As expected, today’s hearing of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee quickly devolved into political theater, sometimes crossing into the absurd, as the only witness, Anthony Fauci, answered every question, no matter how mundane or comical, by pleading the Fifth Amendment. But amongst the allegations of unhinged obsessions and grandstanding on both sides of the aisle, real concerns were raised and the human impact of the pandemic remembered. Senators spoke of their family members dying alone in the hospital because of the lockdowns, of businesses being shut permanently, of children falling behind in school, and of people unable to get cancer screenings and kids missing their measles vaccines. Others noted how ill-prepared the nation is now for future health crises, pointing to the current measles and cyclospora outbreaks, the recent hantavirus scare, the Ebola crisis in Africa and the soaring lack of trust in U.S. health agencies.

FDA adcom mulls Capricor’s DMD cell therapy deramiocel

The U.S. FDA’s Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies (CTGT) Advisory Committee is taking up the matter of Capricor Therapeutics Inc.’s BLA for cell therapy deramiocel to treat cardiomyopathy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). At issue for CTGT panelists is which version of a statistical analysis plan (SAP) should have been used to evaluate Hope-3 phase III study data. San Diego-based Capricor said regulators improperly relied on SAP version 1.1, an unsigned incomplete internal draft that became obsolete as the DMD trial went on, whereas the company reported success based on SAP 3.0, the version finalized prior to unblinding of the results. Trading of Capricor shares (NASDAQ:CAPR) has been halted.  

Biopharma shatters quarterly deal record with $90.4B Q2 haul

Biopharma deal value through the first half (H1) of 2026 totaled $170.11 billion, the highest H1 total on record and a 22% increase from 2025, the previous high. Both quarters were strong, with the first quarter (Q1) contributing $79.71 billion and Q2 jumping to $90.4 billion, the highest single quarter on record, edging past Q4 2024's $80.65 billion.

Atea’s hep C pill looks solid in first phase III head-to-head study

News of the first-ever successful head-to-head phase III study testing an oral antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) might not have had much impact on Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s share price, but analysts remained optimistic for the future of once-daily fixed-dose combination of bemnifosbuvir and ruzasvir. “At this point, the drug is looking very approvable,” wrote Evercore ISI analyst Jonathan Miller in a research note on top-line results from C-Beyond, the North American phase III study in which Atea’s drug hit the primary endpoint of statistical noninferiority on sustained virologic rate when tested against Epclusa (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir), a fixed-dose combination from Gilead Sciences Inc.

Boston Sci cuts guidance: have its star products lost their shine?

Boston Scientific Corp. cut its guidance for the year on the back of increasing pressure on its Watchman and electrophysiology (EP) businesses, two units that have performed strongly in recent years. Clinical evidence with regards to the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is impacting adoption of its Watchman left atrial appendage closure device, while increased competition in pulsed field ablation is hitting its share of the EP market in the U.S. The company now expects organic net sales growth of 5% to 6% for the year, down from 6.5% to 8%, and full-year adjusted earnings-per-share guidance of $3.28 to $3.32, down from $3.34 to $3.41.

AIDS 2026: New targets for metabolic dysfunction despite ART

Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) can suppress HIV to undetectable levels, a growing body of evidence suggests that the virus leaves a lasting biological imprint. At the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026), researchers reported persistent abnormalities affecting the gut, cardiovascular system, metabolism and immune function despite effective viral control. The conference, which is taking place July 26-31, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, featured the oral abstract session, “Cause or Curse: Metabolism and HIV Pathogenesis,” highlighting the biological mechanisms underlying these residual health effects and the pathways that could be targeted to improve long-term outcomes for people with HIV (PWHIV).

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