Today's Pharma Pulse
Ona lands $86.6M Series B, one of Spain’s biggest biotech rounds
Spanish biotech firm Ona announced an $86.6 million Series B financing, ranking among the largest venture rounds in Spain’s life‑science sector this year. The round was led by Seventure Partners with participation from existing backers and new strategic investors. The funding will be used to scale Ona’s AI‑driven drug discovery platform and accelerate its pre‑clinical programs.
Why Do Weight Loss Drugs Work For Some And Not Others? It’s In The Genes
New research links genetic variants in the GLP‑1 and GIP receptors to the wide range of responses seen with obesity drugs. A common GLP‑1 receptor allele adds about 1.7 lb of weight loss per copy, while a GIP‑receptor variant eliminates the nausea‑buffer, increasing severe vomiting risk up to 15‑fold. The GLP‑1 variant occurs in roughly 40 % of people of European and Middle Eastern ancestry and is less frequent in other groups. These findings suggest genetics could soon personalize dosing and drug selection for weight‑loss therapy.
#AACR26 Preview: Revolution Medicines, the RAS Bonanza and China ADC Standouts
Revolution Medicines unveiled a pan‑RAS inhibitor that doubled overall survival for patients with recurrent or treatment‑resistant pancreatic cancer. The Phase 2 trial reported a median overall survival of roughly 12 months versus six months with standard chemotherapy. Data were presented at...
New Treatment Lets 3 Transplant Patients Halt Anti-Rejection Drugs
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh infused donor‑derived immune cells into liver‑transplant recipients, aiming to induce immune tolerance. In an early‑stage trial of eight patients, three have remained off immunosuppressive drugs for over three years with stable graft function. The...
AI‑Driven Trials Could Propel India’s Pharma Leaders
One of the most amazing encounters at Semafor World Economy was with Satish Reddy of Dr. @bindureddy's Laboratories , the largest or second largest pharma company in India, depending on how you look at it. Now, they are also looking...
Human‑scale Data Aims to Close Drug Trial Gap
90% of drugs that enter clinical trials fail. A big part of why: the models they're based on weren't trained on human biology. Mouse data, non-representative cell lines, sparse perturbation coverage. The gap between in silico predictions and what actually happens...
Adaptogen Supplements May Ease Stress and Anxiety and Boost Sleep Quality: RCT
A randomized, double‑blind trial of 186 stressed adults showed that both a multi‑herb adaptogen blend and a full‑spectrum ashwagandha extract significantly lowered perceived stress and improved sleep quality compared with placebo. The multi‑herb formula produced stronger, sustained mood benefits, while...
Establishing Impurity Specifications for Antibiotics
The FDA released a draft Level 1 guidance titled “Establishing Impurity Specifications for Antibiotics.” It offers non‑binding recommendations on setting organic impurity limits for antibiotics produced by fermentation or semi‑synthesis. The guidance applies to new drug applications, abbreviated new drug applications,...
Morgan Stanley Updates Bicycle Therapeutics Plc (BCYC) Outlook Amid Pipeline Refocus
Morgan Stanley cut its price target for Bicycle Therapeutics plc (BCYC) to $12 from $13 while maintaining an Equal‑Weight rating, citing the company’s strategic refocus on BT5528 and next‑generation Bicycle conjugate programs. The revision also reflects a roughly 30% workforce...
Mizuho Sees Strong Risk-Reward in Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (CRBP) Near Cash Value
Mizuho Securities raised its price target on Corbus Pharmaceuticals (CRBP) to $40 from $39 and kept an Outperform rating after the company’s Q4 results. The broker noted the stock is trading close to Corbus’s cash balance, implying limited downside risk....
STAT+: FDA Eyes Expanding Testosterone Therapy for Libido
The FDA is reviewing data that could broaden testosterone‑replacement therapy to include low libido as an approved indication, a move that would extend the drug’s market beyond hypogonadism. If cleared, the label change could add roughly $1.5 billion in annual U.S....
Lilly’s Foundayo Reaches 1,390 Patients in First Week, Trailing Novo’s Oral Wegovy Launch
Eli Lilly’s newly approved oral obesity drug Foundayo recorded 1,390 prescriptions in its first two days, a modest start compared with Novo Nordisk’s oral Wegovy, which logged over 3,000 patients in its inaugural week. RBC Capital Markets noted the timing difference—Foundayo launched...
