Google LLC, the US technology conglomerate owned by Alphabet Inc, has been fined €2.95 billion by the European Commission for what it described as abusive practices in its online advertising business. The fine relates to practices dating from 2014 in which Google was found to have favoured its own online display advertising technology services, to the detriment of other providers.
Scientists across 25 countries representing 51 different nationalities have been awarded €761 million from the European Union to support original research in the physical and life sciences, social sciences and the humanities. The awards were announced on 4 September by the European Research Council, a public body established by the European Commission in 2007. The programme falls under Horizon Europe, the European Union’s seven-year programme for research and development.
Eli Lilly and Co’s investigational obesity drug, orforglipron, achieved a weight loss of 10.5% at the highest dose in a third Phase 3 trial whose results were reported on 3 September. Orforglipron is small molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist designed to be taken once per day without restrictions on food and water. It differs from Lilly’s first approved weight-loss drug Zepbound (tirzepatide) which is a polypeptide drug, administered subcutaneously and intended to be taken with a diet and exercise.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc announced positive data on 2 September from two Phase 3 trials for its RNA-targeted medicine olezarsen (Tryngolza) in patients at risk of acute pancreatitis events. Tryngolza has already been approved in the US for the treatment of familial chylomicronaemia syndrome, a genetic disease that prevents the body from breaking down triglyceride fats. The company is now seeking to expand the drug’s use for people with severe hypertriglyceridaemia. This disorder occurs when the levels of triglycerides are significantly elevated, increasing the risk of acute pancreatitis.
Cyted Health, a UK diagnostics company with a focus on gastrointestinal health, has raised $44 million to expand its business in the US, taking advantage of a Food and Drug Administration approval of its lead product and experience using the device for patients in the UK. Announced on 2 September, the Series B funding is being led by the private equity group EQT Life Sciences and co-led by Advent Life Sciences and the British Business Bank. It follows FDA approval of the product EndoSign in 2024.
Wegovy (semaglutide), the weight-loss drug developed and now marketed by Novo Nordisk A/S, is able to cut the risk of heart attack, stroke or death by 57% compared with tirzepatide (Zepbound), the competing drug developed by Eli Lilly and Co, according to the Danish pharma company. Novo presented the comparative data, derived from a real-world study of the two drugs’ benefits, at the annual European Society of Cardiology meeting in Madrid on 31 August.
Roche and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc are to advance their jointly developed RNA interference therapy for hypertension into a Phase 3 trial following clinical data showing that the drug, zilebesiran, could have a significant impact on patients with uncontrolled hypertension. The data comes from three Phase 2 trials which tracked the performance of the drug in patients with hypertension and high cardiovascular risk.
AstraZeneca Plc disclosed the full results of its Phase 3 trial of baxdrostat, a drug for hypertension, on 30 August, confirming the therapy’s ability to reduce systolic blood pressure in patients with hard-to-control hypertension. In a presentation at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, the company said that baxdrostat, a small molecule drug that inhibits aldosterone synthase, met all primary and secondary endpoints, delivering sustained blood pressure reductions.
Novartis Pharma AG has entered into an option and collaboration agreement with BioArctic AB to develop an antibody treatment for a neurodegenerative disorder that takes advantage of the Swedish company’s technology for helping drugs cross the blood-brain barrier. The target for the prospective treatment has not been disclosed. But the transporter technology is public and is being used by BioArctic in multiple projects. It is based on the transferrin receptor, a protein responsible for the delivery of iron to cells. This can also enable antibody drugs to cross the barrier.
Susan Monarez was dismissed as director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on 28 August in a surprise move that also led to the resignations of other top officials including Debra Houry, the agency’s chief medical officer. Robert F Kennedy Jr, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced Dr Monarez’s departure on the social media site X. This was subsequently confirmed by the White House.