Drug development

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first intranasal diuretic for heart, liver and kidney disease patients, aiming to prevent a common and costly issue that results in more than a million hospitalizations each year.

A new drug candidate could become a first-in-class medication, after impressive results in a mid-stage clinical trial for drug-resistant epilepsy. It now moves to Phase 3 trials, raising hope for people who suffer seizures despite being on medication.

Australia's embattled koalas have been given some good news for once, with the approval of the world's first chlamydia vaccine. More than a decade in the making, a single jab will now protect koalas from the disease decimating their populations.

A new drug that significantly lowers "stubborn" blood pressure is on the horizon, following the results of its Phase III clinical trial. The drug, called baxdrostat, is being hailed as the most promising advance in hypertension management in decades.

The FDA has approved a new version of an Alzheimer’s disease drug that can be given as a quick at-home weekly injection, offering patients a more convenient option than lengthy infusion-center visits. It will be widely available from October 6, 2025.

This year a clinical trial will test a drug combination designed to bring lasting relief for people with panic disorder – a condition that can upend daily life and be notoriously difficult to treat. No new medications have been approved since 2003.

People with fibromyalgia will soon have access to a new drug that treats the chronic pain condition's most elusive trigger: Poor sleep. Tonmya, a non-opioid under-the-tongue tablet, is the first FDA-approved drug for fibromyalgia in more than 15 years.

A newly discovered compound from a bright orange fungus found lodged on trees only in the mountains of Taiwan has been found to not only effectively block inflammation signals, but it can also press pause on the proliferation of cancer cells.

We're closing in on an oral male pill that doesn't change hormones or libido, is fully reversible and has no side effects. YCT-529, a new kind of contraceptive mechanism, has also sparked debate about disparities in men's and women's health research.

The first aceclidine-based eye drop to improve near vision in adults with age-related presbyopia, which affects more than 100 million adults in the US alone, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and will be on sale by November.

An epidemic that's been sustained for 44 years might finally be quelled, with the milestone approval of the first HIV drug that offers 100% protection with its twice-yearly injections. It's a landmark achievement set to save millions of lives.

What if you could inject a drug into a "problem area" – like the abdomen – and have it safely and rapidly kill off fat cells? We could be within 12 months of this reality, as the world's first safe, targeted fat-loss jab enters Phase 3 trials.