FDA
Eli Lilly notches another win over Novo Nordisk, as Zepbound bests CagriSema in a head-to-head trial sponsored by Novo; The FDA kicked off Rare Disease Week, providing draft guidance on its new plausible mechanism pathway, while a bipartisan senate hearing on Thursday will focus on the authorization process for rare conditions; Another leadership change shakes up CDC; and Gilead acquires CAR T partner Arcellx for nearly $8 billion.
Regulators overseeing rare disease treatments need better tools to weigh competing risks in real time. Sarepta Therapeutics’ Elevidys is a prime example of why.
The framework, first introduced by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research head Vinay Prasad in November, was criticized for lacking detailed guidance. Agency leaders elucidated on the pathway for personalized medicines on Monday.
Bysanti is based on iloperidone, an active metabolite of a compound that forms the core of Fanapt, another drug by Vanda Pharmaceuticals.
The U.S. Congress greenlit a historic $315 million in federal ALS research funding for 2026 amid Rare Disease Month, spotlighting biotech progress like VectorY Therapeutics’ first patient dosing in its TDP-43-targeting PIONEER-ALS trial and EverythingALS’ pharma consortia driving biomarker innovations and trial alignment.
Following the FDA’s refusal to review Moderna’s investigational mRNA flu vaccine last week, Commissioner Marty Makary faced questions from the U.S. president about the agency’s handling of vaccines. It’s a clear signal that the tension long brewing at the drug regulator has now gone all the way to the top.
The FDA’s drug review process can often be “unpredictable,” and review teams typically “differ greatly” in what they ask of drug sponsors, Sen. Bill Cassidy said.
FDA vouchers are normally a coveted prize for biopharma companies, but a surprise rejection for Disc Medicine’s rare disease drug has biopharma reconsidering.
The FDA outright refuses to review Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine as CBER director Vinay Prasad’s conduct is scrutinized; Disc Medicine receives an unexpected rejection, which Prasad may also have had a hand in; Compass Pathways posts new late-stage data on its psilocybin-based depression drug; CDC is once again leaderless.
Long an R&D company that partnered off assets, RNAi biotech Ionis Pharmaceuticals shifted in 2025 to bring two medicines to market alone. Analysts are already impressed—and there’s more to come in 2026.
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