| By Tina Reed |
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| Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios |
| Scientists are sounding new alarms about man-made organisms whose constituent molecules are mirror images of what’s found in nature and could pose unprecedented risks to humans, animals and the environment.Why it matters: While the ability to create “mirror life” is probably at least a decade away, researchers already have synthesized mirror-image biological systems that could be used in the development of new drugs.The concern is that mirror bacteria could evade many natural immune defenses of humans, animals and plants, infecting host organisms and replicating unchecked, an international group of 38 prominent researchers wrote in Science last week.Zoom in: The scientists called for a ban on creating mirror bacteria “unless compelling evidence emerges that mirror life would not pose extraordinary dangers.”They urged funding organizations to make clear they will not support such work, and to ensure anyone who attempts to create mirror life will be “hindered by multiple scientifically challenging, expensive and time-consuming steps.”Context: The researchers said they were initially skeptical that mirror bacteria could pose major risks. But they’ve since concluded that technological progress will likely make this possible.The group included experts in synthetic biology; human, animal and plant physiology; biosecurity and global health.Read more from STAT:Congress nears deal to rein in PBMsAfter two years of debate, Congress has nearly reached a deal to rein in pharmacy benefit managers as part of a government funding package lawmakers are planning to pass before the end of the year, according to sources.Measures expected to be included in the package would prohibit PBMs from linking their payments to drug prices in Medicare, increase transparency, and regulate how PBMs get paid for drugs by Medicaid programs.As part of this government funding package, lawmakers are also expected to extend pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities in the Medicare program for two years.Read more from STAT’s Rachel Cohrs Zhang.This morning, we’ve also published an opinion piece by David Balto, an antitrust lawyer who served as the policy director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition in the late 1990s. He argues that PBMs should be worried under a second Trump administration. Read that here.from Nature:Mind-reading machinesIn 2025, China plans to test brain–computer interface (BCI) technologies that could compete with implants made by Elon Musk’s firm Neuralink, based in Fremont, California. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced plans to develop BCI devices for applications ranging from medical rehabilitation to virtual reality. One of these products is NEO, a wireless and minimally invasive BCI with eight electrodes placed over the brain’s sensorimotor cortex, designed to restore hand movement in people with paralysis. Clinical trials for NEO began in 2023, and early results showed that a participant with spinal-cord injury was able to eat, drink and grasp objects after nine months of using the BCI at home. The researchers behind NEO plan to expand to larger trials in 2025. Pandemic prepMarch 2025 will mark five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused millions of deaths, forced widespread lockdowns and spurred the rapid development and roll-out of vaccines.The world is still learning how to prepare for and prevent future pandemics, and member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) missed their original June 2024 deadline to agree on a global pandemic treaty. Talks reached a deadlock over disagreements on rules for sharing samples and genomic sequences of pathogens, and for the use of technologies that can help low- and middle-income countries to produce vaccines, drugs and testing kits quickly during pandemics. Member states are now aiming to finalize the agreement text by May 2025. These efforts come at a crucial time: in August, the WHO updated its list of pathogens that could spark the next pandemic to include more than 30 microorganisms, including the viruses that cause influenza A, dengue and mpox. Weight-loss wonder drugsFollowing the runaway success of ‘miracle’ drug Wegovy (semaglutide) and other GLP-1 agonists, 2025 is likely to bring results and approvals for a new wave of treatments targeting obesity. The pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana, will wrap up a phase III trial for its oral pill orforglipron, evaluating its long-term safety in people with type 2 diabetes. The drug is easier to produce and potentially cheaper than existing treatments.How rival weight-loss drugs fare at treating obesity, diabetes and moreTrials for Eli Lilly’s triple-action drug, retatrutide, will continue throughout 2025. In its phase II trial, retatrutide showed unprecedented efficacy, with people on the highest dose experiencing a 24.2% weight loss over 11 months (currently available drugs tend to yield around 15–20% weight loss over a similar period). Another company, Amgen in Thousand Oaks, California, is preparing a phase III trial for its drug maritide, which can be taken monthly and targets two pathways involved in blood sugar control and metabolism.Researchers will continue to explore the potential of GLP-1 agonists to treat other illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and addiction.The year could also mark a turning point in how pain is treated. US regulators are expected to complete a review of a non-opioid painkiller called suzetrigine in January. If approved, the drug, developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston, Massachusetts, would be part of the first new class of drugs to treat acute pain in more than 20 years. |
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