Swiss healthcare giant | Pharmaceuticals & Diagnostics
A body of studies is showing that a blood marker called p-tau217 can forecast an elevated risk of cognitive impairment in healthy older adults years before symptoms appear. The evidence is not yet clinical-ready, but it is guiding trials that aim to slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease and is being tested in Scotland’s primary care setting.
The FDA has approved daraxonrasib, sold as Rasonque by Revolution Medicines, for adults with previously treated or ineligible metastatic pancreatic cancer. Clinical trials have shown median survival extended to about 13.2 months versus roughly 6.7 months with chemotherapy. The drug will be available in the US with a roughly $39,800 monthly list price and expanded-access programmes have already treated thousands.
Eli Lilly has agreed to acquire privately held Merida Biosciences for up to $2.88 billion in cash. Merida develops treatments targeting auto-antibodies for autoimmune diseases, with MER511 in early-stage trials for Graves’ disease and thyroid eye disease. The deal expands Lilly’s immunology pipeline amid strong demand for obesity drugs.
The UK trial is testing Trontinemab in 55–80-year-olds with high p-tau217 levels to see if dementia can be delayed or prevented. About 1,600 participants globally will be recruited over four to six years, with initial screening beginning this week at the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Anthropic has built a wet lab in the San Francisco Bay Area to accelerate biology work, confirming a shift from in silico research to real-lab experimentation. The move comes amid warnings about AI risks and a looming IPO, with leadership stressing safety while pursuing faster drug development.