The U.S. Food and Drug Management asked drugmakers to remove warnings about a potential risk of suicidal thoughts from widely used GLP-1 weight loss drugs, including Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound. This request, also covering Novo’s older weight loss drug Saxenda, follows an agency review that found no evidence linking GLP-1 receptor agonists to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior. The move could ease a key safety concern for this fast-growing class of medicines, which are being tested or used for conditions beyond weight loss, including cardiovascular issues, fatty liver disease, and sleep apnea. The warnings were originally based on reports with older weight loss medicines. Labels for these drugs in the European Union do not carry such warnings.
Illumina, a leader in genomics, is focusing on helping customers better understand and apply genetic data to drug progress. The company unveiled the Billion Cell Atlas, which it claims is the world’s largest dataset of its kind. this atlas details the results of turning genes on or off across 200 cell lines, including those used to study heart disease, neurologic disorders, immune conditions, and cancer. Data from these genetic changes could help drug companies validate drug targets or create AI-powered models of cell behavior. Illumina is offering the atlas to pharmaceutical companies, with Merck, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly as initial customers.
