News round-up by DDW’s Megan Thomas for 14-18 March, 2022 

New breakthroughs, results, clinical trials and research exemplify the constant and forward-moving trajectory of the drug discovery and development industry in this week’s news round up. 

1. Atrogi gets go-ahead to begin Phase I study of type 2 diabetes therapy 

Early-stage biopharma company Atrogi has received approval from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) in Germany to initiate a Phase I study for its drug candidate targeting type 2 diabetes. 

2. Closed Loop Medicine completes digital blood pressure trial 

The last patient has completed a clinical trial investigating the use of a digital platform to help patients with hypertension personalise and optimise their therapy regime. 

3. Are we getting a lead on Omicron subvariant? Study says yes 

New preclinical authentic ‘live’ virus data from Washington University School of Medicine demonstrated that Evusheld (tixagevimab co-packaged with cilgavimab) retains potent neutralising activity against the emerging and highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 BA.2 subvariant. 

4. 4D Pharma announces positive results for combination therapy 

4D Pharma has announced positive interim results for its Phase I/II study of a combination therapy targeting the treatment of renal cell carcinoma.   

5. Statins can reduce cardiovascular risk in diabetes patients, research shows  

Research has shown which statins people with diabetes should be taking if they want to lower their “bad” cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. An analysis of data from 42 clinical trials showed the effectiveness of seven statins in lowering all types of bad cholesterol for patients with diabetes.