The economic and societal implications of the underfunding of women’s health finally reached the agenda of the World Economic Forum (WEF), with the launch at the 2026 annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this week of the inaugural Women’s Health Investment Outlook. The neglect of women’s health is not only a public health issue, but also “a market inefficiency on a global scale,” the WEF report said.
The good news is that the U.S. Congress is on track to pass a slate of fiscal 2026 spending bills before the current continuing resolution expires Jan. 30. So, barring any last-minute disputes or legislative hostage-taking, there should be no repeat of last year’s 43-day shutdown that impacted NIH grants and activities.
After passing on one skinny label case a few years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to delve into the dark hole the Federal Circuit has dug for drug label carveouts that allow generic drugs and biosimilars to come to market even though some indications of the reference drug may still be protected by exclusivities or patents. The high court granted cert Jan. 16 to Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma Inc., which revolves around Hikma’s marketing of its generic version of Amarin’s blockbuster drug, Vascepa (icosapent ethyl).
Once it was considered to be more or less a passive energy-storing device that could double as a cushion. But increasingly, fat is conceptualized as an endocrine organ as much as a tissue type. Now, separate research groups have reported new insights into the functional roles of different fats based on their anatomical location and functional characteristics.
Lexeo Therapeutics Inc.’s phase I/II data – characterized by Oppenheimer analyst Leland Gershell as “heroic” – this week with gene therapy LX-2020 in PKP2-associated arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy pushed the New York-based firm’s shares (NASDAQ:LXEO) down 35% to a low of $6.90 Jan. 12, following a $10.54 close the previous trading day.
News of Eli Lilly and Co. purchasing Ventyx Biosciences Inc. for $14 per share arrived after market close Jan. 7, following unconfirmed rumors of the buyout that drove shares up by more than 52% at one point.
Monte Rosa Therapeutics Inc. followed up December’s positive prostate cancer data with strong interim findings from a phase I study with MRT-8102, a NEK7-directed molecular glue degrader in the works for inflammatory conditions driven by the NLRP3 inflammasome, IL-1, and IL-6.
Cytokinetics Inc. scored U.S. FDA marketing clearance Dec. 19 for Myqorzo (aficamten) 5-mg, 10-mg, 15-mg, and 20-mg tablets to improve functional capacity and symptoms in adults with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM). Shares of the South San Francisco-based firm rose 4.6%, or $2.88, on Dec. 22 to close at $65.60.
Detailed data will be forthcoming at a scientific congress, but Bayer AG’s positive top-line readout from its phase III study testing oral factor XIa (FXIa) inhibitor asundexian in reducing the risk of ischemic stroke offered a much-needed win for the FXIa space, which encountered its latest stumble just over a week ago.
U.S. and European organ-on-a-chip specialty biotechnology companies are driving development of organ-on-a-chip technologies, fueled by the U.S. FDA’s decision to phase out animal testing for investigational new drugs.
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