AI & Machine Learning in Biotechnology
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about a Lilly weight loss trial, TrumpRx shortcomings, and more
Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Despite dreary, gray skies and chilly temperatures, the Pharmalot campus is humming with activity, thanks to the official mascots, who are busy chasing after varmints and keeping the neighbors honest. As for us, we are engaged in the usual rituals — firing up the kettle for another cuppa stimulation (the choice today is raspberry hibiscus) and foraging for items of interest. On that note, here are a few tidbits to help you get started on your journey today, which we hope will be meaningful and productive. Meanwhile, do keep in touch. We always enjoy hearing from you. …
Diabetes patients taking an investigational drug from Eli Lilly saw significant reductions in their blood sugar and weight in a late-stage study, a notable result given that people with diabetes usually do not lose as much weight on treatments as those who do not have the condition, STAT explains. After 40 weeks, patients on the highest dose of the drug, an injectable called retatrutide, saw a 1.9% reduction on a measure of blood sugar called HbA1C, while those on placebo saw a 0.8% reduction. Those results include all patients, including those who discontinued. The efficacy is similar to Lilly’s popular diabetes drug Mounjaro. Participants on the highest dose lost 15.3% of their weight, while the placebo group lost 2.6%. The results suggest the medicine could be highly beneficial for people who have diabetes and are also obese, a group estimated to make up around 60% of adults with type 2 diabetes.
The TrumpRx.gov website is not delivering across the board lower prices than those paid in the United Kingdom, according to Reuters. The prices offered for around a third of the 54 drugs available on the TrumpRx website were lower in the U.K. Those include Pfizer’s arthritis pill Xeljanz, AstraZeneca’s diabetes drug Farxiga, and GSK’s inhalers for lung diseases, which were between 67% and 82% cheaper. Reuters evaluated what pharmacies are paid for each prescription medicine by the U.K. government against prices listed on TrumpRx from eight companies participating. The payouts are updated monthly by Britain’s state-funded National Health Service, which sets prices it pays for medicines through a mix of cost-control agreements and other assessments. In England, patients pay a standard prescription charge of 9.90 pounds, or $13.19, for each medicine, unless exempt.
Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Despite dreary, gray skies and chilly temperatures, the Pharmalot campus is humming with activity, thanks to the official mascots, who are busy chasing after varmints and keeping the neighbors honest. As for us, we are engaged in the usual rituals — firing up the kettle for another cuppa stimulation (the choice today is raspberry hibiscus) and foraging for items of interest. On that note, here are a few tidbits to help you get started on your journey today, which we hope will be meaningful and productive. Meanwhile, do keep in touch. We always enjoy hearing from you. …
Diabetes patients taking an investigational drug from Eli Lilly saw significant reductions in their blood sugar and weight in a late-stage study, a notable result given that people with diabetes usually do not lose as much weight on treatments as those who do not have the condition, STAT explains. After 40 weeks, patients on the highest dose of the drug, an injectable called retatrutide, saw a 1.9% reduction on a measure of blood sugar called HbA1C, while those on placebo saw a 0.8% reduction. Those results include all patients, including those who discontinued. The efficacy is similar to Lilly’s popular diabetes drug Mounjaro. Participants on the highest dose lost 15.3% of their weight, while the placebo group lost 2.6%. The results suggest the medicine could be highly beneficial for people who have diabetes and are also obese, a group estimated to make up around 60% of adults with type 2 diabetes.
The TrumpRx.gov website is not delivering across the board lower prices than those paid in the United Kingdom, according to Reuters. The prices offered for around a third of the 54 drugs available on the TrumpRx website were lower in the U.K. Those include Pfizer’s arthritis pill Xeljanz, AstraZeneca’s diabetes drug Farxiga, and GSK’s inhalers for lung diseases, which were between 67% and 82% cheaper. Reuters evaluated what pharmacies are paid for each prescription medicine by the U.K. government against prices listed on TrumpRx from eight companies participating. The payouts are updated monthly by Britain’s state-funded National Health Service, which sets prices it pays for medicines through a mix of cost-control agreements and other assessments. In England, patients pay a standard prescription charge of 9.90 pounds, or $13.19, for each medicine, unless exempt.
AI & Machine Learning in Biotechnology
STAT+: ‘We’re on the inside now’: Meet the man building a political empire behind RFK Jr.
WASHINGTON — In the past three years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had a dramatic ascent, rocketing from the contrarian fringe to the center of the American health system and leader of a burgeoning political movement. At every step, he’s been bolstered behind the scenes by a lesser-known name: Tony Lyons.
