Category: Pharma & Biotechnology

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week. Congratulations on making it this far, and remember there are only a few more days until the weekend arrives. So keep plugging away. After all, what are the alternatives? While you ponder the possibilities, we invite you to join us for a needed cuppa stimulation. Our choice today is ginseng peach, a favorite from our pantry. Meanwhile, here is the latest menu of tidbits to help you on your way. We hope you conquer the world and have a wonderful day. And as always, please do stay in touch. We appreciate feedback, tips, and criticism. …

The World Health Organization released its first guidelines addressing the sharp rise in obesity among children and adolescents, Health Policy Watch says. In 2024, 170 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 years were living with obesity, including 70 million children aged 5 to 9 years and 100 million adolescents aged 10 to 19 years. Obesity prevalence in this age group quadrupled since 1990, rising from 2% to 8%. But the WHO does not recommend pharmacological treatment, bariatric surgery, or weight loss devices for children aged 0 to 9 years. For adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, treatment with approved drugs may be considered only when a supervised multimodal lifestyle program has not achieved desired results.  

Caribou Biosciences is shutting down after failing to raise the money necessary to fund a late-stage clinical trial of its off-the-shelf CAR-T therapy for lymphoma, STAT notes. The biotech, borne from the research lab of CRISPR scientist and Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, will discontinue clinical development of its two CRISPR-based CAR-T therapies, including vispa-cel for the treatment of advanced B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Over the past year, Caribou had worked successfully with the Food and Drug Administration to finalize the design of a Phase 3 trial for vespa-cel. Unfortunately, raising the money to pay for the study proved too difficult.

Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. And it is getting off to a pleasant start here on the Pharmalot campus, where clear blue skies and comfy breezes are greeting us. As for the official mascots, they are happily snoozing in their respective corners. As for us, we are firing up the trusty kettle for another cuppa stimulation. Our choice today is honeybush vanilla turmeric. Of course, you are invited to join us. For the full experience, we are now hawking replicas — take a look. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. As always, do keep in touch. We appreciate feedback, criticism, and tips. …

The Trump administration is advancing the first government-funded clinical trials of the psychedelic drug ibogaine to treat opioid addiction and ​post-traumatic stress disorder, Reuters says. The initiative ⁠follows an executive order signed last April by President Trump that dedicated $50 million ​to the federal ibogaine research, as well as recent calls by experts and ​veterans for strict safety standards on psychedelic treatments. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has opened a public docket seeking feedback on trial design, dose selection, patient ​eligibility, safety monitoring, study-stopping rules, and oversight by Nov. 20.

AstraZeneca’s pivot towards the U.S. market has continued with the opening of a new R&D center in the biotech hotspot of Cambridge, Mass., the centerpiece of a $1 billion investment program in the state, Pharmaphorum explains. The new facility in the Kendall Square area — which is one of the densest biotech clusters in the world, with hundreds of small and large biopharma companies present — covers 570,000 square feet of lab and office space over 18 stories. The center is part of a major investment program by the U.K.-based company that was first announced in 2024 and dramatically expanded to around $50 billion last year.