“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” seems to be the motto of U.S. lawmakers – at least when it comes to the bipartisan Biosecure Act. After missing a ride last year in the must-pass annual defense spending bill, a version of the bill that seeks to protect the genetic data of Americans while securing U.S. pharmaceutical supply chains made it into the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which is now just a Senate vote away from becoming law.
Formation Bio Inc. acquired ex-China rights to Lynk Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.’s oral TYK2-inhibitor, LNK-01006, for up to $605 million. The phase I-ready central nervous system (CNS) candidate will be developed at Formation’s newly formed subsidiary, Bleecker Bio.
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” seems to be the motto of U.S. lawmakers – at least when it comes to the bipartisan Biosecure Act. After missing a ride last year in the must-pass annual defense spending bill, a version of the bill that seeks to protect the genetic data of Americans while securing U.S. pharmaceutical supply chains made it into the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which is now just a Senate vote away from becoming law.
A group of eight Democratic senators is asking biopharma companies to spill the beans about their private most-favored-nation pricing deals with U.S. President Donald Trump. Led by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, the senators sent letters Dec. 11 to Astrazeneca plc, Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk A/S and Pfizer Inc. seeking the details of those deals. While it’s difficult to discern how the deals will benefit patients, it’s clear the companies stand to gain a lot from the agreements, the letter asserted.
Nephrodite Inc.'s Holly, an implantable, continuous renal replacement system, received U.S. FDA breakthrough device designation as a novel and potentially life-changing treatment for end-stage kidney disease. The system is designed to enable continuous blood filtration and allow patients freedom to go about their days without frequent, hours-long visits to a dialysis clinic or being hooked up to a filtration system at home.
The U.S. FDA recently cleared two new medical devices to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, offering men with enlarged prostates additional treatment options which are minimally invasive. The approvals include Proverum Medical Ltd.’s Provee System and Zenflow Inc.’s Zenflow Spring Implant and Delivery System, both are first-line interventional therapeutic options which offer relief to the millions of men living with the condition.
Two new therapies are now FDA approved to treat the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea, with Innoviva Inc.’s Nuzolvence (zoliflodacin) and GSK plc’s Blujepa (gepotidacin) offering additional antibiotic options comparable to standard of care. Both products had fast track, qualified infectious disease product and priority review designations.
Sometimes the darkest products (names) bring a bright spot of news to their developers, as the U.S. FDA clearance for Galway, Ireland-based Medtronic plc's Onyx liquid embolic system demonstrates. Onyx gained the indication for embolization of the middle meningeal artery as an adjunct to surgery for the treatment of symptomatic subacute or chronic subdural hematoma based on the EMBOLISE trial results. The approval represents a significant advancement in treating this common neurosurgical condition.
Restricting the recommended use of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. wasn’t enough. Now the Children’s Health Defense (CHD) is trying to get the FDA to revoke the BLAs for all versions of the Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc.-Biontech SE COVID-19 vaccines.
The U.S. FTC is taking a bow after Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. asked the FDA to remove more than 200 patent listings from the agency’s Orange Book.