All articles tagged with #pharmaceuticals
Regenxbio announced its experimental Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy produced sufficient levels of a miniaturized muscle protein in a clinical trial, paving the way for an FDA submission and aiming to improve on Sarepta’s Elevidys in both efficacy and safety, amid ongoing safety concerns surrounding the competitor.
Private space startup Varda Space Industries is expanding commercial drug production in orbit, partnering with United Therapeutics to use microgravity to improve drug crystallization and stability. The approach combines Earth‑based screening in a new 10,000‑sq‑ft lab with a plan to launch multiple autonomous satellites to test and manufacture therapies in space, aiming to shorten development times and create products valuable enough to justify reentry to Earth. This marks a notable milestone in the evolving orbital biotech economy as the cadence of launches increases and long‑term goals shift toward building a space‑based pharmaceutical business.
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries will acquire Organon & Co in an all-cash deal valued at $11.75 billion (including debt) at $14 per share, boosting Sun Pharma’s revenue to about $12.4 billion and expanding its footprint in the U.S. and global markets with Organon’s women’s health and biosimilars portfolio, aligning with Sun Pharma’s move into innovative medicines.
STAT’s First Opinion interview with Thomas Goetz explains Drug Story, a podcast that uses a three‑act framework—diagnosis, prescription, side effects—to explore how individual drugs illuminate broader social, economic, and policy forces shaping health, from obesity and insomnia to ivermectin repurposing. Goetz, who holds an MPH, argues medicines reflect not just biology but systemic determinants and the common good, and he plans a second season of about 30 more drugs, produced independently to broaden public understanding of health and medicine.
The Iran conflict is disrupting far more than oil: helium supplies are tightening due to LNG-linked production in Qatar, with prices possibly rising as storage and demand pressure increase; pharmaceutical shipments—especially vaccines, insulin, biologics, and cancer therapies—face delays that could raise costs for consumers; and fertilizer flows through the Strait of Hormuz have slowed, heightening farmer costs and the risk of food-price inflation, underscoring that Hormuz is a chokepoint for multiple essential trades beyond energy.
The FDA announced a recall of about 89,592 bottles of Strides Pharma’s Children’s Ibuprofen Oral Suspension sold in the U.S. after reports of a gel-like mass and black particles. The Class II recall affects lot numbers 7261973A and 7261974A with an expiration date of Jan. 31, 2027, manufactured for Taro Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. and distributed nationwide. No serious adverse health effects have been reported, but consumers should stop using the recalled product immediately.
A dog named Rose reportedly received a personalized cancer vaccine designed with ChatGPT and Google’s DeepFold and manufactured by a university; while not cured, the cancer was greatly reduced and the dog’s quality of life improved. Tech investor Eric Jackson says this exemplifies “programmable medicine,” where AI-driven genomics and molecule design turn medicine into software, a shift that could boost biotech and AI-enabled stocks such as Moderna (MRNA) and platforms from Nvidia (NVDA), Alphabet (GOOGL), and Microsoft (MSFT), among others. The piece underscores the investment and regulatory implications of moving toward individualized therapies.
Horizons examines GLP-1 obesity drugs, highlighting their potential to significantly aid millions with obesity while raising questions about long-term safety, side effects, access, and broader societal implications, with insights from multiple medical experts.
A Johns Hopkins study shows crops irrigated with treated wastewater accumulate psychoactive drug residues mainly in leaves rather than edible parts, with leaf concentrations in tomatoes far higher than in fruit and carrot leaves higher than roots; drug behavior varies by compound, informing risk assessment and future monitoring/regulation.
Merck will split its human-health business into two units: a cancer-focused division led by Keytruda and a separate non-oncology medicines arm, as the company diversifies ahead of Keytruda’s looming loss of exclusivity. Keytruda remains the world’s top-selling drug, with more than $30 billion in revenue in 2025, accounting for about half of Merck’s total revenue. Shares rose about 1.4% in premarket trading. Merck has expanded its pipeline and made major acquisitions to bolster growth, and appointed Jannie Oosthuizen to lead the new cancer unit.
The article reports that GLP-1 weight‑loss drugs like Ozempic are produced via solid‑phase peptide synthesis using solvents such as dimethylformamide, generating massive toxic‑chemical waste (estimates exceed 123 million pounds annually for semaglutide alone) and affecting over 80 peptide drugs. A Nature Sustainability study from the University of Melbourne proposes a water‑based synthesis approach—using salts and a biodegradable activating method—to enable high‑concentration peptide production in water, potentially reducing environmental impact if scalable, though industrial rollout remains to be seen.
STAT found that TrumpRx markets deep cash discounts for about 43 brand-name drugs, but at least 18 of them have cheaper generics available on GoodRx or Cost Plus Drugs; TrumpRx only displays cash prices and does not sell medicines directly, highlighting that many savings come from generic options rather than the site’s claims.
President Trump launched TrumpRx.gov to offer steep discounts on 40 high-cost medicines by tying U.S. prices to MFN prices paid in other developed nations. The rollout includes drugs from AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Novo Nordisk, and Pfizer, with additional products to follow. Patients with prescriptions can access savings via printable or mobile coupons or through manufacturer channels integrated into TrumpRx.gov. Notable examples include large price cuts for diabetes, obesity, fertility, COPD, asthma, and insulin, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Gonal-F, Cetrotide, Ovidrel, and insulin lispro. The move builds on prior executive orders and agreements aimed at lowering prices and reforming how American drug costs are set.
Anjana Ahuja reviews Aimee Donnellan’s Off the Scales, which chronicles the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss injections (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro) from their science origins to their rapid market dominance, the patent battles and credit disputes, and their sweeping social impact on obesity stigma, healthcare, and industries from food to fashion. The book follows Novo Nordisk’s lead, the competitive push from Eli Lilly, and includes personal-case anecdotes to illustrate life-changing weight loss, while also flagging potential downsides and long-term unknowns as access broadens and patents lapse—remarkably readable but perhaps too broad in scope according to the review.
Eli Lilly leads the weight‑loss drug market with a broader product slate and faster growth, justifying a premium over Novo Nordisk, which remains strong but more focused on weight loss and diabetes.