Trumprx.gov launched with much fanfare late Feb. 5, and the online tool brings promise for the “world’s lowest prices” on prescription drugs. Alongside the website hoopla came word from Hims & Hers Health of its own steep discounts on what’s to be the compounded version of a Trumprx-featured therapy: oral Wegovy (semaglutide) for obesity. Novo Nordisk A/S, Wegovy’s originator, vowed to fight.
Shenzhen Salubris Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has discovered new proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin-type 9 (PCSK9) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase dual inhibitors. They are described as potentially useful for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.
The melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is one of the most potent central stimulators of feeding and regulates energy balance. Therefore, agonists of the melanin-concentrating hormone MCH1 receptor could offer potential for weight management. Moreover, the role of MCH1 receptor in syndromic obesity has recently been uncovered.
The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) Co. Ltd. has reported compounds acting as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of diabetes type 1, gout, psoriasis, stroke, inflammatory bowel disease, hyperlipidemia, and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, among others.
Krabbe disease, also called globoid-cell leukodystrophy, is caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme β-galactosylceramidase (GALC), resulting from pathogenic variants in both copies of the GALC gene. The GALC deficiency leads to increased levels of the primary galactosphingolipid substrates, galactosylceramide (GalCer) and psychosine (galactosylsphingosine, PSY), in the nervous system.
Sciwind Biosciences Co. Ltd. said Jan. 30 it won Chinese approval for self-developed glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, ecnoglutide (Xianyida), to treat adults with type 2 diabetes.
Astrazeneca plc is investing $15 billion in China through 2030 to expand R&D and manufacturing, marking one of the largest long-term investments by a multinational pharma company in the country. The U.K.-based company also struck a deal worth up to $3.5 billion with China’s CSPC Pharmaceuticals Group Ltd. to accelerate the development of next-generation therapies for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
At a recent Cabinet meeting, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy reportedly said he expected Trumprx to probably go live within 10 days. That was Jan. 29, two days before HHS was once again forced to shut down many of its activities due to a congressional gridlock over a fiscal 2026 appropriations package to keep the department and several others open beyond Jan. 30.
Another data cut from Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. regarding UX-111 (rebisufligene etisparvovec), an AAV9 gene therapy for type A Sanfilippo syndrome, continued to brighten the picture for the compound, recently taken under review again by the U.S. FDA.
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