MD Pharmaceutical Supply, LLC - 637815 - 04/13/2026
The FDA has finished reviewing MD Pharmaceutical Supply’s corrective actions taken after a warning letter issued in November 2022. The agency concluded that the company appears to have addressed the cited deviations, but it emphasized that future inspections will assess...
Biovac Gets $108M Backing for Vaccine Factory in South Africa
Biovac announced that its new vaccine manufacturing complex in Cape Town has secured $108 million in financing from the European Investment Bank, the European Commission, and the International Finance Corporation. The plant is designed to produce up to 400 million doses per...
Revolution Medicines' Buyout Price Soars After Pancreatic Cancer Win
Revolution Medicines announced positive Phase 3 data for its pancreatic cancer candidate, showing a statistically significant survival benefit. The breakthrough lifted the company’s market value from roughly $30 billion to an estimated $45 billion, reigniting speculation of a mega‑buyout. Investors rushed in, sending...
FDA's Proposed Peptide Rule Change Boosts Hims & Hers, Sends Mixed Signals Across Pharma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a review to lift 12 peptides from Category 2 restrictions, prompting a 9% jump in Hims & Hers stock and sparking broader industry debate over compounded peptide therapies.
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About Lilly Weight Loss Pill Trial Results, Slashed U.K. Clinical Trial Times, and More
Researchers led by Richard DiMarchi and Matthias Tschöp reported a novel GIP‑glucagon dual agonist that may achieve weight loss comparable to GLP‑1 drugs without the typical nausea and vomiting. In parallel, Eli Lilly announced that its new obesity pill Foundayo lowered...
Abbott Beats Q1 Sales, Raises FY26 Outlook After Exact Sciences Deal
Abbott Laboratories reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $11.16 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $1.15, a 6% year‑over‑year rise. The company updated full‑year guidance to 6.5%‑7.5% comparable sales growth and $5.38‑$5.58 adjusted EPS, reflecting the $3 billion sales contribution and $0.20...
MD Pharmaceutical Supply, LLC - 637815 - 11/22/2022
The FDA issued a warning letter to MD Pharmaceutical Supply, LLC after an April‑May 2022 inspection uncovered multiple CGMP violations at its Hanover, PA drug repackaging facility. The agency cited failures to investigate returned API complaints, inadequate temperature and humidity...
Therapy for Brain Injuries in Infants Bags Funding: Is the First HIE Drug on the Way?
ReAlta Life Sciences raised $40 million to finish its phase 2 STAR trial of pegtarazimod, a first‑in‑class drug that blocks both complement C1 and neutrophil pathways to treat hypoxic‑ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in newborns. HIE affects about 8,000 U.S. infants annually, causing 15‑20%...
Alamar Biosciences Upsizes IPO, Raises $191.3 M to Accelerate Cell‑Based Drug Discovery
Alamar Biosciences priced an upsized initial public offering of 11.25 million shares at $17 each, generating $191.3 million in gross proceeds. The capital will fund the expansion of its cell‑based drug discovery platform, positioning the company for broader partnerships and a Nasdaq...
Medicare Can Save $4 Billion On Four Cancer Drugs – Can You Guess Which Ones?
The Inflation Reduction Act authorizes Medicare to negotiate drug prices, starting with ten high‑spending products and expanding each year. By targeting four oncology drugs—Pomalyst, Ibrance, Xtandi and Imbruvica—Medicare could save over $4 billion, with Imbruvica alone offering more than $1 billion in...
Stakeholders Urge Labor Department to Finalize PBM Transparency Rule
Employers, lawmakers and patient groups urged the Labor Department to finalize a rule that forces pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to disclose detailed compensation data, including rebates and spread‑pricing. The DOL’s proposal, released in January, would require PBMs to share dollar‑level...
Obesity, GLP-1s, and Metabolic Care
In an interview, hVIVO’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Thomas Forst explains how GLP‑1 receptor agonists have reshaped obesity treatment by targeting metabolic dysfunction rather than just weight loss. He highlights that these drugs reduce cardiovascular events, improve renal outcomes and...
Metformin Misses Target in Type 1 Diabetes Trial
As a medical school professor, I love when medicine humbles us. Metformin has been around for a century. We thought we understood it. We were wrong. A new clinical trial gave metformin to people with type 1 diabetes -- not type 2....
