Drug

Betting firms respond to claims made by anti-gambling campaigners Tim Costello and Luke Bateman at parliamentary inquiryBetting giants Sportsbet and Tabcorp say there is no evidence to substantiate allegations that account managers sourced drugs and sex workers to incentivise vulnerable people to bet more, calling for information about the claims to be provided to regulators.Anti-gambling campaigners Tim Costello and Luke Bateman used a parliamentary hearing into Labor’s legislation to curb gambling advertising to allege problem gamblers had been supplied him with cocaine, alcohol and sex workers, alleging companies exercised no duty of care to their customers. Continue reading...

Injectable PrEP drug holds promise but investment in HIV prevention has declined dramatically worldwideSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email New innovations in HIV prevention could dramatically reduce the number of new HIV cases around the globe, but US foreign aid cuts will mean that those that most need the new medication will be unable to access it, according to experts at the Aids 2026 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.One year ago, the World Health Organization recommended that governments around the world prioritize expanded access to lenacapavir, an injectable version of the HIV prevention medication PrEP that requires only two injections annually. PrEP, which also comes in the form of daily oral medications and bimonthly injections, is 99% effective in preventing sexually transmitted HIV for people who take it consistently. Continue reading...

• The FTC and multiple states are suing telehealth company Hims & Hers for allegedly sharing sensitive patient health data with third-party advertisers. • Novo Nordisk is facing a shareholder lawsuit claiming the company misled investors regarding clinical trial results for its investigational weight-loss drug, CagriSema. • Viatris announced that the FDA has approved Gwyn Lo, a new low-dose contraceptive patch consisting of norelgestromin and ethinyl estradiol.

• An FDA advisory committee has voted in favor of RP1, an experimental melanoma drug developed by Replimune, despite the therapy being rejected in April. • The decision comes during a review meeting where experts evaluated the drug's efficacy and safety for treating melanoma patients. • This endorsement marks a significant reprieve for Replimune, potentially reversing a previous regulatory setback under new FDA leadership.

• The global anti-infective drugs market is projected to reach a valuation of USD 187.5 billion by 2035. • Growth is primarily driven by the increasing global burden of bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections, alongside the critical emergence of antimicrobial resistance. • The market is expanding due to continuous advancements in antimicrobial therapies and the necessity for healthcare systems to develop more effective treatments.

• Prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket are now allowing users to wager money on the outcomes of drug approvals. • Kalshi is further expanding these offerings by planning to enable betting on the specific results of clinical trials. • Experts and reporters, including Rebecca Robbins, warn that financial speculation on medical data could undermine public trust in clinical research.

• An FDA advisory committee is meeting this week to review applications for novel peptide therapies that were previously rejected by former agency officials. • Affiliates of the American Academy of Peptide Medicine allege the FDA ignored critical safety and efficacy data, while industry and consumer advocates warn that approval would bypass traditional drug regulations. • Separately, the FDA’s oncology center released three final guidance documents on Monday designed to expand patient access to cancer clinical trials.

• The FDA has raised concerns regarding the efficacy of Capricor Therapeutics' treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy ahead of an upcoming advisory committee hearing. • The agency's skepticism contradicts claims made by Capricor regarding the clinical benefits of the rare disease drug. • This development is critical as it may influence the FDA's final decision on whether to grant regulatory approval for the therapy.

Pharmaceuticals company is investing £400m in UK life sciences and moving scientists to new Cambridge R&D siteBusiness live – latest updatesThe British drugmaker GSK is to announce sweeping job cuts as part of a £1.9bn cost-cutting programme to pay for a £400m investment in UK life sciences over the next three years, including in a new research and development centre in Cambridge, as it looks to develop drugs more quickly under its new chief executive.The pharmaceuticals company announced on Tuesday it will move more than 1,000 of its scientists to its new site on the Cambridge biomedical campus. It will close its R&D site in Stevenage in Hertfordshire by 2029, while upgrading its R&D laboratories at nearby Ware and moving some employees there. Continue reading...

