China has emerged as a health tech superpower, leveraging its large population and efficient systems to advance digital healthcare through apps and telemedicine, while simultaneously becoming a major player in drug development with more clinical trials than the U.S. and half of global drug licensing deals. Western companies are increasingly licensing Chinese-developed medicines, though this rise has sparked both admiration and concerns about technology transfer and regulatory restrictions.
Varda Space, an in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing startup, raised $250 million in Series D funding at a $1.6 billion valuation. The company operates uncrewed orbital capsules to produce drugs in microgravity and plans to launch two capsules simultaneously on Thursday. With 28 launches booked through 2027-2029, Varda expects pharmaceutical revenue to become its primary business by 2032.
The Independent Medical Alliance alleges that CDC and FDA relied on a flawed safety surveillance method they knew couldn't detect myocarditis and other serious events from mRNA vaccines, while publicly declaring no safety signals during the years Pfizer and Moderna earned tens of billions in COVID vaccine revenue. A BMJ investigation documented that officials were warned about the surveillance tool's limitations in early 2021 but continued using it, with one FDA official explicitly requesting that improved methods not be implemented due to concerns about vaccine confidence.
The FDA approved tavapadon (Juvmo), a new Parkinson's drug developed by AbbVie that takes a different approach by targeting D1 and D5 dopamine receptors instead of the D2 receptors used by existing treatments. Clinical trials showed the once-daily pill produced significant improvements in movement and daily functioning, with about 45-46% of patients reporting marked improvement compared to 12-19% on placebo. The drug was designed to avoid side effects of earlier D1-targeting compounds by being resistant to enzymatic breakdown and providing only partial receptor activation.