January 6, 2026

The need-to-know this morning

Alumis said envudeucitinib, its oral TYK2 inhibitor, achieved multiple skin-clearance efficacy goals in two Phase 3 clinical trials involving patients with plaque psoriasis. The company plans to submit the drug to the FDA in the second half of the year.
Bright Minds Biosciences announced positive seizure-reduction results from a mid-stage study of its epilepsy drug candidate BMB-101.

obesity

Arrowhead's RNAi drugs cut fat in early studies

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals said this morning that its gene-silencing candidates helped people with obesity lose fat. The early results may heat up the competition to develop longer-lasting weight loss treatments, but more data are needed to determine whether the drugs have a place in the existing obesity market.

In an ongoing Phase 1/2 study, a cohort of patients took two doses of a candidate called ARO-INHBE, spaced one month apart, in combination with Eli Lilly's Zepbound. They lost 9.4% of their weight after 16 weeks, while those on Zepbound alone lost 4.8%.

Participants on the combination also lost more visceral fat, liver fat, and total fat than those taking Zepbound alone. It's not clear yet, though, if the drug can be a viable product on its own.

exclusive

Investment firm Catalio hires CEO for new autoimmune startup

From my colleague Allison DeAngelis: A new startup developing treatments for inflammatory and immune system conditions has hired a CEO and raised its first funding.

The company, Rhapsogen, has hired former Expansion Therapeutics and X4 Pharmaceuticals executive Renato Skerlj as its CEO. Rhapsogen also raised $10 million from investment firm Catalio Capital Management, a representative told STAT exclusively.

Rhapsogen is developing a pipeline of treatments for inflammatory and immune system diseases, starting off with what it believes could be a single treatment for several health conditions. The company's lead drug candidate is being designed for diseases driven by immunoglobulin G, or IgG, autoantibodies.

Catalio teased Rhapsogen's existence during the firm's announcement last July that it raised $400 million for a new fund.

Catalio launched in 2020, but has expanded rapidly, absorbing hedge fund HealthCor and moving into public market investment and private credit deals. The firm was co-founded by George Petrocheilos and Jacob Vogelstein, and works closely with the latter's father, Johns Hopkins cancer researcher Bert Vogelstein. Catalio has invested in multiple companies based on Bert Vogelstein's research, including Thrive Earlier Detection and Haystack Oncology, both of which were quickly acquired.

health tech

Will AI ever replace traditional biotech research?

Last year, investors poured money into AI-focused biotechs and some companies claimed they can use AI to make antibodies that are ready to go straight into the clinic. But many experts are skeptical of these claims and question whether drugs designed purely with AI can ultimately beat candidates discovered through traditional research techniques.

As the new year starts, my colleague Brittany Trang talked to experts about how much they think AI will be able to revolutionize biotech in the near future.

While everyone stressed that AI will be transformative for drug discovery, they also said it seems the technology will likely be best suited for specific uses rather than a blanket replacement for lab testing.

drug pricing

Remembering the work of advocate David Mitchell

David Mitchell, the founder of the group Patients for Affordable Drugs, passed away last week at 75 years old.

My colleague Ed Silverman looked back on his work with the group to raise awareness about the increasingly dire problem of prescription drug prices in the U.S.

Mitchell, who had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, knew how to get the the attention of lawmakers and policy influencers, Ed writes. Though advocates have long called out the issue of high drugs prices, Mitchell envisioned a way to organize patients across the country to tell their stories about the struggles with drug affordability.