As recently as December 10, 2025, Rezolute was a Wall Street darling. Eight analysts rated the stock a Buy, with price targets as high as $17. Its lead drug ersodetug, a monoclonal antibody, had earned two FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designations and the agency had signaled that its Phase 3 trial could support a BLA filing.…
The FDA’s AI ambitions depend on better data practices
In June 2025, the Food and Drug Administration rolled out Elsa, an agency-wide generative AI assistant that officials say is already helping to speed the review of new drugs and devices and shrink weeks of paperwork into minutes. It is a vision that could reshape how lifesaving therapies reach patients, but Elsa’s first six months…
FDA Drug Unit chief resigns as he is sued
George Tidmarsh, the head of the FDA’s drug division, resigned on Sunday after he was placed on leave Friday, “after the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of the Inspector General were notified of serious concerns about his personal conduct,” Emily Hilliard, an HHS spokeswoman, told ABC News in a statement. Tidmarsh said…
FDA moves against unapproved ingestible fluoride drugs for kids, citing risk-benefit concerns
The FDA has notified manufacturers that it intends to pursue compliance actions against unapproved ingestible fluoride prescription drugs for children. In a Halloween press release, the agency said it was tightening a long-standing regulatory gap for products that have been sold for decades without new-drug approval. In it, Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.…
Quanterix VP: Why biomarkers are no longer supplemental
Biomarkers have moved from “nice-to-have” to the backbone of drug development, says Quanterix’s Jorge Marques Signes, who argues they now shape feasibility, timelines and even payer expectations before sponsors commit thousands of patients or years of spend. “Biomarkers are not supplemental anymore,” said Marques Signes, VP of Accelerator & Clinical Services at Quanterix. “They are…
Kenvue pushes back on possible Tylenol label change
Following a White House press conference on Sept. 22, during which Donald Trump alleged a link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism, the Informed Consent Network (ICAN) filed a petition with the FDA to add a warning to all drugs that contain acetaminophen. ICAN is a nonprofit organization that aims to provide “every person…
Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID vaccine approved for individuals at increased risk
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced today that the FDA has approved their COVID-19 vaccine for adults ages 65 and older and individuals from 5 to 64 years old who have at least one underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19. The approval comes amidst the development of a…
The future of RWD and RWE in healthcare decision-making: Applications of novel real-world data collection methods for healthcare decision-making
Real-world evidence and real-world data The use of real-world evidence (RWE) to support regulatory and reimbursement decision-making received increasing attention over the past decades. The US FDA provides a definition of RWE as “the clinical evidence about the usage and potential benefits and risks of a medical product”1. RWE can be used across the entire…
Pharma’s cultural barriers could blunt AI progress despite pressures for more efficient drug approvals.
The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) recently unveiled the launch of the CDER Center for Clinical Trial Innovation (C3TI), which aims to drive clinical trial innovation. When asked to assess the potential impact of the center, Charles Fisher, founder and CEO of Unlearn, said: “The truth is, I don’t know. I’m sort…
Demystifying deep learning: An accessible introduction to neural networks in health research and epidemiology
As machine learning and deep learning technologies advance thanks to advances in computation, algorithms and data availability, the possibilities of the technology continue to expand in medicine. While these AI-driven approaches have real potential, such systems demand large volumes of representative data, careful privacy and security scrutiny and thoughtful long-term strategic planning. In this Q&A, Kathryn…
Moving the needle on diversity in clinical trials: Where do we go from here?
