The concept of the 3 Rs – reducing, refining and replacing animal research – has been championed since the 1950s, when William Russel and Rex Burch argued in their book “The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique” that the 3 Rs could simultaneously improve the treatment of research animals and advance the quality of scientific and medical research and testing. Current standard practices of animal research undeniably cause animal suffering at the same time that they have prioritized replicability over translatability.

Ventus Therapeutics Inc. has nominated VENT-04, a first-in-class, allosteric caspase-4/5 inhibitor, as a development candidate.

The concept of the 3 Rs – reducing, refining and replacing animal research – has been championed since the 1950s, when William Russel and Rex Burch argued in their book “The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique” that the 3 Rs could simultaneously improve the treatment of research animals and advance the quality of scientific and medical research and testing. Current standard practices of animal research undeniably cause animal suffering at the same time that they have prioritized replicability over translatability.

The U.S. FDA has approved its first pharma treatment in more than 40 years for motion sickness. The green light for Nereus (tradipitant), from Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., was based on three clinical studies, all pivotal, including two phase III real-world trials with patients on boats and another supporting study.

Surgical robotics maker Shenzhen Edge Medical Co. Ltd. reported its initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to raise HKD$1.19 billion (US$154 million) to advance its pipeline of surgical robotic systems and expand its geographic footprint to markets outside China.

Alagille syndrome (ALGS) is a rare, multisystem genetic disorder most commonly caused by haploinsufficiency of the JAG1 gene, leading to reduced JAG1 protein function and impaired development of intrahepatic bile ducts. Researchers from Arnatar Therapeutics Inc. described the development of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) engineered using their proprietary ACT‑UP1 platform to upregulate endogenous JAG1 expression and thereby address the underlying genetic deficiency.

The year 2025 proved especially active with regard to deals that centered on the indication previously known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Enveda has obtained IND clearance from the FDA and initiated a phase I trial of ENV-6946, a first-in-class oral small molecule for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.