Breakthrough – or even better, revolutionary breakthrough – is perhaps the most overused term in drug development. But the discovery and development of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), which was honored with the 2024 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award just last week, is one of the rare innovations that is deserving of the title.

Breakthrough – or even better, revolutionary breakthrough – is perhaps the most overused term in drug development. But the discovery and development of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), which was honored with the 2024 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award just last week, is one of the rare innovations that is deserving of the title.

The U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence reported that mental health professionals experienced a dramatic increase in referrals for anxiety and depression over the past decade but noted that digital therapies might help manage the caseload, representing a significant opportunity for developers of these products.

While the Biden administration continues applauding the savings it claims will be delivered by the first round of Medicare negotiations, many U.S. patients and their families are worried about the cost of the biopharma price-setting program – a cost they measure not in dollars and cents, but in worsening illness and lives that may be lost to a downturn in innovation and an upturn in barriers to access.

Omniscient Neurotechnology Ltd. closed a $60 million series C fundraising round to expand its reach in the U.S. market for its Quicktome platform that leverages AI to convert a standard MRI scan into a detailed map of an individual’s brain networks.

Following the decision of Australia’s Therapeutic Drugs Administration to allow prescribing of MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression from July 2023, and with U.S. FDA approval of MDMA for treating PTSD expected in 2024, the EMA is under increasing pressure to set out a path to approval for psychedelics.

The French National Insurance Fund, known as La Caisse Nationale d’Assurance Maladie, a division reporting to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economics and Finance in France, has released its annual report containing proposals aimed at achieving financial balance in the nation’s health insurance expenditures. The 100-page document will be submitted to the parliament to be voted upon this fall. “These are precise, concrete recommendations drawn up after an in-depth analysis of trends in expenditure and practices,” said Thomas Fatôme, general director of the National Insurance Fund.

The study of six types of mental illnesses in a thousand brain regions has demonstrated the differences between individuals within each disorder. Using magnetic resonance images (MRI), scientists from Monash University in Australia analyzed the brain changes and built individual maps for each psychiatric disorder. Their results revealed differences between people with the same diagnosis, which could help refine assessments.

The study of six types of mental illnesses in a thousand brain regions has demonstrated the differences between individuals within each disorder. Using magnetic resonance images (MRI), scientists from Monash University in Australia analyzed the brain changes and built individual maps for each psychiatric disorder. Their results revealed differences between people with the same diagnosis, which could help refine assessments.