GLP-1s, FDA warning, sleep apnea: Readout Newsletter

Elaine’s stories explore the boom in new obesity treatments, new drug payment models, the ways companies are affected by FDA changes, and the emerging psychedelics drug sector. She co-writes The Readout newsletter, and co-hosts STAT’s weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Elaine on Signal at elaineywchen.70.

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Good morning. We’ve got lots of news that we’ll get straight into.

The need-to-know this morning

Beam Therapeutics said its CRISPR-based treatment for sickle cell disease achieved the primary goal of a pivotal clinical trial — freedom from severe pain crises for at least 12 months. No detailed data were disclosed, but Beam said it would file an FDA marketing application for the therapy, called risto-cel, as soon as the end of this year.

PepGen shows promising data for muscular dystrophy

The biotech company PepGen said this morning that its experimental drug had shown, by one key measure, the most promising early data yet in the race to treat a commmon type of muscular dystrophy.

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