As mpox has now been found in the EU, the race for an effective vaccine has accelerated, with a study failure but increased vaccine production from Europe. The U.S. NIH just released top-line results from a preliminary analysis of a placebo-controlled study of Siga Technologies Inc.’s antiviral, tecovirimat, showing it missed the primary endpoint of statistically significant improvement within 28 days post-randomization in time to lesion resolution for patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“For us geeks, this is the trailer. This isn’t the movie,” John Stanford told BioWorld as he reacted to the prices the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Aug. 15 for the 10 drugs selected for the first round of negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act. While the prices are generally in line with what was expected, Stanford said they raise more questions than answers. The rationale for those prices, which must be released by March 1, will be part 1 of the movie as it should provide some insight into the price setting, said Stanford, the executive director of Incubate, a coalition of investors in the early stage life sciences sector.

In response to the continuing opioid epidemic, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women’s Hospital developed a small implantable device that monitors heart rate, respiration and other vital signs indicative of an overdose, then automatically releases a dose of naloxone.