Most multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs work by dampening the inflammatory nature of the immune response the disease causes. They are good at controlling acute flare-ups but don’t do much to stop disease progression and neurodegeneration. And their control of the immune system could leave patients vulnerable to serious opportunistic infections.

Sage Therapeutics has shared data from an open-label trial of zuranolone as it starts to remake the case for the drug following its phase 3 failure. The study found around half of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients who respond to zuranolone require retreatment and that outcomes for subsequent courses are comparable to the initial treatment.

Eli Lilly has struck a deal to sell a U.K. R&D campus to UCB. The deal positions UCB to turn the former Lilly neuroscience center into one of its three global R&D hubs.

To add a new set of revenue building-blocks, Astellas Pharma has snapped up the bioelectronics developer Iota Biosciences and its ultra-small medical implants in a deal worth up to $304 million.

Many oncology researchers and practitioners scrutinize genetic alterations in cancer, but they either focus on one particular tumor type or one mutation that occurs across tumors. A large-scale study focusing on precision medicine in cancer is now providing evidence that even more comprehensive gene testing should be routine in cancer research and care.

Last December, Australian CRO Novotech and Shanghai-based PPC Group unveiled a strategic partnership that created an integrated management structure. Now, it appears the arrangement was just a prelude to a merger.

Radiation, one of the most widely used and effective cancer therapies, is traditionally administered through external beams targeted at the site of a tumor—which Ken Song, M.D., CEO of the newly unveiled company RayzeBio, calls “an incredibly effective mode for killing cells.” Song, though, bets that his San Diego-based startup can make it even better with a more targeted approach.

GE Healthcare nabbed FDA clearance for its artificial intelligence-powered cardiovascular ultrasound system, designed to help automate and standardize echocardiogram exams.

As an increasing number of biopharmaceutical companies go all-in on artificial intelligence, Takeda has now committed to equipping each of its scientists with cloud-based research tools by the end of this decade.

Despite the rise of CAR-T and other cell therapies, small molecules and antibody treatments remain the bread and butter of cancer treatment. Lassogen thinks it’s found a way to combine the power of antibodies and small molecules while overcoming their weaknesses—lasso peptides.