(NewsNation) — A new study found that a rare but serious brain condition has been identified in a small number of people taking popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Wernicke encephalopathy is a rare neurological disorder caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin B1, also known as thiamine.
GLP-1 prescriptions for kids up more than 30,000% since 2019
Researchers identified 15 cases reported in 2023 and 2024 among people taking GLP-1 medications containing semaglutide, found in Ozempic and Wegovy, or tirzepatide, found in Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Vitamin B1 is essential for proper nerve function. Without enough of it, patients can develop confusion, problems with balance and coordination, and abnormal eye movements.

#zepbound #vitamin #identified

Hayden Panettiere reportedly consumed an oxycodone pill mixed with fentanyl on the day she died, according to TMZ sources on Monday. However, they noted that the toxicology reports hadn't yet been released.
The 36-year-old actress passed away on August 16th in Greenville, South Carolina. TMZ reported, based on sources well-informed about the case, that Panettiere had a dealer of black market prescription drugs who worked with her in Los Angeles, and he supplied oxycodone to her.
According to the report, she consumed a variety of drugs purchased from the drug dealer on the flight from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before her death, and she took an oxycodone pill the following morning.
Los Angeles DEA is trying to find out the connection between Panettiere and the dealer and trace the pill back to him.
The DEA in Los Angeles and South Carolina, along with state and local authorities, is investigating, according to TMZ.

#carolina

A month after the death of Hayden Panettiere, the investigation into how the "Heroes" and "Nashville" actress died now reportedly spans two coasts.
Panettiere died Aug. 16 at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina, police confirmed to USA TODAY, while a 911 call obtained by Reuters, TMZ and other outlets revealed the "Scream" franchise actress was in cardiac arrest after a possible overdose. Days after her death, the Drug Enforcement Adminstration joined the investigation.
Now, investigators in both Los Angeles and South Carolina are focused on identifying what drugs may have contributed to her death and where those drugs came from, according to ABC News, citing unnamed sources.

#panettiere #south #actress #drugs

The investigation into Hayden Panettiere's death last month has reportedly gone cross-country.
Investigators are also reportedly focusing on the drugs they believe were involved in her death.
The actress died last month in South Carolina of an apparent overdose.
The investigation into Hayden Panettiere's death last month has a new update. According to sources who spoke to ABC News, the investigation is now spanning both Los Angeles and South Carolina. Investigators are also reportedly honing in on where the drugs that may have led to the 36-year-old actress's death came from.
Panettiere was ****** ounced dead on the scene on August 16 after first responders were called to a private residence in Greenville, South Carolina. According to dispatch audio obtained by People, the cause of death was "cardiac arrest" after an apparent "overdose."

#death #carolina #investigation #investigators

Investigators looking into Hayden Panettiere's death are reportedly focusing on a single pill they believe contained fentanyl.
Multiple law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation told TMZ that Panettiere took what she believed was oxycodone on the morning of Aug. 16, the day she died at age 36. Their working theory is that the pill had been laced with fentanyl.
The Greenville County Coroner's Office has not announced Panettiere's cause or manner of death, and toxicology results remain pending. TMZ's sources themselves cautioned that their theory still depends on those results.
The new report arrives as federal and local investigators try to determine where drugs and medications connected to Panettiere came from. The Los Angeles Times independently reported before TMZ's latest story that DEA agents and local authorities had been questioning people as part of that effort.
TMZ's sources allege that Panettiere had been obtaining black-market prescription drugs from a longtime source in Los Angeles before traveling to South Carolina on Aug. 15.

#panettiere #sources

Hayden Panettiere reportedly took a pill believed to have contained oxycodone laced with fentanyl on the day she died.
In a new report from TMZ published on Monday, September 14, law enforcement sources claimed that the pill is what led to the Scream 4 star's death. However, official toxicology results are still pending.
The sources also told the outlet that Panettiere had a "long time drug dealer" in the Los Angeles area who provided the Nashville alum with illegal prescription drugs. She reportedly purchased the pill that allegedly led to her death, as well as other drugs, the morning before she died.
The DEA in Los Angeles is reportedly investigating Panettiere's relationship with her alleged drug dealer and working to determine whether the pill she took can be traced back to him.
As In Touch previously reported, Panettiere died at the age of 36 on Sunday, August 16. The day prior, she and her on-again off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, were spotted flying out of LAX to South Carolina.

