Sanofi SA will not seek approval of amlitelimab in atopic dermatitis (AD) as previously planned, stating that the OX40-ligand monoclonal antibody “would not represent a meaningful improvement to the standard of care” for patients with moderate to severe disease. The company said the decision, which marks an about-face as Sanofi had been looking to amlitelimab as a possible successor to its Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.-partnered blockbuster AD drug Dupixent (dupilumab), comes as part of an ongoing assessment of the pipeline.

Medtronic plc’s recent launch of the Viaverte basivertebral nerve ablation system and completion of the acquisition of SPR Therapeutics Inc. broadens its chronic pain offering and strengthens its ability to treat patients across the pain care continuum.

Continuing the year’s strong IPO activity, Scribe Therapeutics Inc. priced an upsized offering at the high end of its price range, offering 8.6 million shares at $15 apiece for gross proceeds of about $129 million. The company, which is developing CRISPR-based therapies targeting cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker SCTX, with shares getting a warm welcome, opening at $25 and ending the day at $21.65, up 44.3%.

Zevra Therapeutics Inc. will try to follow in the footsteps of Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. with Rett syndrome drug Daybu (trofinetide) by asking the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) to rethink arimoclomol for Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC). Boston-based Zevra will request a second look at the MAA after CHMP gatekeepers ruled that efficacy in NPC has not been sufficiently proven.

The nomination of Erica Schwartz as the next director of the U.S. CDC moved incrementally forward, gaining the support of a key Republican senator. Meanwhile, a delay in the scheduled committee vote July 23 to send her nomination to the Senate floor suggested she will need all the support she can get.

After a decade of research, the NIH 4D Nucleome program on July 23 delivered a wealth of new insights into how spatial changes in chromatin structure and DNA methylation regulate gene expression in health and disease. In a collection of eight papers published in Science and Science Advances, researchers describe how they have applied single-cell level multi-omics data and tools and techniques developed in the first part of the 4D Nucleome program to track changes in the noncoding part of the genome that are involved in heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, brain aging, retinal health and immune cell development.

Scoring high marks on two more phase III obesity trials, this time involving serious type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications, Eli Lilly and Co. has cleared the path for a BLA filing for its triple-G candidate retatrutide, which many expect will eventually surpass the top two marketed drugs in the space.

About a week after closing its $10.6 billion acquisition of Nuvalent Inc., GSK plc has reaped the first reward, announcing U.S. FDA approval of zidesamtinib in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Branded Jideytro, the ROS1 selective inhibitor is indicated for use in adults with locally advanced or metastatic ROS1-positive disease who have received a prior ROS1 kinase inhibitor.

The U.S. FDA granted Johnson & Johnson de novo authorization for its Ottava robotic surgical system, which can now be marketed for multiple surgeries, including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastrectomy, cholecystectomy, splenectomy and others.