A longtime publisher and ally of Kennedy’s, Lyons has built a sprawling political operation to promote Kennedy and his “Make America Healthy Again” brand, a multimillion-dollar endeavor that spans multiple nonprofits, businesses, and a political action committee — one could call it “MAHA Inc.” Under the MAHA banner, Lyons hosts administration officials as he plays emcee on weekly activist organizing calls, holds glitzy cocktail parties at an exclusive D.C. club, and convenes events around the country.
Since his campaign, the MAHA Inc. network has amplified Kennedy’s message and ideas, celebrating Kennedy’s overhaul of the nation’s vaccine system and efforts to revamp its food supply. Increasingly, the network is also cheerleading for President Trump, even as other prominent MAHA activists are critical of some of his administration’s recent moves.
WASHINGTON — In the past three years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had a dramatic ascent, rocketing from the contrarian fringe to the center of the American health system and leader of a burgeoning political movement. At every step, he’s been bolstered behind the scenes by a lesser-known name: Tony Lyons.
A longtime publisher and ally of Kennedy’s, Lyons has built a sprawling political operation to promote Kennedy and his “Make America Healthy Again” brand, a multimillion-dollar endeavor that spans multiple nonprofits, businesses, and a political action committee — one could call it “MAHA Inc.” Under the MAHA banner, Lyons hosts administration officials as he plays emcee on weekly activist organizing calls, holds glitzy cocktail parties at an exclusive D.C. club, and convenes events around the country.
Since his campaign, the MAHA Inc. network has amplified Kennedy’s message and ideas, celebrating Kennedy’s overhaul of the nation’s vaccine system and efforts to revamp its food supply. Increasingly, the network is also cheerleading for President Trump, even as other prominent MAHA activists are critical of some of his administration’s recent moves.
AI & Machine Learning in Biotechnology
STAT+: FDA approves Rocket gene therapy for rare immune disorder
The Food and Drug Administration approved on Thursday a gene therapy for severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1 (LAD-1), an ultra-rare disease that leaves children vulnerable to life-threatening infections.
The therapy, marketed as Kresladi, was developed by Rocket Pharma. It was initially rejected by the FDA in 2024 over manufacturing concerns.
Though Rocket is likely to charge millions of dollars for the one-time treatment, Kresladi is not expected to be a major money maker. LAD-1 is thought to affect only around 1 in a million people, with Rocket estimating around 25 new cases per year. The treatment is approved only for children who don’t have a matched sibling who can give a stem cell transplant, the standard of care in the disease.
The Food and Drug Administration approved on Thursday a gene therapy for severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1 (LAD-1), an ultra-rare disease that leaves children vulnerable to life-threatening infections.
The therapy, marketed as Kresladi, was developed by Rocket Pharma. It was initially rejected by the FDA in 2024 over manufacturing concerns.
Though Rocket is likely to charge millions of dollars for the one-time treatment, Kresladi is not expected to be a major money maker. LAD-1 is thought to affect only around 1 in a million people, with Rocket estimating around 25 new cases per year. The treatment is approved only for children who don’t have a matched sibling who can give a stem cell transplant, the standard of care in the disease.
AI & Machine Learning in Biotechnology
STAT+: HHS convenes health care execs, motivational speaker on panel to modernize health care
WASHINGTON — A motivational coach, a venture capitalist who worked with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s son, and a number of health care executives whose firms span value-based care, mental health, and primary care have been tapped to advise federal officials on how to improve and modernize the health care system.
The members of the new advisory group, called the Healthcare Advisory Committee, were named Thursday by Kennedy and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz. In a video announcement, Kennedy said officials reviewed more than 400 candidates before settling on 18 who will drive Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Agenda by developing policy on tackling chronic diseases, reducing administrative burden, and enhancing care for vulnerable populations.
“Their insights will help us cut costs, slash red tape, improve quality of care, keep programs solvent, and refocus health care on the people it is meant to serve: the patients,” Oz said.
WASHINGTON — A motivational coach, a venture capitalist who worked with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s son, and a number of health care executives whose firms span value-based care, mental health, and primary care have been tapped to advise federal officials on how to improve and modernize the health care system.
The members of the new advisory group, called the Healthcare Advisory Committee, were named Thursday by Kennedy and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz. In a video announcement, Kennedy said officials reviewed more than 400 candidates before settling on 18 who will drive Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Agenda by developing policy on tackling chronic diseases, reducing administrative burden, and enhancing care for vulnerable populations.
“Their insights will help us cut costs, slash red tape, improve quality of care, keep programs solvent, and refocus health care on the people it is meant to serve: the patients,” Oz said.
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Illinois’ financial crisis could bring the state to a halt
The final 6 ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes might feel like a full season
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Mod turns ‘Counter-Strike’ into a ‘Tekken’ clone with fighting chickens
Meet Superman’s grandfather in new trailer for Krypton
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