#pill #dealer

Just weeks after Hayden Panettiere's sudden death, several law enforcement sources believe she died from a fentanyl overdose.
On Monday, September 14, insiders told TMZ that Panettiere had a "long time drug dealer" in Los Angeles. They providing the Heroes actress with many "black-market prescription drugs," including oxcodone. The outlet learned that Panettiere allegedly took numerous pills during her flight from LA to South Carolina, and on the morning of her death, she reportedly took an oxcodone, which authorities believe was laced with fentanyl.
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#panettiere

New details are emerging regarding the investigation into Hayden Panettiere's death.
The probe into the actress' death has become a "cross-country investigation" in both Los Angeles and South Carolina, per ABC News. The type of drugs and where they came from has become a new focal point in the investigation.
TMZ subsequently reported that Panettiere had a "long time drug dealer" in Los Angeles who allegedly gave her several prescription drugs, including oxycodone. The outlet's sources suggest she purchased the fatal dose on a flight from L.A. to South Carolina, where she died on Aug. 16 at 36. TMZ reports that the pill she took the morning of her death could have allegedly been laced with fentanyl.
On Aug. 16, first responders had found Panettiere "unresponsive" and "in cardiac arrest" at the apartment complex she had been temporarily staying, per the Greenville County Coroner's Office. After "resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful," she was **** ounced dead at the scene.
The coroner's office reported that the autopsy was completed on Aug. 17, and there were "no signs of trauma" that "would have contributed to the death."

#investigation #panettiere #become #drugs

Biohaven (BHVN) stock plummeted Thursday after the company paused enrollment in a midstage study of its seizure treatment due to safety concerns.
The Food and Drug Administration is now requiring Biohaven to ***** s the potential for human toxicity from a metabolite in the drug, opakalim. Opakalim is in testing as a treatment for focal onset seizures. But, in rats, it proved toxic.
Dosing is still ongoing. But the rodent toxicity setback likely delays potential regulatory approval. That's a boon for Xenon Pharmaceuticals (XENE), which is in late-stage testing with its drug, azetukalner. Both drugs work by opening potassium channels in the nervous system to calm overactive brain cells.
On the stock market today, Biohaven stock dropped 14.7% to 12.79. Shares fell below their 21-day and 50-day moving averages on the news, MarketSurge shows. Xenon stock slid a fraction to 58.80.
To ask for FDA approval, Biohaven will need the results of studies called RISE-2 and RISE-3. The hold was placed on the former, but the latter is still ongoing. The company expects to have the results from RISE-3 later this year.

#toxicity

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Princess Diana's head-turning "revenge dress" is going on sale for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day.
Sarah Pender/iStockphoto/Getty Images
Accidental ingestion of recreational drugs among young children in the US has surged by more than 3,300% over a 25-year period, according to a new study. An ER doctor explains what parents need to know.
Hunter Kozak was asking Charlie Kirk about mass shootings when Kirk was gunned down in front of him. Now, Kozak and other witnesses say they've faced relentless harassment and threats after online influencers falsely tied them to the killing.

#things #princess #images #accidental

On September 3, a caller asked whether to rotate out of artificial intelligence stocks and add to Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) rather than chase Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) or Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH). Mad Money host Jim Cramer said:
Well, I'll tell you… I think it's always good to look at Lilly as a stock that I think has a lot of things that are going well, but I want to wait. Well, actually, you know, tell you the truth… It's pulled back. I think you're fine, I think you're fine to add some. I'm going to okay that. And I understand JNJ's moved a great deal. It's been a great club hit and Cardinal has been terrific, too. So, thank you for referencing those two really good ones.
Cramer was also asked to rank J&J, Lilly, and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by another caller. He said:
Okay, so let's take them. J&J is best of breed, AAA balance sheet, 18 drugs… You're not going to have any expiration problems, okay? Lilly has one huge drug that we know is going to be a franchise for many, many years. I do like a diversifying pattern more. And Pfizer's starting to creep up and is playing catch-up, but I need a reason to recommend it. So I'm going to say J&J and Lilly and then Pfizer.
The latest results largely explain the differences in Cramer's ranking. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) has the strongest growth profile by a wide margin. Second-quarter revenue jumped 48% to $23 billion, while reported EPS increased 26% to $7.94 and non-GAAP EPS rose 33% to $8.38. Mounjaro revenue rose 91% to $9.9 billion, while US Zepbound revenue increased 44% to $4.9 billion. The company also raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $85 billion-$87 billion.

