The largest analysis to date of patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) has investigated their effects on nearly 175 diseases, and found that compared to three other classes of diabetes medications, individuals with a prescription for GLP-1RAs had a reduced risk of 42 diseases, and an increased risk of 19.
Shionogi & Co. Ltd. won a $375 million project agreement from the Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle to develop its 3CL protease inhibitor, S-892216, as a long-acting injectable for COVID-19 pre-exposure prophylaxis.
After a five-year court battle in which Gilead Sciences Inc. scored several victories only to have the U.S. government appeal, Gilead has reached a settlement with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to resolve government claims that the company had infringed its patents covering the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use of two Gilead HIV drugs.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), multidrug-resistant pathogens caused over 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2020. And figures are rising, with projections pointing to antimicrobial resistance surpassing cancer as the leading cause of death by 2050. Now, researchers at the HUN-REN Biological Research Center have unveiled the role of pre-existing genetic variabilities and specific cross-resistance patterns among several antibiotics designed to combat gram-positive bacteria.
Top-line data from Maat Pharma SA’s phase III study of MaaT-013, an enema microbiome ecosystem therapy for acute graft-vs.-host disease, hit its primary endpoint. The milestone has prompted the company to think about filing an MAA submission for the treatment in Europe sometime in the middle of 2025, which is earlier than it had anticipated.
As investors and industry alike try to read the tea leaves of what the upcoming change in administrations holds for the U.S., speculation abounds about what Trump 2.0 will mean for the biopharma and med-tech spaces.
Rounding out a year of insider trading charges involving biopharma companies, the U.S. SEC reported Dec. 30 that it had filed a complaint against two top Humanigen Inc. executives, Cameron Durrant, CEO, and Dale Chappell, chief science officer,
for trades based on insider knowledge of FDA actions.
Biontech SE agreed to pay up to nearly $1.26 billion in two separate settlements to resolve royalty disputes with the U.S. NIH and the University of Pennsylvania related to the COVID-19 vaccine the company partnered with Pfizer Inc.
Ausperbio Therapeutics Inc. raised $110 million from two financing rounds in 2024 to advance its lead antisense oligonucleotide candidate as a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B.
Even though pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms were dropped from the continuing resolution that was signed into law Dec. 21 to keep the U.S. government fully functional through March 14, the incoming administration and Congress likely will continue to try to rein in the PBMs, which serve as middlemen in the nation’s drug supply chain.