Also known as: NIAID
Biotech funding roundup: $8M CIRM grant to Siren, $3.5M pre-seed for Claryx, Syntax Bio's $14.4M Series A, €80M Novo Nordisk Foundation programme, and Appili's NIAID contract termination.
The Trump administration barred NIAID officials from WHO meetings, reclaimed $600M from four states, and faced a Senate report showing drug prices rising despite deals. New drugs average $353K a year.
CRS3123, an investigational antibiotic for C. difficile infection, demonstrated 97% clinical cure rates and significantly lower recurrence (4% vs 23% for vancomycin) in a Phase 2 trial. The narrow-spectrum drug better preserves gut microbiome health and secondary bile acid synthesis compared to standard vancomycin treatment. These positive results support advancing CRS3123 into Phase 3 development.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has been instructed to remove "biodefense" and "pandemic preparedness" language from its website, signaling a major shift away from these research priorities. NIH leadership says the institute will now focus on current infectious diseases and basic immunology rather than predicting future threats. Public health experts warn this could leave the U.S. less prepared for future health emergencies.
Phase 3 LATITUDE trial shows monthly cabotegravir-rilpivirine injections cut regimen failure risk by 18.4 percentage points compared to daily oral ART in HIV patients with documented adherence difficulties.
