CDC ENTEBBE

GenomOncology appoints Dr. Jonathan "Jack" Lord, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Lord, a healthcare innovation leader, brings extensive experience in clinical practice, healthcare administration, and advanced analytics. His appointment aligns with GenomOncology's mission to advance precision medicine in oncology.

Recent medical breakthroughs include CRISPR therapy for sickle cell anemia, stem cell treatment restoring vision, artificial ovaries for fertility, CAR T-cell therapy for brain cancer, and gene therapy enabling a deaf child to hear.

First severe bird flu illness in the U.S. confirmed in Louisiana; California declares emergency due to dairy cattle infections. CDC reports low public risk, no person-to-person spread. Raw milk recall linked to bird flu in California.

Todd Doan, a music teacher, was diagnosed with liver cancer caused by chronic hepatitis B virus (H.B.V.) infection. Despite being preventable and treatable, H.B.V. affects 254 million globally, causing 1.1 million deaths annually. Doan's case highlights the stealth nature of H.B.V., which can remain undetected for decades, leading to late-stage diagnosis and limited treatment options. The article emphasizes the need for increased public health efforts, awareness, and funding to combat H.B.V., which disproportionately affects Asian, Pacific Islander, and African populations.

Biomea Fusion announced positive topline results from the COVALENT-111 study, showing icovamenib significantly reduced HbA1c in type 2 diabetes patients, with Arm B (100mg QD for 12 weeks) demonstrating the strongest performance. Icovamenib was well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events observed. The study categorized patients into subtypes (SIDD, MARD, SIRD, MOD) to assess distinct response patterns. Biomea plans to discuss these results with the FDA to advance icovamenib as a first-in-class menin inhibitor therapy for T2D.

The FDA granted orphan-drug designation to crofelemer for cholera treatment. Cholera, a global health emergency, causes 1.3 to 4 million cases and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths yearly. Crofelemer, a plant-based drug, aims to treat cholera-induced diarrhea, offering development incentives and market exclusivity upon approval.

Jaguar Health's Napo Pharmaceuticals announced FDA granted orphan-drug designation to crofelemer for cholera diarrhea treatment. Crofelemer, a plant-based drug, previously received ODD for short bowel syndrome and microvillus inclusion disease. The designation offers development incentives and seven-year marketing exclusivity upon approval. Jaguar plans to pursue ODD for crofelemer from the EMA and orphan-drug designation for NP-300, a second-generation anti-secretory agent, for cholera diarrhea treatment.

FDA accepted Merck’s BLA for clesrovimab, an RSV antibody for infants, with a PDUFA date of June 10, 2025. Clesrovimab, a single-dose monoclonal antibody, offers immediate but short-term protection. It reduced RSV-associated hospitalizations by 84.2% in the CLEVER trial. RSV causes seasonal infections, hospitalizing 58,000-80,000 U.S. children under five annually. Abrysvo, an RSV vaccine, was approved in 2024 for adults and can protect infants from birth to six months.