Author: healthadmin

Pharma trends 2026 bring surging R&D costs, regulatory volatility, and tech disruptions, but AI innovations, decentralized trials, and promising clinical pipelines offer key opportunities for drug developers.

Attacks on oil facilities and missile bases in the U.S.-Israel war with Iran have raised concerns among experts about the harmful legacy on human health and the environment that could linger long after the fighting ends. Since the conflict began, the UK-based non-profit Conflict Environment Observatory (CEOBS) has identified more than 300 incidents of potential environmental damage, ranging from attacks on missile bases to attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. But researchers say this number likely captures only a fraction of the damage. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” CEOBS director Doug Weir told DW. “The US…

From a 17-year development cycle to commercial launch, production has always been in Eztugo’s DNA. And for the twice-yearly pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug that Gilead Sciences is positioning as a key tool in the fight to end the HIV epidemic, “manufacturing is access.” said Dr. Stacey Marr, executive vice president of drug development and manufacturing at Gilead. These long-standing access considerations, and the complex compound behind Eztugo, lenacapavir, mean Gilead is building process and scale-up considerations into its research and development efforts “from the beginning,” she told Fierce in a recent interview. Eztugo ended its long road to approval last…

Severe cases of COVID-19 and influenza may cause more than just short-term illness. New research from UVA Health’s Beirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research and the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests that severe viral infections can create conditions in the lungs that promote cancer development and progression. The study also found that vaccination can prevent many of these harmful effects. Researchers led by UVA School of Medicine scientist Dr. Jie Sun have found that severe respiratory infections can change immune cells in the lungs, promoting tumor growth months and even years later. Based on these findings, scientists recommend that…

Recent research published in journals injury epidemiology provide evidence that military service or combat experience does not broadly increase support for political violence or right-wing extremism. The findings suggest that while veterans who engage in extremist violence pose a particular threat because of their training, the prevalence of extremist attitudes among military personnel appears to be relatively rare. “The January 6 riot raised questions about whether people with military experience are disproportionately involved in political violence,” said study author Elizabeth A. Tomsic, a researcher at the Center for Violence Prevention at the University of California, Davis. “Despite reports that veterans…

This week’s episode of “The Topline” takes a deep dive into the biopharmaceutical industry’s fourth quarter performance and how the industry fared throughout 2025. When the world’s 25 largest biopharmaceutical companies announced their financial results, attention quickly turned to their outlook for 2026. Only five pharmaceutical companies expect higher growth than in 2025, and some predict a decline in sales. One of the most surprising forecasts comes from Novo Nordisk, which expects a significant decline in sales. Several other companies are also facing the loss of patent protection for blockbuster drugs and are expected to see lower revenues or slower…

In medieval Denmark, the place of burial often reflected a person’s wealth and status. Christians could pay for famous tombs, and the closer the tomb was to the church, the more expensive it usually was. Researchers used this burial system to investigate whether disease affects social status after death. They focused on people who had not only tuberculosis but also leprosy, which has historically been associated with prejudice and ideas of sin. The results were unexpected. Those suffering from these diseases were often buried in the same prominent location as others, rather than being pushed to less desirable burial locations.…

LAS VEGAS—As agent-based artificial intelligence becomes mainstream, a message released this week shows that federal medical leaders are fully supportive of moving quickly to get AI agents into patients’ hands. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, M.D., speaking at the 2026 Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Global Health Conference & Exhibition on Thursday, said the use of AI agents has the potential to expand access to care in rural and other underserved areas, help patients and Medicare beneficiaries better manage their health information, and assist in medical decision-making. “With all the warp-speed advances that Amy[Gleason,…

Tracking smartphones over time reveals how deeply embedded they are in school life. Some teens check their phones more than 140 times, and frequent checking is associated with poor cognitive control. Study: Association between smartphone use and cognitive control during school hours in adolescents aged 11 to 18 years. Image credit: Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com Research published in JAMA network open found that adolescents frequently used smartphones during class and frequently checked their phones, which was associated with decreased cognitive control. The study found that some students checked their phones more than 140 times during school hours, with the highest frequency being…

The FDA has rejected Hyloris Pharmaceuticals’ antiviral drug valacyclovir, an oral suspension for infections caused by the herpes simplex virus and the varicella-zoster virus. In a Complete Response Letter (CRL), the FDA said it identified the issue through testing of a third-party manufacturer of gray squirrels. U.S. regulators have not identified any issues in the CRL and explained that the issues have been itemized to representatives of production facilities. CRL was not surprising. Belgium-based Hylolith said in a release last month that the FDA assigned the Greek facility an Official Action Instruction (OAI) classification after inspection (PDF). OAI is the…