#NYSE #billion #company #well

Is it better to own a company already selling drugs or one with a potential blockbuster in testing? Investors are weighing Axsome Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AXSM) against Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) to decide.
Axsome focuses on commercializing treatments for depression and sleep disorders, showing significant revenue growth. Viking is a clinical-stage developer targeting the massive obesity market but has no products on the market yet. Both represent different stages of growth within the biotech world, making them popular choices for healthcare-minded portfolios.
Axsome develops and sells treatments for central nervous system conditions such as depression, migraines, and narcolepsy. It is a prominent name among biotech stocks, with a portfolio that includes Auvelity, Sunosi, and Symbravo. The company recently entered a settlement that grants license rights to five generic manufacturers for Sunosi starting in 2040, providing long-term clarity on its patent life and market position. In its latest annual report, filed in early 2026, the company noted it had over 900 full-time employees to support its commercial reach.
In FY 2025, revenue reached nearly $638.5 million, marking growth of close to 65.5% compared to the prior year. This increase was driven by the continued expansion of its key central nervous system treatments into new geographic markets. The company reported a net loss of approximately $183.2 million, resulting in a negative net margin, which is the percentage of revenue left after all expenses are paid, of roughly 28.7%. Some investors focus on the P/S ratio to value the business relative to this growing revenue.
As of December 2025, the debt-to-equity ratio was nearly 2.7x, meaning the company uses significant debt relative to its equity. The current ratio of approximately 1.6x indicates it has $1.60 in ****** ets for every $1.00 in liabilities due within a year. Free cash flow, or cash from operations minus capital spending, was nearly negative $93.9 million as the company continues to invest in its commercial pipeline. This spending is intended to support the long-term growth of its approved products and the development of new candidates.

#ratio #therapeutics

If you hold Pfizer (PFE) or Zoetis (ZTS), you hold the same idea: a branded medicine becomes a standard of care and keeps earning for years, in people or in animals. That is where it stops. Pfizer is buying replacements for older drugs losing exclusivity. Zoetis is cutting its effective price to keep the franchises it has. Same bet, two opposite defenses.
Pfizer lifted the midpoint of its 2026 revenue guidance by $500 million while cutting its COVID-19 revenue expectation to about $4 billion from about $5 billion. The rest of the company covered that gap: excluding COVID products, the underlying business grew 5% operationally in the second quarter of 2026, with Eliquis and Padcev among the drivers management named.
Zoetis cut its 2026 outlook and now expects revenue to decline 1% to 3% on an organic operational basis. Management said sales trends through July had not yet indicated market stabilization. Pfizer's raise rests on business it can already see. Zoetis has yet to see visibility on market stabilization.
Pfizer is buying growth and cutting cost, and expects about $9.7 billion in total net savings through 2029. What that funds is an aim, not a guide: a risk-adjusted high single-digit revenue CAGR from year-end 2028 through year-end 2033.
The pipeline behind that aim is expensive to get wrong. A Phase III lung cancer trial that missed its primary endpoint and, to a lesser extent, the removal of revenue projections for Oxbryta led to $4.3 billion of noncash intangible **** et impairments recorded in the second quarter of 2026. While an unadjusted price-to-EBIT comparison puts Pfizer at 23.9 against Zoetis at 9.2, aligning the two on operating income brings them to 9.7x and 9.0x, largely erasing the paying-up premium.

#pfizer #covid

Pamela Anderson says a doctor told her she probably had only 10 years to live after she was diagnosed with hepatitis C, leaving her terrified about what would happen to her two young sons.
Anderson revisited the diagnosis while accepting amfAR's Award of Courage at the organization's Sept. 6 gala in Venice. She described hepatitis C as a "death sentence" at the time because the treatments then available had not given her the certainty that later antiviral drugs would provide.
She ultimately completed a 12-week antiviral treatment and announced in 2015 that she was free of the virus. During her Venice speech, however, Anderson said the years surrounding the diagnosis affected her decisions and left behind feelings of shame and guilt that did not disappear with the medical result.
The 59-year-old actress ended her remarks by rejecting the victim label attached to difficult periods in her life. "I'm not a victim, I'm a victor," she told the audience. "I'm not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play."
Anderson publicly disclosed in 2002 that she had hepatitis C. Looking back on that period at the amfAR Gala Venezia, she said the prognosis she received was stark.

