Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating because that oh-too-familiar routine of meetings, deadlines, and the like has predictably returned. But what can you do? The world, such as it is, continues to spin. So time to give it a nudge in a better direction by firing up the kettle for a cup of stimulation. Our choice today is laced with traces of cocoa. Feel free to join us. Remember, no prescription is required. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits to help you along. Best of luck accomplishing your goals today and, of course, do keep in touch. …
Structure Therapeutics disclosed that its daily obesity pill led patients to lose about 16% of their body weight relative to placebo after 44 weeks, STAT says. The results of the Phase 2 study could position the company to compete against Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk in a high-stakes race to develop oral versions of blockbuster GLP-1 injections. Lilly reported last year that its experimental GLP-1 pill, orforglipron, led to 11% weight loss in a 72-week trial. Orforglipron is expected to win U.S. regulatory approval in the coming weeks, while Novo launched an oral version of its drug Wegovy late last year. Injectables like Wegovy and Lilly’s Zepbound, by contrast, have led to between 15% and 21% weight loss in clinical trials.
A GSK vaccine to protect against a dangerous respiratory virus won expanded U.S. approval to cover all high-risk adults, a reassuring move for drugmakers given the Trump administration’s increased scrutiny of immunizations, Bloomberg News notes. The RSV shot, called Arexvy, already has U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for all adults aged 60 and over and those aged 50 to 59 with at least one health condition that puts them at risk of severe infection. The new approval will expand the eligible population by around 21 million adults in the U.S. and put Arexvy on par with a rival vaccine from Pfizer. RSV is a potentially deadly virus, particularly for babies and the elderly, and it leads to tens of thousands of hospitalizations every year in the U.S. alone.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…