Veradermics Inc. raised $256.3 million from an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange Feb. 4. The proceeds will fund three ongoing phase II/III clinical trials of VDPHL-01, its novel oral formulation of Rogaine (minoxidil) to treat pattern hair loss in men and women.

In a one-two-punch to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the U.S. FTC announced Feb. 4 what it’s calling a “landmark settlement” with the Cigna Group’s Express Scripts Inc. and its affiliates that will require fundamental changes to the company’s business practices.

The U.S. FDA released the latest version of its premarket cybersecurity guidance regarding medical devices, replacing the 2025 edition and offering recommendations on implementing measures for preventing digital attacks or authorized access.

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.

The U.S. FDA is now accepting requests from biopharma companies to participate in its new Precheck pilot program, which is intended to make it faster and easier for companies to relocate their prescription drug manufacturing to the U.S.