Ozempic competitors, psychedelic stocks, and Moderna after COVID: Pharma news roundup
Zealand Pharma and Structure Therapeutics both announced new clinical trial results for their experimental weight loss drugs. The stock of several psychedelic medicines companies fell on Wednesday after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee did not recommend the use of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Moderna announced that it received FDA approval for its RSV vaccine.
Check out those stories and more pharmaceutical news highlights from this week.
A weight loss drug maker’s stock is rising on leaked clinical data
Zealand Pharma’s stock initially jumped 7% on Thursday after results from a phase 2 clinical trial of its experimental weight loss drug leaked. The leaked abstract revealed previously unreported data on how survodutide helped decrease liver fibrosis (scarring) without worsening a fatty liver condition known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
Psychedelic stocks tanked after MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD had a setback
The stocks of several companies working to develop psychedelic medicines to treat mental disorders fell on Wednesday, a day after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee decided not to recommend the use of MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Read More
An FDA advisory committee rejected the use of MDMA to treat PTSD
The Food and Drug Administration decided to not recommend the use of the party drug MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on Tuesday.
Promising trial data for Moderna-Merck skin cancer vaccine sends stock rising
Moderna stock jumped nearly 4% on Tuesday after the the company announced positive data from an early-phase clinical trial testing the combined use of an experimental cancer vaccine with Merck’s cancer drug Keytruda on patients with late-stage melanoma.
The race for a weight loss pill heats up as a Novo Nordisk competitor releases new trial results
Structure Therapeutics stock jumped 65% to $56 per share on Monday after the biopharmaceutical company released promising clinical trial results for its experimental weight loss pills. It’s the latest development in the race among several pharmaceutical companies to introduce new weight loss drug alternatives to the current market leaders Wegovy, Zepbound, and Ozempic.
Here’s what to know about the FDA’s meeting to discuss using psychedelics for PTSD treatment
An FDA advisory panel met Tuesday to offer a recommendation on whether to approve Lykos Therapeutics’ new drug application to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly.
Moderna just got FDA approval for its RSV vaccine — only its second product on the market
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Moderna’s mRNA-based respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for people 60 and older. The approval paves the way for the pharma giant, known for its COVID-19 vaccine, to launch its second-ever product.
Pfizer says its its lung cancer drug Lorbrena could be a $1 billion blockbuster
Pharma giant Pfizer said that its lung cancer drug Lorbrena could reach blockbuster status by 2030 after new data showed the drug helped patients survive five years without their cancer getting worse.