// Biotech and Pharma Therapeutics
AstraZeneca Pays $185M to Add Oral GLP-1 Drug Candidate to Pipeline
November 9, 2023 / AstraZeneca / GLP-1 / Metabolic Disorder
The available metabolic disorder drugs targeting the GLP-1 receptor are all injectable products. The biopharmaceutical industry race is on to bring patients a more convenient pill alternative, and AstraZeneca is jumping back into it.
NIHR launches phase two of its Shape the Future campaign
November 9, 2023 / NIHR / Healthcare
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has announced the launch of its NHS 75: Shape the Future campaign to shape future healthcare.
Flagship expands into Asia-Pacific with new Singapore hub
November 7, 2023 / Flagship Pioneering / Singapore
Biotechnology company creator Flagship Pioneering is expanding its global footprint, announcing Tuesday the establishment of a regional hub in Singapore.
Why GLP-1s Alone Cannot Solve the Obesity Crisis
November 6, 2023 / GLP-1 / Obesity / Cancer
GLP-1s are making headlines and are in high demand for their ability to help people lose weight, with five million prescriptions written in 2022. For many people who’ve struggled with obesity, they represent a transformational clinical advance. But what happens if the meds are no longer taken, whether due to high cost or side effects? The weight often comes back, sometimes with a vengeance.
Gilead execs muse over ‘surprising’ lack of CAR-T adoption in certain patients, US barriers to uptake
November 8, 2023 / Gilead Sciences / Kite Pharma / Tecartus / Yescarta
Armed with its CAR-T unit Kite Pharma and FDA-approved therapies Yescarta and Tecartus, the company has a pulse on the hot market and has identified some factors hampering cell therapy growth in the U.S.
// 4th Industrial Revolution
AI Tools May Detect Heart Valve Disease, Predict Cardiovascular Risk
November 6, 2023 / AI / Cardiovascular Risk / Heart Disease
Artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning tools may be capable of accurately detecting heart valve disease and predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease events, according to two preliminary research studies to be presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2023.
VR mental health platform XRHealth blasts off with NASA
November 6, 2023 / VR / Mental Health / NASA
Virtual reality-based mental health company XRHealth revealed plans to send a VR headset to space for mental health treatment during an upcoming space mission launching on November 7.
Generative AI May Facilitate Improved Chest X-Ray Interpretation
November 7, 2023 / AI / Radiologists
A team of Northwestern Medicine researchers has created a generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool capable of interpreting chest radiographs with accuracy on par with or above radiologists for some conditions.
Lifepoint Health is Using Modern Technology to Make Patient Data Actionable
November 8, 2023 / Lifepoint Health / Patient Data / Care Delivery System
We recently had a chance to sit down with Jessica Beegle, Senior Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer at Lifepoint Health, who shared with us that her past experience has given her a unique view in crafting the patient experience. Prior to Lifepoint Health, Beegle worked at Amazon AWS and Google, companies that are known for creating and using cutting- edge technology to deliver results.
ReflexAI Launches AI Tool to Prevent Veteran Suicide
November 9, 2023 / ReflexAI / Veterans / Mental Health
The suicide rate among veterans is a public health crisis. Seventeen veterans die by suicide every day, which is 1.5 times the rate of non-veterans. ReflexAI’s research with hundreds of veterans nationwide showed that 92 percent are willing to help another veteran experiencing a mental health challenge, but only 25 percent feel prepared to do so.
// Business & Markets
Lumos stock jumps as phase 2 results bring first oral growth hormone drug closer to market
November 8, 2023 / Human Growth Hormone / Lumos Pharma / Biotech Stock / Drug Development
Lumos Pharma’s stock jumped Wednesday morning as a successful phase 2 trial maintained the Texan biotech’s hopes of bringing the first oral drug for pediatric growth hormone deficiency (PGHD) to market.
Best Buy Health partners with Mass General Brigham for home care
November 8, 2023 / Best Buy Health / Mass General / Home Care / Healthcare
Best Buy Health and Mass General Brigham announced the tech giant would provide technology, human-centered aid and omnichannel logistics to scale and support the health system’s acute home-based care offering, Home Hospital, and Medicare-certified home health business, Home Care.
Walmart Health signs care coordination agreements with Florida health system, insurer
November 6, 2023 / Walmart Health / Florida Health System / Orlando Health
Retail giant Walmart’s healthcare arm, Walmart Health, announced it has signed coordinated care agreements with Florida health insurer Ambetter from Sunshine Health and Orlando Health, a Florida-based network of community and specialty hospitals.
An obesity drug biotech gets buy-in from Eli Lilly, venture firms
November 7, 2023 / Startup / OrsoBio / Longitude Capital / Enavate Sciences
Obesity affects a large swathe of the U.S. adult population and the many health issues — particularly the metabolic disorders — that can result from excess weight have made it an emerging research priority.
AstraZeneca Targets Obesity Market with Potential $2B Deal for Early GLP-1 Candidate
November 9, 2023 / AstraZenca / Obesity / GLP-1
AstraZeneca has signed an exclusive license agreement with Shanghai-based biotech Eccogene for ECC5004, an early-stage investigational oral glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist that is being developed for obesity, type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases.
