Recon: FDA staff reviewing Musk’s Neuralink among those fired; Bavarian Nordic nabs FDA approval for chikungunya vaccine

• Exclusive: FDA staff reviewing Musk’s Neuralink were included in DOGE employee firings, sources say (Reuters)
• Leader of FDA food division resigns (NBC News)
• Biogen partners with Stoke Therapeutics on drug for severe epilepsy (STAT)
• Hikma takes Amarin's 'skinny label' fight to the Supreme Court (Endpoints)
• Bavarian Nordic wins FDA OK for chikungunya vaccine in challenge to Valneva (Endpoints)
• FDA approves Ono’s rare joint tumor drug, setting up battle with Daiichi (Endpoints)
• J&J begins crucial battle over $10 billion baby powder settlement (Reuters)
• What to Expect When you are Expecting…a Government Shutdown (FDA Law Blog)

• South African scientists were testing a promising HIV vaccine. Then came Trump’s aid cuts (Reuters)
• Canada reports outbreak of H5N5 bird flu on backyard farm (Reuters)
• French bird flu vaccine campaign helps poultry output recover, producers say (Reuters)
• Digostics At-Home Type 1 Diabetes Test Trialed In Children For Routine UK NHS Use (MedTech Insight)
• Korea ‘Guide’ Program To Speed Select Innovative Products To Market (Pink Sheet)
• EU HTA Regulation: Joint Scientific Consultations Are An ‘Important Strategic Opportunity’ (Pink Sheet)

• Novo Nordisk alleges fraud after $1.3 billion deal to buy hypertension drug from KBP Biosciences (Reuters)
• Could SSRIs protect against infections? A mouse study has hints (STAT)
• After research pivot, Biogen beefs up pipeline with Stoke's late-stage Dravet candidate (Endpoints)
• Septerna ends Phase 1 trial for hypoparathyroidism drug; Sanofi’s Merilog is approved (Endpoints)
• Pain biotech Latigo eyes up to $150M raise following Vertex's landmark FDA nod (Endpoints)
• French biotech’s topical pain treatment fails Phase 2 study with overperforming placebo (Endpoints)
• Exclusive: Lux leads $25M Series A in a Lithuanian startup plotting US expansion (Endpoints)

• Medtronic nears FDA submission for Hugo robot (MedtechDive)
• XRHealth makes another acquisition, aiming to be a leading virtual provider using VR (STAT)
• Exclusive: Subsense launches with $17M to build a noninvasive brain computer interface (Endpoints)
• Exclusive: Atomwise, a once high-flying AI startup, taps biotech vet as CEO to lead pared-down company (Endpoints)
• Medtronic's diabetes device sales drive profit beat but surgical unit lags (Reuters)
• J&J resumes PFA cases, but analysts warn safety may hamper rollout (MedTech Dive)
• Mitigating tariffs: EY’s Lynlee Brown discusses strategies for medtech (MedTech Dive)
• Upcoming Medtech Guidance: 35 New Or Revised Documents Due In 2025 (MedTech Insight)

• The lasting human impact of Trump funding freeze: An 86-year-old’s ride to dialysis now feels tenuous (STAT)
• At premier science gathering, ‘anger, uncertainty, and anxiety’ about the future of research under Trump (STAT)
• Rapidly Rising RMAT Designations Crack CBER’s Communication Freeze (Pink Sheet)
• What J&J Is Trying to Achieve in Bankruptcy Court (Bloomberg)
• Global Fund Seeks $18 Billion as US Retreats From Public Health (Bloomberg)