Inside Moderna's Vision: Trust, Safety, and mRNA Future
Awesome to see @WSITYpod interview @moderna_tx president Stephen Hoge A great and wide reaching interview about trust, mRNA vaccines, spike protein, adverse events and what the future of mRNA technology is A candidate interview worth listening too.
RFK Jr. Defends Makary, Claims Pharma ‘Owns’ Congress and Media
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended FDA Commissioner Marty Makary during a Ways and Means Committee hearing, praising the agency’s recent drug‑approval record and rejecting criticism from the pharmaceutical industry. He highlighted the FDA’s decision to reject Replimune’s oncolytic...
AP-1 Activation Emerges as New Cancer Resistance Target
The knowledge of the many mechanisms by which cancer proves resistant to treatments keeps expanding. This week @Nature highlights activation of the AP-1 transcription factors, representing a new target https://t.co/UWSYDFM0IK https://t.co/6l4TISQonQ
Gut Microbiome Predicts Melanoma Recurrence Post-Immunotherapy
Gut microbiome markers predict recurrence of cancer after immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma @CellCellPress https://t.co/k5YuNnqfvt https://t.co/9UbuNAcYJh
NIH Researchers Discover Pain-Relieving Drug with Minimal Addictive Properties
NIH scientists have identified a novel nitazene‑derived opioid, DFNZ, that delivers potent, two‑hour pain relief in rats without causing respiratory depression, tolerance or significant withdrawal. The compound briefly enters the brain yet sustains analgesia, and unlike traditional opioids it fails...
Lilly's Obesity Pill Gains Momentum; OpenAI Launches Discovery Tool
Lilly’s obesity pill off to a strong start; OpenAI debuts new drug discovery tool https://t.co/upwygATKAv $LLY $GILD $JANX #biotech
Ribupatide Must Shine; Late GLP‑1 Faces Market Hurdles
All I'm going to say is that ribupatide needs to be a helluva drug for any of this to make sense. A me-too GLP-1 coming in a decade late seems like a big commercial challenge. $KLRA https://t.co/MAmA5f6FZ8
LEO Pharma’s Enstilar Receives the NMPA Approval for Plaque Psoriasis
LEO Pharma’s topical aerosol foam Enstilar, combining calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate, received approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration for adult plaque psoriasis. The approval follows a Phase III trial of 604 Chinese patients that demonstrated superior efficacy and safety versus...
Join Dr. Robert Califf on Future of Drug Regulation
We are so excited to host Dr. Robert Califf on April 20th, 2026, at 3pm EST. From leading the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to shaping the future of clinical research and drug regulation, Dr. Califf has been at the center...
Friday Hope: Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA): Inhibits Spike Entry, Reduces Proinflammatory Markers in COVID and Improves Symptomology in Long COVID
Recent peer‑reviewed studies demonstrate that palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), a naturally occurring lipid, can block SARS‑CoV‑2 spike protein entry, cut viral replication by roughly 70%, and lower key inflammatory biomarkers in acute COVID‑19 patients. A separate real‑world cohort shows PEA supplementation markedly...
Novo May Have Muscle Advantage over Lilly in Weight-Loss Race: Preprint
A new medRxiv pre‑print analyzing nearly 8,000 GLP‑1 patients finds Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide preserves lean body mass better than Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, despite the latter delivering greater overall weight loss. In the first year, 6.7% of semaglutide users fell into a...
Expanded Access to Investigational Drugs for Treatment Use: Questions and Answers
The FDA issued a final Level 1 guidance titled “Expanded Access to Investigational Drugs for Treatment Use: Questions and Answers,” originally released in June 2016 and updated in October 2017. The document consolidates frequently asked questions about the 2009‑enacted expanded‑access regulations under 21 CFR part 312...
Connecticut Judge Refuses to Hit Pause in Multistate Generic-Drug Antitrust Fight
A federal judge in Connecticut denied a request to pause the multistate antitrust lawsuit accusing generic‑drug manufacturers of price‑fixing. The ruling keeps the coordinated MDL active while settlement discussions continue, preserving litigation pressure on the defendants. The case is a...
Policy Watch: FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Genome-Editing Safety
The FDA released a draft guidance urging sponsors to use next‑generation sequencing to evaluate off‑target effects of CRISPR‑Cas9 and other gene‑editing therapies, recommending short‑read or long‑read approaches based on the type of DNA alteration. The guidance dovetails with a February...
