Curated news and analysis on clinical trials, drug approvals, and medical research.
The University of Houston and DHR Health broke ground on a 64,000-square-foot medical research and education center in McAllen. Backed by a $15 million state appropriation, the project will expand physician training, research and health education in the Rio Grande Valley.
The FDA reversed course and said it would review Moderna’s application for a new mRNA-based flu vaccine. The move followed growing concern about federal vaccine policy and came after HHS canceled nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts.
Retail pharmacy chains that expanded into clinical trials after COVID have since slowed or pulled back. CVS said it would exit by the end of 2024, Walmart shut its health clinics in 2024, and Walgreens has not commented formally on its business status.
A study in stage 3 dMMR colon cancer found that atezolizumab plus chemotherapy after surgery cut recurrence and death risk by 50%. The trial enrolled 712 patients and the regimen is now included in treatment guidelines.
AstraZeneca will report pivotal first-half data on sonesitatug vedotin in Claudin18.2 gastric cancer. The phase 3 Clarity-Gastric01 study is enrolling patients with ≥25% expression.
UK Research and Innovation has announced major changes to grant funding, with pauses and cuts affecting medical, biological and physical research. The uncertainty has raised concern over curiosity-driven research, staffing and the system’s tolerance for failure.
The FDA’s publication of complete response letters has tightened company disclosure around drug rejections and exposed common approval hurdles. Analyses of the letters point to frequent facilities and product quality deficiencies and delays averaging more than 2.5 years to final approval.
WHO in January 2024 launched its first list of priority childhood cancer drug formulations, naming six medicines that still lack optimal child-friendly versions. The agency says about 400,000 children and adolescents develop cancer each year and is working to expand access to safe, effective paediatric formulations.
Incyte has started the phase 3 Dawn-03 trial of INCB161734 plus chemotherapy in first-line KRAS G12D-mutant pancreatic cancer. The move comes while the phase 1 study remains halted in four European countries after pneumonitis cases, including one grade 5 event.
January and March 2026 drug pipeline updates included Phase 3 results, Fast Track designations and Priority Review decisions across multiple disease areas. Mavacamten, teplizumab-mzwv, anifrolumab, AXS-05, gedatolisib and AFTX-201 were among the programs with notable milestones.
AbbVie plans to build a $1.4 billion, 185-acre pharmaceutical campus in Durham, North Carolina. The site is expected to open by the end of 2028 and hire 734 employees while adding SVP manufacturing capacity.
The FDA accepted Hansa Biopharma’s BLA for imlifidase and set a PDUFA action date of Dec. 19, 2026. The filing is backed by Phase 3 ConfIdeS data showing statistically significant efficacy.
Merck is expanding its AI efforts through partnerships with Google Cloud and Mayo Clinic. The company said it will deploy AI across R&D and use multimodal clinical datasets to support drug discovery and precision medicine.
Researchers at the University of Bath reported a bacterial system for producing, stapling, and testing millions of peptide molecules inside living cells. The Cell Chemical Biology study uses a survival-based assay to identify stable, functional peptide candidates.
Sarepta Therapeutics said it will announce first quarter 2026 financial results. The event will be webcast on its investor relations website, with a replay archived for one year.
Two reviews found blockchain may strengthen secure medical data sharing and federated learning in health care. One identified 42 initiatives, while another reviewed over 100 papers from 2018 to 2025.
A $3.2 million research collaboration is developing a drug that directly breaks down MDM2 in triple-negative breast cancer. Early laboratory models showed tumour shrinkage, and the team is studying dosing, safety and performance.
The acting director of the CDC delayed publication of a report showing the COVID-19 vaccine cut emergency department visits and hospitalizations for healthy adults last winter by about half. The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The first clinical trial of an AAV gene therapy for type 1 diabetes is set to begin this year. The 52-week phase 1 PROGRESS study will test one-time intramuscular KRIYA-839 in adults with A1c above 7% using automated insulin delivery systems.
MSD signed a Google Cloud agreement worth up to $1 billion and entered an AI-focused R&D collaboration with Mayo Clinic. The deals expand AI use in drug discovery, development and broader operations.
