PHARMA AND TECH +++ +++ +

PHARMA AND TECH MedPage Today: New Pill Approved For Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/bipolardisorder/120004?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--M08xiIrZYvY8hS7xptzTnMEmSU_aZpf65Av35DNWUAYIjND4I8XAo7_C0Z-FnwnxKnN7PEd6ILpLIRjHR90-KP3X50g&_hsmi=405257711&utm_content=405257711&utm_source=hs_email The FDA approved milsaperidone (Bysanti) tablets as first-line therapy for adults with schizophrenia and manic or mixed episodes related to bipolar I disorder, Vanda Pharmaceuticals announced on Friday. Milsaperidone is an active metabolite of Vanda's existing drug iloperidone (Fanapt) and represents a new chemical entity in the atypical antipsychotic class. In clinical research, milsaperidone was bioequivalent to iloperidone across all therapeutic doses, Vanda said. (Monaco, 2/23) Stat: Bayer Sues J&J Over 'Misleading Claims' About Prostate Cancer Drug https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2026/02/23/bayer-jnj-prostate-cancer-false-advertising-lawsuit/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--OCwTg_fRunJy-w7GIsQJBo0qLyP1-pKVY-E0fDg3fFrnDWskqevwzl8lWCHHyZ0VI_7WN5ZNsd7m9BnmzV_9E8Kvizw&_hsmi=405257711&utm_content=405257711&utm_source=hs_email Underscoring the high-stakes market for prostate cancer medicines, Bayer filed a lawsuit accusing Johnson & Johnson of launching a “false advertising campaign” that uses flawed data to wrongfully promote its rival drug as a more effective treatment. (Silverman, 2/23) Chicago Tribune: AbbVie Plans To Build Two New Manufacuturing Facilities https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/23/abbvie-new-manufacturing-facilities/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9_tAiJi3bZqRuMXf_dTsYhasGOTPo4fkqT6ZuUuxDq38n4jlR5bBgOrQ9Ih7fdysvv0ldv7CJ6nNCxluoL6muaAMvSzA&_hsmi=405257711&utm_content=405257711&utm_source=hs_email Biopharmaceutical company AbbVie plans to spend $380 million building two new manufacturing facilities in North Chicago — a rare example of a project that’s in line with initiatives by the administrations of Gov. JB Pritzker and President Donald Trump. (Schencker, 2/23) The Wall Street Journal: Merck Revamps Pharmaceutical Unit, Creating Separate Cancer Business https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/merck-creates-separate-cancer-business-as-sales-pressure-looms-2d6b1b65?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--urs7S0Gdbj-80rhX2xEzZtg3NqSV7VJWRTcCrxy3F0ibUn1Y1HEzpsWXaZDhB7VDfp2Jz4mnr05FQIr2viEu80lSB7w&_hsmi=405257711&utm_content=405257711&utm_source=hs_email Merck is shaking up the leadership of its main pharmaceutical unit as the U.S. drugmaker braces for sales pressure later this decade. The Rahway, N.J.-based company said Monday it will split its human-health business into two divisions. One will house its cancer drugs, including the blockbuster Keytruda. The immunotherapy accounts for nearly half of total Merck sales but is due to lose U.S. patent protection in 2028, exposing it to lower-cost copycat competition. (Loftus, 2/23) Bloomberg: Pfizer Nabs China Obesity Drug Rights In $495 Million Deal https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-24/pfizer-secures-china-rights-to-obesity-drug-in-495-million-deal?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8SHihiLhwUEc1FnseWA22vTuzkR-FIEqMtUsKsA8-U4VNylnCufTgUg_6jvUdryWuio3AZxqb8FmCab_kzGr1LGnelBQ&_hsmi=405257711&utm_content=405257711&utm_source=hs_email Pfizer Inc. has acquired exclusive rights to commercialize an obesity therapy in China, strengthening its push into the fast-growing weight loss market. The American drugmaker struck a deal with local startup, Hangzhou Sciwind Bioscience Co., for ecnoglutide, a drug recently approved in China for diabetes and is currently under regulatory review for obesity, according to a statement on WeChat. (Tong, 2/24) The Hill: Diabetes Drug Mounjaro Linked To Reduced Alcohol Intake: Study https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5751372-tirzepatide-mounjaro-alcohol-study/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--PSBgRVL-adts_sIzoEEguHhiY4BgJVaVD8QRcZivbZe1Za4Rm4DpYSjnal7tDcn7NWa1xZ_MYHNmCYrB4sNiDsmQTIA&_hsmi=405257711&utm_content=405257711&utm_source=hs_email An ingredient in the prescription diabetes drug Mounjaro was found to reduce alcohol intake in rodents, according to a recent study. In the study, published in early January in the medical journal eBioMedicine, researchers in Sweden, South Carolina and Brazil looked at how the ingredient, tirzepatide, affected rodents. The researchers found that alcohol’s “rewarding properties” were lessened by the ingredient and that behaviors including the voluntary consumption of alcohol and binge drinking dropped. (Suter, 2/23) MedPage Today: Breakable Mechanical Heart Valves Eyed For Future Intervention https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/interventionalcardiology/120008?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_GPgNpeJ9-5Jzu43N_Du-BS4TIalJzbvMKLZSLPO2cOI6iK5OBDSZncx3z0_nH1YLqvbNz46wePv_2UziT3rWb7w04Mg&_hsmi=405257711&utm_content=405257711&utm_source=hs_email Failed mechanical heart valves could get a new life with device fracture and subsequent valve-in-valve therapy, research suggested. Contemporary mechanical valve leaflets were successfully fractured using standard angioplasty balloons in controlled lab experiments, leaving the intact valve rings unobstructed and available for possible transcatheter heart valve implantation -- which has implications for people with dysfunctional mechanical heart valves, reported Paulina Jankowska, MD, of University Hospital Heart Center Brandenburg in Neuruppin, Germany, and colleagues. (Lou, 2/23)