Today, a brief rundown of news from Janux Therapeutics and the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as updates from Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca that you may have missed.
Shares of Janux Therapeutics fell nearly 50% on Tuesday after the company reported new early-stage results for a type of “masked” T cell engager its developing for advanced prostate cancer. Janux’s drug, JANX007, was associated with a response rate of 30% among 27 evaluable patients in its latest data cut, down from the 50% response rate disclosed last December. Janux also didn’t reveal which responses were “unconfirmed,” or not corroborated by a subsequent scan. While acknowledging those criticisms as “fair,” William Blair analyst Matt Phipps countered that, in patients who were treated with the dosing regimens advancing into further testing, or who had a lower tumor burden, the data still suggest JANX007 has a possible “best-in-disease profile.” The selloff is an “overreaction,” he wrote in a client note. — Ben Fidler
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services named Martin Kulldorff the chief science officer for the in-house group, known for short as ASPE, that guides the agency on health policy. Kulldorff has been chairing the influential panel, ACIP, that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recast with vaccine skeptics. His job leading ACIP has been handed to Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who has been critical of COVID-19 vaccines and promoted the use of unproven drugs like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to treat the disease during the pandemic. ACIP will meet later this week to discuss the childhood immunization schedule and hepatitis B shots. — Ben Fidler
Eli Lilly said Monday it is dropping the price of the single-dose vials of obesity drug Zepbound that it sells to cash-paying customers through its online channel. According to Lilly, those customers will now pay $299 a month for a starter dose and a maximum of $499 monthly afterwards. The announcement comes less than a month after the Indianapolis-based drugmaker reached an agreement with the Trump administration to lower Zepbound to an average of $346 a month when purchased through a U.S. government cash-pay portal. The new $299 price will apply to the 2.5 milligram weekly starter dose and is down from $349. The 5 milligram dose will now cost $399 instead of $499, while all other doses will be priced at $449. — Jonathan Gardner
The Food and Drug Administration will begin reviewing baxdrostat, a blood pressure medication AstraZeneca acquired in a 2023 buyout of CinCor Pharma. The agency has also granted baxdrostat a priority review for its proposed use of treating hard-to-control hypertension, meaning a decision will likely come during the second quarter of 2026, the company said Tuesday. AstraZeneca previously said it expects baxdrostat to eventually generate billions of dollars in yearly sales. It's also being tested as a treatment for primary aldosteronism and in combination with Farxiga for chronic kidney disease and heart failure prevention. — Ben Fidler
