Drug Development
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Xenon's Azetukalner Cuts Seizure Frequency by 53% in Phase 3 Trial, Poised for First-in-Class FDA Submission
Phase 3 data presented at AAN 2026 show azetukalner nearly halved seizure frequency in treatment-resistant focal epilepsy, with 38% of long-term patients achieving over a year of seizure freedom.
Fecal Transplant Capsules Nearly Double Immunotherapy Response Rates Across Three Cancer Types in Phase I/II Trials
Two companion trials published in Nature Medicine show oral FMT capsules raised immunotherapy response rates to 80% in lung cancer and 75% in melanoma, while reducing toxic side effects in kidney cancer.
Ascendis Pharma Launches YUVIWEL in the US, Bringing the First Weekly Injection for Achondroplasia to Market with Seven-Year Orphan Exclusivity
The first once-weekly treatment for achondroplasia is now commercially available in the United States after Ascendis Pharma secured orphan drug exclusivity through 2033.
Bipartisan Senate Push Builds Toward Psychedelic Therapy for Veterans as Clinical Evidence Mounts
Two bipartisan Senate bills would create a VA Office of Novel Therapeutics and fund psychedelic research centers, while states enact their own laws and Phase 3 trials advance.
Semaglutide Fails to Slow Alzheimer's in Largest GLP-1 Brain Trial, but Biomarker Shifts Keep the Metabolic Hypothesis Alive
Full results from Novo Nordisk's EVOKE and EVOKE+ trials, published in The Lancet, show oral semaglutide had no effect on cognitive decline over two years despite reducing key cerebrospinal fluid markers of neuroinflammation and tau pathology by roughly 10 percent.
Engineered E. Coli Converts Plastic Bottle Waste into Parkinson's Drug in Bioengineering First
University of Edinburgh researchers engineered bacteria to transform PET plastic into levodopa, a frontline Parkinson's medication, achieving 84 percent conversion from industrial waste in a proof-of-concept published in Nature Sustainability.
First Phase III Trial to Combine a Microbiome Pill with Cancer Immunotherapy Enrolls Over 700 Kidney Cancer Patients
The SWOG S2419 BioFront study is the first large-scale randomized trial testing whether a daily oral bacterial supplement can boost immunotherapy outcomes in advanced kidney cancer.
Cauldron Ferm Raises $13.25 Million to Scale Continuous Hyper-Fermentation Platform Beyond 10,000-Liter Demonstration
Australian biomanufacturing startup Cauldron Ferm has closed a $13.25 million Series A2 round to expand its continuous hyper-fermentation platform, which it claims reduces unit costs by up to 50 percent and capital expenditure by 45 percent compared to conventional batch processes.
Texas Commits $50 Million to Largest State-Funded Ibogaine Clinical Trial After Drug Companies Fail to Meet Partnership Terms
Texas will fully fund a $50 million ibogaine trial through 11 universities after no drug company met partnership terms, targeting PTSD, addiction, and TBI in veterans.
ARPA-H Awards $144 Million to Seven Teams Racing to Prove FDA-Approved Drugs Can Extend Human Healthspan
The US government's health research agency has funded the first large-scale clinical trials testing whether rapamycin, semaglutide, and other repurposed drugs can slow biological aging in healthy adults, with results expected within three years.
Lab-Grown Leather Derived From T. Rex Collagen Debuts as a Luxury Handbag in Amsterdam, Drawing Paleontologist Pushback
A collaboration between VML, The Organoid Company, and Lab-Grown Leather Ltd. has produced the first handbag from material engineered using reconstructed Tyrannosaurus rex collagen sequences, but paleontologists challenge the project's scientific framing.
Rockefeller's Redesigned CD40 Antibody Eliminates Metastatic Cancers in Phase 1 Trial, Sparking Nearly 200-Patient Expansion
An Fc-engineered CD40 agonist injected into a single tumor triggered systemic immune responses that eliminated cancer across the body in two patients, with expanded trials now under way at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Duke.