#gala #told #years

While all drugs sold to American consumers face a rigorous approval process, that's not the case when it comes to supplements. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve supplements, and while there are some limits to the claims that can be made by companies in this ******* e, there's a fair amount of latitude.
"The manufacturer must have substantiation that the claim is truthful and not misleading and must submit a notification with the text of the claim to FDA no later than 30 days after marketing the dietary supplement with the claim. If a dietary supplement label includes such a claim, it must state in a 'disclaimer' that FDA has not evaluated the claim," according to the FDA website.
Supplement makers can make certain structure/function claims without FDA preapproval, as long as they have substantiation that the claims are truthful and not misleading, and that they meet the agency's other requirements.
"The disclaimer must also state that the dietary supplement product is not intended to 'diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease,' because only a drug can legally make such a claim," the federal agency shared.
It's a legal grey area that allows supplements to advertise that they can help with fitness, hair growth, sleep, and your ability to focus.

#claims #dietary

On August 5, Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) reported second-quarter 2026 results that flipped the company from red ink to a $162.8 million profit, or $2.29 per diluted share, compared with a $34.8 million loss a year earlier. The swing came as the company banked payments tied to two drugs moving from the lab bench to the pharmacy counter: ICOTYDE, an oral psoriasis treatment, and rusfertide, an injectable now awaiting an FDA decision. Cash and marketable securities climbed to $849.5 million. Here's what's fueling the optimism, and what could complicate it.
The quarter marked the first full three months of commercial sales for ICOTYDE, which won FDA approval on March 18 for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in patients 12 and older weighing at least 40 kg. That approval triggered a $50 million milestone payment and made ICOTYDE, according to the company, the first and only FDA-approved targeted oral peptide for the condition. Protagonist can still collect up to $580 million more in milestones from partner Johnson & Johnson, plus royalties that average around 7.25 percent at $4 billion in annual sales.
Rusfertide carries even more weight. Its new drug application sits under Priority Review with a PDUFA goal date in August, backed by Breakthrough Therapy, Orphan Drug, and Fast Track designations for polycythemia vera. Partner Takeda already paid Protagonist $200 million on an opt-out election in April, with another $200 million and a $75 million approval milestone still due, on top of royalties that can reach 29 percent of sales above $1.5 billion. Behind both drugs, PN-881, an oral IL-17 antagonist, is heading into a Phase 2b psoriasis program in early 2027 after Phase 1 data showed drug levels beating their pharmacokinetic targets, and a Phase 1 study just began for PN-477sc, an injectable obesity peptide.
Look closer at that $213.5 million in license and collaboration revenue, and $192.4 million of it traces to the proportional recognition of Takeda's initial opt-out payment, not repeatable product sales. A year earlier, the same line item was just $5.5 million, so the growth reflects a single deal event more than an operating business scaling up. And that opt-out itself cuts both ways: Protagonist gave up its right to develop and commercialize rusfertide on its own, trading full ownership for royalties and milestones that depend on Takeda's execution rather than Protagonist's.
Spending is also set to climb. Management expects research and development costs to increase significantly in the second half of 2026 versus the first half, driven by the new PN-881 Phase 2b program, manufacturing investments, and added headcount. General and administrative costs are rising too, largely on stock-based compensation. And rusfertide's fate still hinges on an FDA decision that hasn't happened yet, priority review or not.

#protagonist

While all drugs sold to American consumers face a rigorous approval process, that's not the case when it comes to supplements. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve supplements, and while there are some limits to the claims that can be made by companies in this **** e, there's a fair amount of latitude.
"The manufacturer must have substantiation that the claim is truthful and not misleading and must submit a notification with the text of the claim to FDA no later than 30 days after marketing the dietary supplement with the claim. If a dietary supplement label includes such a claim, it must state in a 'disclaimer' that FDA has not evaluated the claim," according to the FDA website.
Supplement makers can make certain structure/function claims without FDA preapproval, as long as they have substantiation that the claims are truthful and not misleading, and that they meet the agency's other requirements.
"The disclaimer must also state that the dietary supplement product is not intended to 'diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease,' because only a drug can legally make such a claim," the federal agency shared.
It's a legal grey area that allows supplements to advertise that they can help with fitness, hair growth, sleep, and your ability to focus.

