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Trump signs order that nearly halves childhood immunisation coverage

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President Donald Trump has signed an executive order (EO) that significantly narrows the recommendations for paediatric immunisation, marking the latest attempt from the US government to overhaul the country’s vaccine landscape.

Why it matters: Industry experts posit that this stance would not reflect the gold standard science the US aspires to.

Key stat: Order cuts recommend vaccines in children from 18 to 11.

Watch: the ensuing impact the order could have on US children's health.

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Eli Lilly cracks down on illicit weight loss drug trade with US lawsuits

Eli Lilly has initiated a crackdown to curb the trade of illicit forms of its investigational weight loss therapy, retatrutide, as around one in five patients turn to non-vetted sellers to source their medication.

Why it matters: Action serves to expand and preserve Lill's successful weight loss empire.

Key stat: Lilly flagged more than 200 individual illegal sellers.

Watch: Net effect on illegal weight-loss drug sellers.

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ESC 2026: Statins show worth despite emergence of PCSK9 inhibitors

A type of statin significantly reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events in elderly patients, demonstrating their continued importance despite the rising use of PCSK9 inhibitors in the past decade.

Why it matters: Atorvastatin cut the risk of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and stroke or coronary revascularisation by 30% compared to placebo.

Key stat: STAREE study enrolled nearly 10,000 people.

Watch: Effect of findings on statin administration.

ESC 2026: True impact of poor medicine adherence laid bare in hypertensive patients

Patients who do not take blood pressure-lowering medication as prescribed are deriving little-to-no therapeutic benefit in cardiovascular disease, research shows.

Key stat: Systolic blood pressure was reduced by 5.2 mmHg in the intervention group versus the comparator.

Why it matters: Finding re-emphasise criticality of blood pressure-lowering medication.

Watch: Finding's impact on blood pressure-lowering medication adherence.

By the numbers

9

US president Trump has struck a further 9 Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing deals with mid-size pharma companies including Astellas Pharma, Kyowa Kirin, and Sun Pharma.

Why it's key: The Trump Administration is forging ahead with mid-size pharma company MFN deals, raising intriguing questions as the White House's MFN drug pricing deals initiative advances.

11

Announced at its Capital Markets Day on 8 September, Sandoz plans to advance its portfolio to include 100 biosimilars by 2040, up from the 13 it has now.

Why it's key: Sandoz's ambitious aims would vastly pivot the company's existing asset provision.

3,007

As of 31 August, 3,007 deaths due to the ongoing Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in Central Africa have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Why it's key: The rising death tolls reflects the critical need for a vaccine, for which work is underway by key players across the pharma industry.

$2.7bn

According to a report by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, £2bn ($2.7bn) in total investments have been injected into the UK's pharma industry since September 2025.

Why it's key: The figures suggest a capital allocation recovery in the UK industry is underway.