Intercept Withdraws Ocaliva from US Market After FDA Safety Concerns

Intercept Pharmaceuticals; Ocaliva; liver disease; primary biliary cholangitis; FDA; drug withdrawal; safety concerns; liver injury; clinical trial hold; regulatory setbacks

Merck Moves All R&D Operations Out of UK, Citing Unfavorable Environment

Merck; MSD; R&D relocation; UK life sciences; drug discovery; Brexit impact; London Bioscience Innovation Centre; Francis Crick Institute; government investment; layoffs

Avidity Touts Functional Improvements for DMD Therapy, Clearing Way to FDA

Avidity Biosciences; del-zota; DMD; Duchenne muscular dystrophy; FDA approval; functional improvements; exon 44 skipping; Breakthrough Therapy; clinical trial; BLA submission

Odyssey Therapeutics Secures $213M Series D to Accelerate Autoimmune Clinical Portfolio

Odyssey Therapeutics; Series D financing; $213 million; autoimmune diseases; clinical pipeline; preclinical programs; precision immunomodulation; RIPK2 inhibitor; PROTAC technology; investors

Second MAHA Report Emphasizes Chronic Disease, Tilts at Vaccine Reform

MAHA Commission; chronic disease; vaccine reform; Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; childhood health; food policy; medication overuse; public health; federal directives; childhood vaccine schedule

ICER Draft Report: High-Cost GLP-1 Obesity Drugs Deemed Cost-Effective—Affordability Still a Concern

ICER; GLP-1; semaglutide; tirzepatide; obesity drugs; cost-effectiveness; health policy; affordability; value-based pricing; cardiovascular benefits

Novartis Acquires Tourmaline Bio for $1.4B to Bolster Cardiovascular Pipeline with Promising Phase 2 Drug

Novartis; Tourmaline Bio; acquisition; $1.4 billion; pacibekitug; cardiovascular disease; anti-inflammatory; IL-6 antibody; ASCVD; phase 2 trial; C-reactive protein; chronic kidney disease

Capricor Claims FDA Misinterpreted Efficacy Data Leading to Rejection of DMD Therapy

Capricor Therapeutics; FDA rejection; deramiocel; Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); efficacy data misinterpretation; clinical trial endpoints; HOPE-2 trial; non-parametric test; statistical significance; cell therapy