#must #drug #substantiation

On the September 2 episode of Mad Money, Jim Cramer called Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) one of his "absolute favorites" and mentioned its growing exposure to specialty pharmaceuticals and higher-margin healthcare services.
Cardinal's been running circles around McKesson and Cencora. They consistently put up the best numbers because this company has gradually become less of a commoditized service provider and more of a specialized player.
Cardinal Health, Inc.'s (NYSE:CAH) fiscal fourth-quarter revenue rose 6% to $63.7 billion but missed estimates, while adjusted earnings per share came in at $2.91. Excluding a $0.31 per share tariff refund benefit, adjusted EPS was $2.60. Management forecast fiscal 2027 non-GAAP EPS of $12.40 to $12.60, a 13% to 15% growth, while adjusted free cash flow is expected at $3.5 billion to $4 billion.
The revenue miss is less significant if the company continues converting pharmaceutical volume into earnings. Lower branded-drug prices, including those affected by Medicare negotiations, can reduce reported sales without a proportional decline in distributor fees. The shift toward generics can have a similar effect because lower-priced drugs generate less revenue but can support attractive margins and high volumes. As Cramer said:
Remember, volume is where Cardinal really makes the money, volume, okay? That's why I keep shrugging off the revenue misses.

#cardinal #less #billion #NYSE

On August 13, Kodiak Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:KOD) reported second-quarter financial results for the period ended June 30, alongside an update on its three late-stage eye disease programs. The clinical-stage biotech told investors it now sits within months of three separate Phase 3 readouts, a stretch CEO Victor Perlroth called the payoff of years of disciplined execution. For a company with no approved products and a widening cash burn, those trial results are about to decide a lot.
Kodiak's near-term story rests on Zenkuda and KSI-501, both being tested in the Phase 3 DAYBREAK study for treatment-naive wet age-related macular degeneration, with one-year primary endpoint topline data due in September 2026. Zenkuda already has four completed Phase 3 studies behind it. In GLOW1 and GLOW2, every patient remained on extended six-month dosing at one year, and in BEACON, nearly half of Zenkuda patients needed no further treatment in the second six months while matching aflibercept on vision and anatomical outcomes. That durability comes from a mean ocular half-life of 20 days, roughly three times longer than approved anti-VEGF drugs.
Behind DAYBREAK sits PEAK, evaluating KSI-101 in macular edema secondary to inflammation, where Kodiak finished enrolling the first 300-patient cohort during the quarter and expects Pivotal ***** ysis 1 data in December 2026. Earlier Phase 1b data showed more than half of MESI patients gaining at least 15 letters of vision, with over 90% resolution of retinal fluid by week eight. Kodiak also began enrolling patients in the roughly 910-patient ALTO study testing KSI-501 against aflibercept in diabetic macular edema, its second registrational trial for that molecule. Zenkuda and KSI-501 together are aimed at a $15 billion anti-VEGF market.
None of that comes cheap. Kodiak's net loss widened to $65.6 million in the second quarter of 2026, or $1.05 per share, up from $54.3 million and $1.03 per share a year earlier. R&D spending jumped to $56.1 million from $42.8 million, as the company ramped up clinical activity across PEAK and PINNACLE and stepped up manufacturing for its Phase 3 programs. General and administrative costs eased slightly to $10.8 million from $12.8 million, but that was not enough to offset the R&D increase.
Kodiak ended the quarter with $125.9 million in cash and equivalents, which management says covers operations into 2027, but working capital fell from $169.3 million at the end of 2025 to $78.6 million by June 30, and stockholders' equity dropped from $157.4 million to $61.1 million over the same stretch. With three separate trials due to report between September and December, any delay or disappointing result would hit a balance sheet that already has less room to absorb it.

#data

Foster City, California-based Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) discovers, develops, and commercializes medicines in the areas of unmet medical need in the United States and internationally. The company has a market cap of $185.9 billion and provides Biktarvy, Descovy, Genvoya, Odefsey, Sunlenca, Symtuza, and Yeztugo for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in patients, as well as other related drugs.
Companies with a market cap of $10 billion or more are typically referred to as "large-cap stocks." GILD fits perfectly into that category, with its market cap exceeding this threshold and reflecting its substantial size and influence in the general drug manufacturers industry.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says His $3.5 Billion MediaTek Deal Is 'Not Circular' Because 'They Do Their Own Business'
Strategy's Strategy Appears to Have Failed, and the Outlook of MSTR Stock Is Unfavorable
A Potential ******* eX Deal Could Meaningfully Accelerate Growth for Technip Stock

