Merck cough drug doesn’t pass panel scrutiny

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Today, we explore the future of obesity drugs and how they’re named, we chat with CRISPR pioneers about what it’s like to see the technology approved for human use, and more.

The need-to-know this morning:
• Bayer said it prematurely stopped a Phase 3 study in stroke prevention after independent monitors concluded its experimental blood-thinning medicine, called asundexian, showed inferior efficacy compared to a standard treatment. The asundexian study setback is a significant blow to Bayer’s effort to revamp its drug-development pipeline, analysts said.
• Carmot Therapeutics filed paperwork Friday for an initial public offering of undisclosed size. The Berkeley, Calif.-based company is developing drugs that target GLP-1 and GIP to treat diabetes and obesity, similar to Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic/Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro/Zepbound.
• Bristol Myers Squibb and 2Seventy Bio said the FDA will not complete an on-time review of its application seeking to expand the use of Abecma, their CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma. Instead, the FDA will convene an advisory panel meeting — date to be determined — to examine survival data from an Abecma clinical trial.
• The U.K. and the pharmaceutical industry have reached a deal on a five-year plan outlining how the health system pays for drugs, as the country tries to keep a lid on its medicines spending while simultaneously building up its life sciences industry. STAT’s Andrew Joseph has more here.

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