Recon: FTC expresses concern over Novo Nordisk’s desire to buy Metsera; FDA OKs Caplyta as a add-on depression treatment

• How Congress can still get health care subsidies in place for 2026 (STAT)
• FTC raises concern about Novo Nordisk attempt to acquire obesity startup Metsera (STAT) (Reuters) (Bloomberg)
• The FDA is a mess, but don’t blame it for everything (STAT)
• Obesity Drugs May Drop to as Little as $149 a Month (New York Times) (Washington Post)

• Swiss biotech returns to Boehringer Ingelheim to partner on autoimmune T cell engager (Endpoints)
• Investors back new biotech with heart disease treatment from China (STAT)
• China lifts import ban on Illumina's DNA sequencers as trade tensions ease (Endpoints)
• Gates Foundation Backs Biovac Lab to Boost Africa Vaccine Production (Bloomberg)
• Canada: Two Faster Pricing Negotiation Pathways To Target Market Access Bottlenecks (Pink Sheet)
• China Takes Major Step On Commercial Insurance For Innovative Drugs But Hurdles Ahead (Pink Sheet)

• Not just Rogaine: Biotech investors see promise in a new wave of hair loss treatments (STAT)
• FDA approves J&J’s antipsychotic drug to treat depression (STAT)
• Recursion CEO Chris Gibson out as company head after 12 years (STAT)
• Lilly moves obesity drug to late-stage trials after it shows promise (Reuters)
• AstraZeneca holds forecasts as cancer, heart drugs lift earnings (Reuters)
• Vera outlines full Phase 3 win for kidney drug, preps for FDA filing by year's end (Endpoints)
• Dyne changes plans for DM1 drug again; Dynavax licenses Vaxart's Covid vaccine (Endpoints)
• UPS, Cencora to expand their US operations; Evotec divests biosimilar business to Sandoz (Endpoints)
• Moderna struggles to sell its vaccines, posts paltry RSV sales in third quarter (Endpoints)

• Number of Persons Responsible For Regulatory Compliance Grows Nearly 10% (MedTech Insight)
• Italy’s Responsible Person Sanctions Approach Raises Eyebrows (MedTech Insight)
• Microsoft launches 'superintelligence' team targeting medical diagnosis to start (Reuters)
• Oura’s healthcare ambitions take shape as the smart ring maker vaults to a $11B valuation (Endpoints)
• Siemens Healthineers predicts tariff impact will double (MedTech Dive)
• Medtronic’s Jason Fontana on ramping up renal denervation (MedTech Dive)
• Zimmer CEO ‘very surprised’ by Q3 sales miss (MedTech Dive)
• Qiagen inks $225M single-cell buyout as CEO prepares to step down (MedTech Dive)
• Dexcom Targets Manufacturing Stability, 15-Day Rollout To Restore Margins In 2026 (MedTech Insight)

• Big Food’s Fight Against Kennedy Is Heating Up (New York Times)
• Trump says he’s withholding SNAP benefits until shutdown ends (The Hill)
• JBS to pay $1.1M to settle New York lawsuit over climate claims (Food Dive)

• Appeals court judges seem skeptical of Trump administration’s defense of capping NIH overhead payments (STAT)
• Smaller Companies Next Frontier for FDA’s Voluntary Improvement Program (MedTech Insight)
• Novel Oncology Endpoints Take Time, Require Broad Outreach, US FDA Says (Pink Sheet)
• US FDA’s Richard Pazdur Says ‘No’ To CDER Director’s Spot (Pink Sheet)