#gild #deal #Stock #sciences

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) has faced several issues in recent years that have weighed on its share price. First, the company's coronavirus business isn't nearly as strong as it once was. Second, Pfizer is racing toward important patent cliffs, including that of Eliquis, an anticoagulant. Third, the pharmaceutical giant has faced clinical setbacks with otherwise promising pipeline candidates, including some it acquired. This problem has led to billions in impairment charges. Because of these headwinds (and others), Pfizer's shares have lagged broader equities over the past two years and have hovered below $30 apiece. Is it finally time to invest in the company? Let's see whether there is a rebound on the horizon.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Let's start with Pfizer's recent second-quarter update. The company's revenue increased by 1% year over year to $15 billion. While that top-line growth doesn't look impressive, it beat ***** yst estimates. On the bottom line, Pfizer's adjusted earnings per share were $0.77, slightly lower than the $0.78 reported in the prior-year quarter. Here too, Pfizer beat expectations. And it's important to highlight what drove the revenue and earnings beat.
The company noted that non-COVID revenue increased 5% year over year, while sales from launched and acquired products jumped 18%. This is great news for Pfizer. It suggests that newer (and acquired) products will help pull sales in the right direction over the medium term, while older medicines, especially within its coronavirus business, continue to lose steam.
Even with the progress Pfizer is making with relatively new launches, upcoming patent cliffs will be a major problem for the company. Consider, for instance, that Eliquis was the drugmaker's best-selling therapy during the second quarter. Pfizer's revenue from Eliquis came in at $2.4 billion, up 21% year over year. So, it arguably remains its single most important growth driver. Pfizer will have to launch more new drugs to fill the gap Eliquis will leave behind as it faces generic competition by the end of the decade. Can the company pull it off? My view is that it can.

#company #revenue #years

By Sahil Pandey
Sept 2 (Reuters) - AI company Owkin said on Wednesday it has signed ‌a licensing deal with Germany's Boehringer ‌Ingelheim, giving the drugmaker access to its AI research platform and patient data to speed up discovery of drugs for cancer and immunity-related diseases.
The deal adds Boehringer to a growing ‌list of drugmakers ⁠using Owkin's AI technology, "K Pro". AstraZeneca licensed it in May, while ⁠Sanofi expanded its partnership with a five-year agreement in June.
Here are some more details:
• The deal builds on the companies' pilot project in ‌2025, in which Owkin used its patient tumor samples and related biological datasets to help Boehringer prioritize potential drug targets, the AI company's CEO, Thomas Clozel, told Reuters.

#deal #patient

With the news earlier this evening that Michael Lombardi has resigned as General Manager, WRAL has reported that UNC is still looking into a number of allegations surrounding the football program. The allegations are quite serious, and would almost certainly be enough for several more people to lose their jobs.
According to WRAL, lawyers are investigating whether defensive coordinator Steve Belichick used drugs while on the job or provided drugs to a player on the team. The younger Belichick has been on leave since over the summer for undisclosed reasons.
There is also an investigation into the existence of inappropriate relationships between recruiting staff and a player as well as ******* istant coaches and recruiting staff. WRAL notes that those questioned in the matter were asked whether or not they'd reported any issues to Bill Belichick.
If there is indeed validity to these claims, particularly if it is confirmed that Bill Belichick was made aware of what was going on within his program, it seems likely that the entire house of cards may fall. While it's clear that Lombardi was a real problem, the school is concerned enough that he was not the root of the entire problem to keep digging into what was going on in the Kenan Football Center.
Some of the allegations simply feel too big to recover from if they are proven to be true. It's a significant black eye on the program and the university that there is enough smoke to even reach this point. Almost the entire Bill Belichick Experience has been a punchline in the college football world, and all of the detractors were just given a boatload more fuel for the fire.

