STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About a Review of Alzheimer’s Drugs, FDA Interest in Compounded Peptides, and More
A Senate‑Democrats report released ahead of a drug‑pricing hearing shows that companies which signed pricing deals with former President Trump have continued to raise drug prices, with new therapies averaging $353,000 a year and combined profits climbing to $177 billion in his second term. The same briefing notes a new Cochrane review concluding that the clinical benefit of recent Alzheimer’s monoclonal‑antibody drugs is negligible, sparking criticism from experts who argue the analysis groups dissimilar drugs together. The report highlights ongoing tension between policy promises to curb costs and market realities, while the Alzheimer’s findings raise questions about the future of anti‑amyloid therapies.
Aligos Therapeutics Licenses Pevifoscorvir Sodium to Xiamen Amoytop Biotech for Greater China
Aligos Therapeutics signed an exclusive license with Xiamen Amoytop Biotech to develop and commercialize its hepatitis B candidate pevifoscorvir sodium in Greater China. The agreement provides Aligos with a $25 million upfront payment and up to $420 million in milestone fees, plus...
New Lab-Grown Organoids Accurately Mimic Pediatric Brain Tumor Biology
Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have created patient‑derived tumor organoids and organoid xenografts that faithfully recapitulate the genetic, epigenetic and cellular landscape of pediatric brain tumors. The 3D models, validated with DNA methylation, bulk and single‑cell RNA sequencing, and...
Interna Therapeutics Collaborates with Daiichi Sankyo to Develop MNM-Based Targeted Delivery Technologies
Interna Therapeutics announced a research collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo’s Boston Research Institute to evaluate its MNM (Molecular Nanoparticle Matrix) technology as a delivery enhancer for targeted therapeutics. The partnership will integrate MNM molecules with Daiichi Sankyo’s targeting approaches, beginning with...
Lilly's Obesity Pill Heads for Diabetes Filing After Heart Risk Trial
Eli Lilly’s newly approved obesity medication, marketed as Foun…, demonstrated a 16% lower incidence of major cardiovascular events compared with a standard insulin regimen in a recent trial. The data, presented by Lilly, suggest the drug not only aids weight loss...
Cambridge Biotech STORM Therapeutics Raises $56M
Cambridge‑based STORM Therapeutics closed a $56 million Series C round, funded entirely by existing investors, and dosed the first patient in a Phase 2 trial of its oral METTL3 inhibitor STC‑15 for sarcoma. STC‑15 is the world’s first RNA‑modifying enzyme inhibitor to reach...
Phase III Study of Lilly’s Foundayo, Reaffirms Cardiovascular and Overall Safety Profile, Plus Improvements to Cardiometabolic Health
Eli Lilly announced that its oral GLP‑1 drug Foundayo (orforglipron) achieved the primary endpoint in the Phase 3 ACHIEVE‑4 trial, demonstrating non‑inferior major adverse cardiovascular event risk versus insulin glargine. The study, the largest of its kind with over 2,700 participants...
LEO Pharma Reports the US FDA’s sNDA Acceptance of Anzupgo for Use in Children with Chronic Hand Eczema
LEO Pharma announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted a supplemental New Drug Application for Anzupgo (delgocitinib) cream targeting adolescents aged 12 to 17 with moderate‑to‑severe chronic hand eczema. The acceptance follows the Phase III DELTA TEEN trial, which...
Breakthrough Science, Unequal Survival
Recent breakthroughs such as routine stem‑cell transplants and CAR‑T therapy have transformed treatment for several blood cancers, delivering long‑term remission for patients once deemed incurable. Yet blood cancer remains the UK’s third‑largest cancer killer, with 310,000 people living with or...
MRNA Vaccines Activate Unconventional CD8+ T Cells
A recent study published in *Nature Immunology* shows that mRNA COVID‑19 vaccines trigger a previously underappreciated subset of CD8+ T cells with innate‑like characteristics. These unconventional cells, resembling mucosal‑associated invariant T (MAIT) and γδ T cells, expand rapidly after the...
Innovation for a New Era of Cancer Care
The UK’s National Cancer Plan, released earlier this year, prioritises expanding genomic testing, liquid biopsies, and a national inherited cancer registry to modernise cancer pathways. Johnson & Johnson argues that linking these precision diagnostics to innovative therapies is essential for...
Cells Have a Secret 'Courier System' That Could Open Hard-to-Reach Targets for RNA and Gene Therapies
University College Dublin researchers have identified a previously unknown cellular "courier system" in which nanoparticles acquire a protein‑RNA "condensate corona" that shuttles functional biomolecules between cells. The corona forms a stable droplet that protects its cargo, escapes degradation, and delivers...
Decoding HBx–Smc6 Interaction: Advancing HBV Inhibition
A study in Cell Research reveals how hepatitis B virus protein HBx binds the host Smc6 subunit, triggering ubiquitin‑mediated degradation that lifts restriction on cccDNA and sustains infection. Cryo‑EM resolved the interface at near‑atomic resolution, identifying a pocket on Smc6 and...
Nucleai and Sirona Dx to Provide New Proteomics Solution for Pharma Companies
Nucleai and Sirona Dx have formed a partnership to deliver an end‑to‑end spatial proteomics solution for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The joint offering unifies assay design, high‑quality imaging, and AI‑driven analytics to turn complex tissue data into actionable biological insights....
Boehringer Ingelheim and Zai Lab Team up for Dual DLL3 Therapy Study
Boehringer Ingelheim and Zai Lab have launched a Phase Ib/II trial that pairs Boehringer’s DLL3‑directed T‑cell engager obrixtamig with Zai Lab’s DLL3‑targeting ADC zoci. The study will evaluate safety, tolerability and early efficacy in patients with extensive‑stage small‑cell lung cancer and other neuroendocrine...