// Legal & Regulatory
Lilly rival to weight loss drug Wegovy approved by FDA
November 8, 2023 / Elly Lilly / Novo Nordisk / GLP-1 / Zepbound
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a powerful new medicine for weight loss, clearing Eli Lilly’s Zepbound for adults with obesity or who are overweight and have at least one related health condition.
AHA files suit against HHS over online tracking rules
November 6, 2023 / AHA / HHS / Lawsuit / HIPAA
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, argued that the rule “precipitously upended the balance that HIPAA and its regulations strike between privacy and information-sharing” and also runs contrary to the practices of several federal healthcare websites.
Eli Lilly gets FDA approval to sell Mounjaro as obesity drug called Zepbound
November 8, 2023 / Eli Lilly / FDA / Mounjaro / Obesity / Zepbound
Eli Lilly’s blockbuster drug tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, has been cleared to treat obesity, making it the second in a highly effective class of weight loss medications to enter the market.
Takeda secures FDA approval for colon cancer drug
November 9, 2023 / Takeda / FDA / Colon Cancer / Oncology
Takeda made a bet on Fruzaqla when it licensed the drug from Hutchmed for $400 million upfront in January. The deal was a step toward bolstering the pharmaceutical company’s oncology business as its top-selling multiple myeloma drug Velcade came under pressure from generic competition.
Takeda Wins FDA Approval for Fruquintinib in Certain Colorectal Cancer Patients
November 9, 2023 / Takeda / FDA / Colorectal Cancer / Patients
The FDA on Wednesday approved Takeda’s fruquintinib for previously treated adults patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The oral targeted therapy of the VEGF-1, -2 and -3 receptors will carry the brand name Fruzaqla.
// Research & Development
Man receives the first eye transplant plus a new face. It’s a step toward one day restoring sight
November 9, 2023 / Transplant / Development
Surgeons have performed the world’s first transplant of an entire human eye, an extraordinary addition to a face transplant — although it’s far too soon to know if the man will ever see through his new left eye.
Durect fails alcohol-associated hepatitis trial, plans phase 3 anyway as investors scorch stock
November 8, 2023 / Durect / Hepatitis / Alchohol / Failed Trials
Durect and investors have reached radically different conclusions about its severe alcohol-associated hepatitis phase 2 data. The biotech hailed “remarkable” results—on a secondary goal, in a subpopulation—but failed to persuade investors to look past the failure of the primary endpoint, causing its stock to sink.
‘All-clear’ cancer referral patients at higher risk of subsequent cancer
November 3, 2023 / Cancer / Queen Mary University / Oncology / New Study
A study led by Queen Mary University of London has revealed that people who were referred to urgent suspected cancer pathways and received an ‘all clear’ have a higher risk of developing cancer in the future.
ResoTher Pharma given grant for myocardial infarction drug trial
November 7, 2023 / ResoTher Pharma / Myocardial Infarction / Drug Trial
The European Innovation Council (EIC) has given €2.5m ($2.67m) to Danish biopharmaceutical company ResoTher Pharma to advance the development of its lead compound, RTP-026.
MaaT Pharma Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 2b Randomized Clinical Trial Evaluating MaaT033 in Patients Receiving Allo-HSCT
November 5, 2023 / MaaT Pharma / Clinical Trials / Cancer
Prof. Florent Malard, Professor of Hematology at the Saint-Antoine Hospital and Sorbonne University, and principal investigator of the study added, “A growing body of evidence indicates that gut imbalance leads to higher mortality in our field. By directly targeting to restore the gut microbiome richness in patients receiving harsh and deleterious treatments, our goal is to ensure optimal microbiome functions that can potentially lead to improved hematopoietic and immune recovery as well as overall survival.”
// Politics
Congress weighs ban on government contracts for ‘adversarial biotech companies’ like China’s BGI
November 7, 2023 / Congress / China / National Defense Authorization Act
The Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act could include a House-authored provision that prohibits the United States government and its contractors from buying equipment from “adversarial biotech companies” that work to “exploit” Americans’ genetic information for “malign purposes,” Fox News Digital has learned.
Medicare eligibility is tripping up the GOP presidential candidates
November 9, 2023 / Medicare / GOP
A pared-back field of five GOP presidential candidates sparred Wednesday night, touching on health issues ranging from hot-button election topics, to wonky budget math. My co-author Sarah Owermohle and I bring you the three big ideas on health care.
Senate confirms Monica Bertagnolli as NIH director
November 7, 2023 / Senate / Monica Bertagnolli / NIH Director
The Senate confirmed Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to lead the National Institutes of Health in a 62-36 vote Tuesday.
Nearly every Democrat joined 13 Republicans in filling the post responsible for overseeing billions in federal research grants, but vacant since Dr. Francis Collins left nearly two years ago.
A crackdown on Medicare Advantage plan sales
November 7, 2023 / Medicare / Healthcaare / Biden
The Biden administration wants to cap the amount insurers can pay Medicare Advantage brokers and agents per enrollee, POLITICO’s Robert King reports. The administration also took another step toward reducing drug prices for older Americans.
Sen. Bernie Sanders moves toward another hearing with pharma CEOs
November 7, 2023 / Bernie Sanders / CEOs / Medicare
Drug executives will soon have the chance to tell Congress why they’re suing Medicare over price negotiations when their companies sell drugs to all the other governments that negotiate prices, my colleague John Wilkerson reports.