#wral #Football #entire

On August 26, Biohaven (NYSE:BHVN) and SK Biopharmaceuticals announced a global licensing agreement covering opakalim, Biohaven's lead epilepsy candidate, in a deal worth up to $795 million plus royalties. SK Biopharmaceuticals picks up exclusive worldwide rights to Biohaven's Kv7 ion channel platform, while Biohaven walks away with $400 million in near-term cash. The timing lines up with an August 10, 2026 earnings report that showed Biohaven still losing well over $100 million a quarter, and the gap between those two dates explains a lot about why this deal happened now.
SK Biopharmaceuticals will pay up to $795 million in upfront and milestone payments connected to the Kv7 platform, on top of tiered royalties on US net sales of opakalim that range from the mid-teens to low twenties. Biohaven collects $350 million at closing and another $50 million in 2027, with as much as $150 million more available through development and regulatory milestones plus royalties on global sales. SK Biopharmaceuticals is also taking over Kv7 program costs going forward, including certain Knopp Biosciences obligations. CEO Vlad Coric described the structure as proof Biohaven can monetize its pipeline through partnerships rather than leaning on public markets for cash.
The deal only makes sense because opakalim looks like it works. In a proof-of-concept study in idiopathic generalized epilepsy, the median time to a second generalized tonic-clonic seizure stretched to 141 days on opakalim versus 47 days on placebo, and a third of patients made it through the full 24 weeks without a second seizure. In focal epilepsy, 54% of patients in an open-label extension study saw at least a 50% drop in seizure frequency over any six months, in a group of more than 100 patients.
Opakalim is also designed as a once-daily pill with no ******* ration required, a real edge over older antiseizure drugs. Pairing that data with SK Biopharmaceuticals, the company behind XCOPRI and the only firm to bring a new focal-seizure drug to the US market since 2016, gives Opakalim a commercial path Biohaven would have struggled to build alone. The cash also buys runway for the rest of the pipeline, including protein degraders BHV-1300 and BHV-1400, which have shown rapid, selective reductions in disease-driving antibodies in Graves' disease and IgA nephropathy with clean safety data across nearly 200 patients dosed.
Biohaven is giving up full ownership of an ******* et it now believes could be a major seller. Royalties in the mid-teens to low twenties are real money, but they are a fraction of what outright ownership of an approved epilepsy drug would be worth, and $50 million of the $400 million upfront does not arrive until 2027. The Knopp Biosciences obligations SK Biopharmaceuticals is absorbing, worth up to $245 million plus mid-single-digit royalties, are a reminder that other parties already have claims on opakalim's future revenue before Biohaven sees a dollar of profit from it.

#ro

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Why we like it: Chase Freedom Unlimited offers a valuable cash-back rewards combo for taking on costly wedding expenses. You earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service), and 1.5% on all other purchases, plus, there's an introductory 0% APR you can use to finance your wedding purchases and pay them off over time.
The rewards you earn with this card are even more lucrative if you also have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®. While you'll earn rewards as cash back, you can also redeem them toward travel purchases through Chase Travel. If you have one of the Sapphire cards, combine your rewards under that card account and get up to a 1.75x (for Chase Sapphire Preferred) or up to 2x (for Chase Sapphire Reserve) boosted Chase Travel redemption rate — a great way to maximize your Chase rewards toward your honeymoon or another upcoming trip.
Learn more: See our picks for the best Chase credit card
Why we like it: If you want to use your wedding expenses to help fund the honeymoon you'll take afterward, the Capital One Venture is a great option. You'll earn a flat 2x miles on every dollar you spend, so you don't need to worry about the specific categories your wedding spending may fall into. If you have wedding-related travel expenses to book, you can get up to 5x miles on hotels and car rentals through the Capital One Travel portal.

#sapphire #card #purchases

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
Why we like it: We like the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a travel card that can help you make the most of your spending today toward future trips with flexible ways to earn and redeem rewards. At $95, it's not the most expensive travel credit card — and you may even earn back that fee with benefits alone, like the $100 annual Chase Travel hotel credit.
What really makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred valuable is the boost for redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel, up to 1.5x.
Read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
Why we like it: With the Chase Freedom Unlimited, you can maximize bonus categories while earning a competitive flat cash-back rate. The bonus rewards categories include both travel (through Chase Travel) and everyday spending on dining and drugstores. But you're also guaranteed at least 1.5% on every non-category purchase — putting this card in competition with other cash-back cards that earn only those flat cash-back rewards.

#travel #like

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
Why we like it: Our top Bank of America card pick excels across several categories. It has no annual fee and a great 0% introductory APR period, which you can use for both new purchases and balance transfers. But it's also an all-around solid cash-back card. You can earn 3% cash back on your choice category (6% for the first year) plus 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, up to a combined $2,500 spent each quarter. Everything else earns 1% cash back.
Choice category options cover plenty of common purchases: gas and EV charging stations, online shopping (including cable, internet, phone plans, and streaming), dining, travel, drugstores and pharmacies, or home improvement and furnishings. Having multiple rewards category options can give you more flexibility, especially as your spending habits change over time.
Read our full review of the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card.

