Where’s Lilly’s Alzheimer’s approval?

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Hello, everyone. Damian here. I’d like to heartily recommend you check out Part 1 of The War on Recovery, a yearlong STAT investigation into how the U.S. denies lifesaving medications to people with opioid addiction.

The need-to-know this morning

• Novo Nordisk’s diabetes medication Ozempic cut the risk of patients developing advanced kidney disease or dying from kidney or heart complications, adding to the evidence the wildly popular drug has broader health benefits for patients beyond addressing their diabetes.
• Alnylam Pharmaceuticals said its experimental medicine zilebesiran lowered blood pressure on top of current standard treatments, achieving the goal of a mid-stage clinical trial. Full results will be presented on April 7 at the American College of Cardiology meeting. Zilebesiran is being developed in a partnership with Roche.

Biotech VC is shrinking

The bad news, according to the latest data from Pitchbook, is that biotech companies are raising less money across fewer deals with worse terms. The good news, potentially, is that the venture capital’s renewed focus on quality might smooth out a market prone to booms and busts.

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