Can an LSD Candidate Do for Anxiety What Spravato Did for Depression?
Johnson & Johnson’s 2019 Spravato approval unlocked the pharmaceutical market for psychedelics, proving they can become blockbuster drugs. Definium Therapeutics is now advancing DT120, an LSD‑based candidate for generalized anxiety disorder, after phase 2 data showed a 78% clinical response and...
New Bioengineered Patch Makes Its Own Oxygen to Heal Wounds and Grow Tissue
Researchers at UC Riverside and Rowan University unveiled a self‑oxygenating tissue patch, the Smart Self‑Oxygenating Tissue (SSOT) system, that creates oxygen on‑demand via low‑voltage electrolysis in a conductive hydrogel called BioGel. The BioGel incorporates a choline‑based ionic liquid, boosting stiffness...
Replimune Cries Foul on Regulatory Flexibility. But Many Americans Want a Stricter FDA
The FDA rejected Replimune’s RP1 melanoma combination therapy twice, citing patient‑population heterogeneity that it says undermines efficacy interpretation. The biotech’s CEO decried the agency’s lack of regulatory flexibility, while a Politico poll revealed most Americans prefer a slower, more rigorous...
Revolution Medicines' Daraxonrasib Cuts Pancreatic Cancer Death Risk by 60% – This Week in Biotech #96
Revolution Medicines announced Phase 3 RASolute 302 results for its oral RAS‑ON inhibitor daraxonrasib in second‑line metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The trial reported a median overall survival of 13.2 months versus 6.7 months with standard chemotherapy, a hazard ratio of 0.40 and a 60%...
Piramal Pharma Solutions Partners with Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services to Advance ADC Development and Manufacturing
Piramal Pharma Solutions and Ajinomoto Bio‑Pharma Services have signed a strategic collaboration to accelerate antibody‑drug conjugate (ADC) development and manufacturing. Piramal will refer its customers to Ajinomoto’s AJICAP platform for site‑specific ADC conjugation, while Ajinomoto will direct clients to Piramal...
Lilly’s Tirzepatide Sheds Lean Muscle Harder than Novo’s Semaglutide, Study Suggests
A new, pending‑peer‑review study compares Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide with Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide, confirming tirzepatide delivers greater overall weight loss but also leads to a larger reduction in lean body mass. Researchers used dual‑energy X‑ray absorptiometry to quantify fat‑free mass loss, finding up...
Helsinki’s Algorithmiq Wins €1.7 Million Prize for Quantum-Enabled Light-Sensitive Cancer Drug Discovery
Algorithmiq, a Helsinki‑based quantum software firm, secured the €1.7 million ($2 million) Wellcome Leap prize for demonstrating a practical quantum advantage in drug discovery. The team built an end‑to‑end quantum‑classical workflow that ran on up to 100 qubits to simulate a photosensitiser...
How Clinical Trials Validate New Peptide Therapies
Clinical trials are essential for turning promising peptide molecules into reliable therapeutics by confirming that their effects are consistent, measurable, and reproducible across diverse populations. The article outlines how preclinical research defines mechanisms and safety, while Phase I focuses on human...
Multiple Myeloma Drug Blenrep Backed for Wider NHS Use
The UK’s health technology regulator NICE has broadened the approved use of GSK’s BCMA‑targeting drug Blenrep, allowing it to be combined with Takeda’s Velcade and dexamethasone for a larger second‑line multiple myeloma population. The new guidance lifts the restriction that...
Lilly’s Obesity Pill Foundayo Gets 1,390 Prescriptions in Debut Week
Eli Lilly's newly launched oral obesity drug Foundayo filled 1,390 prescriptions in the United States during its debut week ending April 10, according to IQVIA data. By comparison, Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy recorded 3,071 prescriptions in its first four days...
Prescription Drug Costs Soaring Under Trump Regime
A Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee report, released by Sen. Bernie Sanders, reveals that drugmakers who signed price‑cut agreements with the Trump administration are simultaneously hiking prices on hundreds of other medications. New therapies now launch at an...
Kailera Therapeutics Prices $625 M IPO at $16 per Share
Kailera Therapeutics announced the pricing of its initial public offering at $16 per share, aiming to raise roughly $625 million. The 39.06 million‑share offering, with a 30‑day over‑allotment option, will debut on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker KLRA.