Neurodegenerative disease startup VectorY secured $138 million in a Series A funding round to develop a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The money will be invested in its lead candidate, a vectorized antibody known as VTx-002, which targets a protein in ALS called TDP-43. (Endpoints News)
Ajinomoto announced it will acquire gene therapy manufacturer Forge for $620 million, gaining access to Forge’s Hearth facility in Columbus. Forge, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), focuses on “enabling access to life-changing gene therapies.” (Yahoo Finance)
A recent study found that Eli Lilly’s experimental drug lowered a heart disease risk factor in just one dose. Lilly’s lepodisiran, given at the highest dose, reduced a heart disease-linked protein to undetectable levels for 48 weeks. (Indianapolis Business Journal)
The benefits of treatments for opioid use disorder are diminishing as the opioid crisis turns into something entirely new: a drug epidemic in which people are increasingly taking multiple substances. In the last few years, data has shown that 70 to 80% of people addicted to opioids also routinely take other illegal substances, from xylazine to meth. (The New York Times)
House Republicans have set forth to cut 95% of the budget for the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative, a federal program that seeks to reduce HIV infections by 75% by 2025. Despite former President Trump kick-starting the program in 2019, GOP lawmakers are pushing to remove $542 million in funds, arguing the program has had slow progress. (Politico)
