Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. We can tell because the pace of motor vehicles passing by our window is picking up and the official mascots are busy foraging for snacks on the campus grounds. As for us, we are engaged in the usual ritual of brewing cups of stimulation. Our choice today is strawberry cream. As always, you are invited to join us. The neurons could use all the help they can get. Meanwhile, here is the latest menu of tidbits for you to digest as you embark on your journey, which we hope is satisfying and rewarding. On that note, time to get cracking. Best of luck, and do keep in touch. …
Pfizer reported that its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy failed to slow disease progression in a Phase 3 trial, STAT notes. This is the second large, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a Duchenne therapy to fail to reach its primary endpoint, a composite scale of muscle function designed specifically for the rare disease. A similar study of a Sarepta therapy failed last year, although the company cited secondary measures as evidence its treatment still slowed the fatal, muscle-wasting condition. Pfizer said that in its study, which enrolled 99 boys between ages 4 and 7 and followed them for a year, its therapy did not show any difference on those key secondary endpoints.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says that 24 companies are working to develop an avian flu vaccine for cattle, as the virus spreads among U.S. dairy herds, Reuters says. Bird flu has infected 95 dairy herds across 12 states since late March and three dairy farm workers have been infected, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A vaccine could curb the risk of bird flu spreading to new species and lessen potential economic losses for dairy farmers, but may take years to develop. In addition to the two dozen companies working at varying stages of vaccine development, the USDA is conducting its own preliminary research into a vaccine at its laboratory in Ames, Iowa.