Enhancing patient diversity in clinical trials has become a key priority in drug development. The main concern is that critical data that includes underrepresented patient populations is being left out as many clinical trials do not reflect all populations that may eventually take a therapy. These underrepresented groups consist of women, including those who are…
AbbVie and Janssen voluntarily withdraw Imbruvica from accelerated approvals for MCL and MZL
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) and Janssen Pharmaceutical (NYSE:JNJ) have revealed their intent to voluntarily withdraw the accelerated approvals for Imbruvica (ibrutinib) for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) in the U.S. Ibrutinib is a selective Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK). The main reasons for the move relate to FDA’s request for additional studies…
FDA authorization of vilobelimab signals new opportunities for drug developers in inflammatory diseases
The FDA has granted InflaRx (Nasdaq:IFRX) emergency use authorization (EUA) for the monoclonal antibody Gohibic (vilobelimab) to treat critically-ill COVID-19 patients. The company’s shares were up yesterday almost 84% to $3.77. Today, its shares jumped an additional 62% to $6.10. The EUA represents a significant advance for the Jena, Germany–based company, which on March 31,…
The ‘Iron man suit’ for QA Managers: Quality management software taps power of ChatGPT
Gone are the days when Microsoft’s animated paperclip, Clippy, popped up on your screen with helpful — and sometimes annoying — tips and tricks for your Word document. Now, the Israeli eQMS compliance provider Dot Compliance has launched what it hails as an industry-first electronic Quality Management System (eQMS) for life sciences with a prominent…
Breaking down barriers: Prioritizing diversity in clinical trials
Diversity in clinical trials is crucial for ensuring that new medical treatments are safe and effective for all populations. Last year, the FDA released draft guidance that aims to improve the enrollment of historically underrepresented populations in clinical trials. Demand is growing for more transparency and diversity in clinical trials, according to Erin Leckrone, senior…
FDA could allow OTC sales of opioid overdose drug naloxone
The FDA announced that it encourages companies to develop nonprescription naloxone drugs to help reduce opioid overdoses. Certain naloxone hydrochloride drug products may be “approvable as safe and effective for nonprescription use,” the agency explained in a draft Federal Register notice, Safety and Effectiveness of Certain Naloxone Hydrochloride Drug Products for Nonprescription Use. FDA has…
FDA releases draft guidance to protect children in clinical trials
FDA has published draft guidance to clarify its perspective on including children in clinical trials. The agency notes that it wrote the draft guidance to help industry, sponsors and institutional review boards (IRBs) protect children in clinical studies testing drugs, biological products and medical devices. The draft guidance is titled “Ethical Considerations for Clinical Investigations of Medical…
U.S. government launches CP-RND, a public-private partnership for rare neurodegenerative diseases
The FDA and NIH have debuted the Critical Path for Rare Neurodegenerative Diseases (CP-RND), a public-private partnership focused on developing new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and rare neurodegenerative diseases. One of the goals of the CP-RND is to foster innovation in drug discovery and development as well as clinical testing. In addition, CP-RND…
FDA reportedly will soon authorize updated COVID-19 boosters
The FDA is on the verge of authorizing updated COVID-19 boosters without the benefit of Phase 3 clinical trial data, according to media reports. The bivalent boosters, based on the omicron sublineages BA.4 and BA.5 and the original form of SARS-CoV-2, could be available soon after Labor Day. To authorize the omicron-specific COVID-COVID-19 boosters, FDA…
Merck wins Fast Track designation from FDA for experimental anticoagulant therapy
FDA has informed Merck (NYSE:MRK) that its investigational anticoagulant therapy MK-2060 has received Fast Track designation. The program accelerates the review of new drugs to treat serious conditions or unmet medical need. The Fast Track designation covers the risk reduction of major thrombotic cardiovascular events in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). “We are encouraged…
3 critical monkeypox vaccine questions
In the U.S., federal authorities have allowed two vaccines to be used to reduce the risk of monkeypox virus infection. The preferred option is the Jynneos vaccine from Bavarian Nordic (OMX:BAVA), followed by Emergent BioSolutions’ (NYSE:EBS) ACAM2000. While vaccination efforts are ramping up, California, New York and Illinois have declared states of emergency as the…
FDA could approve MDMA and psilocybin in 2 years
To deal with a worsening mental health crisis in the U.S., the FDA is reportedly considering approving 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psilocybin within the next two years, according to a letter from a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published by The Intercept. MDMA could be authorized as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, while…
FDA backs COVID-19 boosters with BA.4/5 spike proteins for fall
The first-generation COVID-19 vaccines remain potent tools in protecting against severe COVID-19, but their effectiveness in protecting against infections from SARS-CoV-2 has slipped as the virus evolves. While boosters improve protection, their effectiveness wanes over time. FDA today followed the lead of its independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) in backing the…
Pfizer and BioNTech forge new COVID-19 vaccine deal with U.S. government
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech SE (Nasdaq:BNTX) profited handsomely from COVID-19 vaccine sales in 2021. The firms raked in more than $59 billion in combined sales of the Comirnaty vaccine. The two companies have now announced a new vaccine supply agreement with the U.S. government worth $3.2 billion. Under the terms of the…
How Cybin aims to maximize the potential of two classical psychedelics
Classical psychedelics can be agents of chaos. In sufficient doses, they can trigger experiences of ego death or dissolution, as researchers have noted since the 1960s. Psychedelics can also help promote neural plasticity and uproot negative patterns to treat challenging-to-treat mental health disorders. FDA has acknowledged the potential of psilocybin for mental health by twice granting Breakthrough…





















