Recon: Gilead to acquire Ouro in $2B deal; Major drugmakers slashed headcount by over 22K in 2025

• Gilead to buy biotech firm Ouro Medicines in over $2 billion deal (Reuters)
• The potential loophole in Trump’s plan to get other countries to pay more for drugs (STAT)
• Biotech investors will meet with congressional panel, pushing US competitiveness changes (Endpoints)
• CVS reaches insulin pricing settlement with FTC (Reuters)
• This bill could make CVS choose between its stores and its pharmacy benefit manager (STAT)
• Back Up Big Statements & Use Diagrams: The Key To ATMP Regulatory Success (Pink Sheet)

• India drug regulator tightens surveillance against unauthorised weight-loss drug sales (Reuters)
• Indian Medical Device Makers Seek Duty Relief As Gulf Shipping Disruptions Hit Input Costs (MedTech Insight)
• EU regulator flags Baxter cancer drug shortage until early next year (Reuters)
• China’s Out-Licensing Of Innovative Assets Seen As ‘Rational’ Policy-Driven Choice (Pink Sheet)
• Obesity Drugs: A Missed Opportunity In England For Outcomes And Spending? (Pink Sheet)

• FDA warns ImmunityBio over misleading podcast with Patrick Soon-Shiong (Endpoints)
• Large pharma companies reduced head counts by more than 22K in 2025 as $300B patent cliff looms (Fierce Pharma)
• Karyopharm's drug meets one of two goals in blood cancer trial (Reuters)
• Q&A: Embryo editing entrepreneur Cathy Tie closes one startup and begins another in biology’s most taboo frontier (Endpoints)
• Ocugen heads to Phase 3 with gene therapy to prevent vision loss from macular degeneration (Endpoints)
• Exclusive: XO Health to expand its alternative health plan nationwide (Endpoints)
• Exclusive: Triangle Health raises $4M as people turn to AI to understand their health (Endpoints)
• Shionogi will pay $100M to buy out Apnimed's part of their sleep disorder partnership (Endpoints)
• Karyopharm's drug meets one of two goals in blood cancer trial (Reuters)
• Amgen’s Lung Cancer Treatment And Two Orphans Among Drugs Awaiting EMA Verdict (Pink Sheet)

• GE HealthCare wins FDA nod for photon-counting CT technology (MedTech Dive)
• SS Innovations ramps up in telesurgery; XCath robot treats stroke remotely (MedTech Dive)
• Medtronic to distribute Merit Medical’s low back pain treatment (MedTech Dive)
• Abbott Completes $21B Exact Sciences Deal To Expand Cancer Diagnostics (MedTech Insight)

• How c-stores are capitalizing on Americans’ caffeine obsession (Food Dive)
• Consumers complain of metal in ground beef; warning issued (Food Safety News)

• Can you spot a deepfake X-ray? Neither can your radiologist (STAT)
• NIH grant terminations affected women scientists more than men, study finds (STAT)
• Covid followed 5 standard stages of pandemic response — until it became unprecedented (STAT)
• Lessons from the last health tech revolution (Endpoints)
• DEA Fine Tunes Power of Attorney and DEA-222 Requirements (FDA Law Blog)