Europe and US risk being outpaced on innovation, as happened in the car industry, warns Pascal SoriotAstraZeneca must operate at “Chinese speed” to ensure it doesn’t suffer the fate of the western automotive industry by losing out to more innovative rivals, the drug company’s boss has said.The FTSE 100 company is watching the rise of China’s pharmaceutical industry closely and collaborating to take drugs to global markets, but its chief executive, Pascal Soriot, said the US and European pharmaceutical sector must focus on increasing the speed of innovation. Continue reading...

• China is launching a new round of industrial upgrading centered on the "next new three" sectors: artificial intelligence, robotics, and innovative drugs. • These technologies are seeing increased global deployment, including four-legged inspection robots in European nuclear plants and AI-supported Chinese language teaching in Thailand. • This strategic shift signals China's intent to move beyond previous export strengths toward high-tech, value-added industrial growth.

• Merck has received FDA approval for Lipfendra, the first oral pill in the PCSK9 inhibitor class of cholesterol-lowering medications. • Unlike traditional PCSK9 inhibitors that require injections, Lipfendra is a macrocyclic peptide specifically designed for oral administration. • This development provides a more convenient alternative for patients who require stronger cholesterol management than standard statins can offer.

TGA says product information for some diabetes and weight loss drugs updated with warning of NAION disorderFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s medicines regulator has issued warnings for several type 2 diabetes and obesity-related treatments – including Ozempic and Mounjaro – over the potential to cause a “rare but severe” eye disorder that could lead to blindness.The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) warning came after several GLP-1 RA medicines, marketed in Australia as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro among other products, have been linked to 36 cases of the condition. Continue reading...

Team in Ohio finds swapping to electric has ‘very large’ impact, despite study being scaled back by Trump cutsA US study has found a 70% drop in hospital admissions and days off from work or school when people with poorly controlled asthma had their gas stove and hob replaced with electric.Ohio’s publicly owned MetroHealth began the study in December 2024 but funding was terminated early by the incoming Trump administration. It had been designed to investigate if replacing gas cooking improved asthma for 1,200 people living near Cleveland, Ohio. Continue reading...

• Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health published a new study on July 20, 2026, regarding formulary-related insurance denials for single-source branded drugs in the U.S. • The report highlights how drug utilization management tools, such as prior authorization, step therapy, and formulary exclusions, are used to reduce overall drug spending. • This is significant because while these measures lower costs for insurers, they may create critical barriers to patient access for essential branded medications.

• AI tools utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) are transitioning from pilot projects to routine use in drug development. • These technologies extract structured clinical data from unstructured Electronic Health Record (EHR) text, such as pathology reports and physician notes. • This shift allows sponsors and regulators to enhance research processes, specifically improving trial design and safety surveillance.

Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been held at Brooklyn jail and both have pleaded not guiltyNicolás Maduro returns to court with his lawyers Wednesday and is expected to continue objecting to the US military action that snatched the Venezuelan president from power and deposited him in New York to face drug trafficking charges.Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, have been held at a Brooklyn jail ever since US forces seized them from their Caracas home in a stunning middle-of-the-night raid and brought them to New York in early January. Continue reading...

Case against Ismael Zambada García, who helped co-found and lead the violent Sinaloa cartel, unfolded in New YorkThe Mexican drug kingpin, Ismael Zambada García, known as “El Mayo”, was sentenced in a US federal court on Monday to life in prison, after a plea deal last year in which he admitted ⁠to shipping vast amounts of cocaine and other substances as leader of the violent Sinaloa cartel.Zambada is 76 and one of the most high-profile Mexican ⁠drug traffickers to be sentenced in a US court since his fellow Sinaloa leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán ​was sentenced to life in prison in ‌2019. The case unfolded in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. Continue reading...