#bank #choice #rewards

On August 12, Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) agreed to pay Zealand Pharma $100 million for the rights to future royalties on rusfertide, an experimental treatment for a rare blood disorder called polycythemia vera. It is Royalty Pharma's second collaboration with Zealand, and it arrives just as rusfertide awaits a decision from the FDA. For a company that makes its living buying pieces of other companies' drugs, the timing says a lot about how it weighs risk against reward before a regulatory verdict even lands.
Royalty Pharma's business depends on picking the right moment to buy into a drug's future, and this deal fits that pattern. Under the agreement, $50 million changes hands at closing and the remaining $50 million arrives on the first anniversary, in exchange for a 1% royalty on rusfertide's global sales plus any regulatory and commercial milestones. Rusfertide, a once-weekly self-injected therapy that mimics the hormone hepcidin to control iron levels in polycythemia vera patients, already has an FDA goal date set for the third quarter of 2026, with Takeda lined up to handle commercialization worldwide. That is a near-term catalyst most royalty purchases do not carry.
The broader portfolio backs up the confidence. Royalty Receipts grew 14% to $768 million in the second quarter of 2026, lifted by Tremfya, Voranigo, Imdelltra and Evrysdi, and the company raised its full-year 2026 guidance for Portfolio Receipts to a range of $3.4 billion to $3.5 billion, the second increase this year. Capital deployment has already topped $1 billion in 2026, including a July 2026 royalty purchase tied to AstraZeneca's cliramitug, pushing the development-stage pipeline to 19 potential therapies. Even after repaying a $380 million term loan in July 2026, Royalty Pharma still paid a quarterly dividend of $0.235 per share and bought back $45 million of stock in the second quarter alone.
Not every royalty ages well, and Royalty Pharma's own numbers show it. Promacta royalties fell 75% in the second quarter of 2026 to just $8 million as US generic competition took hold, and Imbruvica payments slipped 16% to $36 million, a reminder that patent cliffs eventually catch up to even the steadiest cash flows. That same risk sits underneath every new deal the company signs, including the one with Zealand.
The rusfertide agreement carries its own strings. Royalty Pharma's 1% royalty stops scaling once global sales pass $1.5 billion, at which point Zealand keeps a 0.25% cut and Royalty Pharma only 0.75%, so the largest commercial outcomes get split rather than fully captured. And rusfertide still has not cleared the FDA. The agency's goal date only falls in the third quarter of 2026, meaning the second $50 million payment is committed before regulators finish their review. Layer that onto a balance sheet carrying $9.2 billion in total debt principal against $812 million of cash as of June 30, 2026, and it becomes clear this is a company funding new bets with borrowed as w

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
Why we like it: Chase Freedom Unlimited offers a valuable cash-back rewards combo for taking on costly wedding expenses. You earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service), and 1.5% on all other purchases, plus, there's an introductory 0% APR you can use to finance your wedding purchases and pay them off over time.
The rewards you earn with this card are even more lucrative if you also have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®. While you'll earn rewards as cash back, you can also redeem them toward travel purchases through Chase Travel. If you have one of the Sapphire cards, combine your rewards under that card account and get up to a 1.75x (for Chase Sapphire Preferred) or up to 2x (for Chase Sapphire Reserve) boosted Chase Travel redemption rate — a great way to maximize your Chase rewards toward your honeymoon or another upcoming trip.
Learn more: See our picks for the best Chase credit card
Why we like it: If you want to use your wedding expenses to help fund the honeymoon you'll take afterward, the Capital One Venture is a great option. You'll earn a flat 2x miles on every dollar you spend, so you don't need to worry about the specific categories your wedding spending may fall into. If you have wedding-related travel expenses to book, you can get up to 5x miles on hotels and car rentals through the Capital One Travel portal.

#chase #travel

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
Why we like it: We like the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a travel card that can help you make the most of your spending today toward future trips with flexible ways to earn and redeem rewards. At $95, it's not the most expensive travel credit card — and you may even earn back that fee with benefits alone, like the $100 annual Chase Travel hotel credit.
What really makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred valuable is the boost for redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel, up to 1.5x.
Read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
Why we like it: With the Chase Freedom Unlimited, you can maximize bonus categories while earning a competitive flat cash-back rate. The bonus rewards categories include both travel (through Chase Travel) and everyday spending on dining and drugstores. But you're also guaranteed at least 1.5% on every non-category purchase — putting this card in competition with other cash-back cards that earn only those flat cash-back rewards.

#earn #rewards #cash