchers at Brown University and NIST introduced a mechanophenotyping cytometer that gauges cell stiffness via time‑of‑flight measurements in microfluidic channels. The device can analyze 60–100 cells per second, dramatically outpacing atomic force microscopy’s one‑cell‑per‑30‑seconds rate. By linking travel time to...
ISS Crew Advances Cancer and Heart Therapies with Microgravity Experiments
NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station conducted biotechnology experiments on Thursday, processing heart stem cells and pneumonia‑causing bacteria to study heart damage, and testing cancer‑therapy concepts in microgravity. The work, led by flight engineer Jessica Meir, seeks molecular insights...
Natural Compound Obakulactone Shows Therapeutic Potential for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Researchers have identified obakulactone, a natural tetracyclic triterpenoid from Phellodendri cortex, as a promising therapeutic for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In a CFA‑induced rat model, oral dosing (50‑200 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹) over 21 days markedly reduced joint swelling, restored cartilage integrity, and modulated immune...
Nanophotonic Chips Finally Make the Proteome Visible
We sequence genomes and map transcriptomes with ease. Why is the proteome still invisible? Proteins are where biology actually happens. But until now, we have lacked the tools to read them at scale. @jendionne and her team are building nanophotonic chips that...
Russian Gene Therapy Claims to Extend Life to 150
Russian scientist in bombshell ageing drug claim after Putin discussed 'living to 150' The Russian gene-therapy treatment could benefit Putin and his inner circle. https://t.co/dunqBJEPxN https://t.co/sH2GNbRqSs
Deuruxolitinib Demonstrates Consistent Efficacy, Early Hair Regrowth in Severe Alopecia Areata
Deuruxolitinib (Leqselvi), an oral JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor from Sun Pharma, demonstrated robust efficacy in two pooled Phase 3 trials (THRIVE‑AA1 and THRIVE‑AA2) involving 867 adults with severe alopecia areata. At 24 weeks, 31% of treated patients achieved a SALT score of 20...
MASH Cirrhosis Trials Lack Consistent End Points
A new systematic review of phase 2 and 3 trials for metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatohepatitis (MASH) cirrhosis finds that endpoint selection is highly variable, with most studies relying on histologic improvement and few incorporating patient‑centered outcomes. The analysis identified only nine eligible...