• The FDA has introduced a new fast-track program for the approval of biologics, which are complex drugs used to treat conditions such as cancer and sickle cell disease. • Traditionally, the agency requires a rigorous process involving an investigational new drug application followed by three distinct phases of human clinical trials. • Experts warn that these political shortcuts could undermine the FDA's international reputation and its standing as a global authority on drug safety.

Move comes as prediction platforms rapidly gain popularity and offer opportunities to bet on virtually anythingKalshi is expanding its wagers to include bets on drug trial results, an expansion into new predictions territory as platforms continue to rapidly gain popularity and offer opportunities to bet on virtually anything.The betting platform said the expansion into clinical trials and FDA regulatory decisions would help surface information on drug trials that otherwise go unreported. A publicly listed contract on a drug trial would produce a “continuously updated, public probability that reflects the weight of the evidence, rather than the preferred message of the trial sponsor”, the company said. Continue reading...

• Health Minister Mark Butler confirmed that key multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments, including Ocrevus, Kesimpta, and Lemtrada, will remain subsidized on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). • The decision follows a review by an expert advisory panel, ensuring that Australians living with MS maintain affordable access to these life-changing medications. • This move addresses growing concerns regarding the stability of taxpayer subsidies for high-cost specialty drugs and the potential for certain treatments to be removed from the scheme.

Lipfendra can be taken in conjunction with or an alternative to statins, the most prescribed medication in the USSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The drug giant Merck on Thursday announced it had received FDA approval for a daily pill that can be an alternative to statins for treating high LDL levels, or so-called bad cholesterol. The new pill, Lipfendra, is a version of a drug called a PCSK9 inhibitor.For decades the go-to therapy to treat high cholesterol levels has been statins, the most prescribed medication in the US. But statins come occasionally with side effects like muscle aches and they sometimes don’t drop cholesterol levels enough to meet recommended levels. Continue reading...

Comedian backs LGBTQ+ theatre in ‘David v Goliath’ fight. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.Comedian Josh Thomas has weighed in on the Divine Playhouse saga, a queer-friendly theatre pop-up in Sydney that has been kicked out by its landlord. Continue reading...

• The FDA has introduced a new fast-track program for the approval of biologics, including experimental gene therapies for conditions like sickle cell disease and cancer. • Traditionally, the agency requires a rigorous three-phase trial process involving healthy volunteers, dose-finding studies, and large-scale clinical trials to ensure safety. • Critics argue that these political shortcuts may undermine the FDA's international reputation and its standing as a global authority on drug safety.

Councillors pass motion that paves way to setting up drugs-consumption facility where users can be helped and treatedUK politics live – latest updatesBristol has been formally declared a “city of harm reduction”, with local politicians pledging to focus on helping and treating users of illegal drugs rather than punishing them.Green councillors, who lead the city council, said the declaration was a clear signal that public health rather than criminal justice solutions were needed to tackle the UK’s growing drugs crisis. Continue reading...

• Scientists have launched the EBO-PEP clinical trial to test an experimental antiviral pill designed to prevent the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola after exposure. • The study is being led by the DRC's National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), France's ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases, and the medical organization ALIMA. • This research is critical because there are currently no licensed vaccines or treatments specifically for the Bundibugyo strain, leaving a gap in outbreak control.

• Leading researchers are warning that a recent FDA policy shift may lead to the approval of ineffective medicines. • In February, the FDA announced that drug sponsors could seek approval based on a single clinical trial and confirmatory evidence, departing from a 1960s-era requirement for two clinical studies. • This change is concerning to experts because it may allow drugs with conflicting trial data to enter the market, potentially compromising patient safety and efficacy.

• OpenAI researcher Miles Wang is reportedly in talks to launch an AI-driven drug discovery startup with a projected valuation of $2 billion. • Venture capital firm Lightspeed is in discussions to lead the funding round, though Wang has disputed the specific valuation figures and company description. • The move highlights a surge in investor interest in life sciences, exemplified by Chai Discovery's recent announcement of $400 million in funding at a $3.8 billion valuation.