Global Scans · Pharmaceuticals · Weekly Summary

• [New] Weight-loss drug markets are expected to be worth $150 billion by 2030. The National
• [New] Wegovy, a drug approved for weight loss in the UAE, has been proven to reduce the risk of major heart problems, while the injectable diabetes drug Mounjaro has also been shown to have heart protective qualities. The National
• [New] The Massachusetts state Medicaid program, MassHealth, has decided to prefer a single obesity GLP-1 drug, and has made it clear to manufacturers that the preferred product will change, if necessary, to secure the best value to the Commonwealth. PubMed Central (PMC)
• A new regulatory framework proposed in February by the US Food and Drug Administration could dramatically reduce the time and cost of bringing personalised CRISPR-Cas gene-editing therapies to patients with rare genetic diseases. CRISPR Medicine
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an alert about a rapidly increasing public health threat from a drug-resistant form of the bacteria Shigella, which causes the intestinal illness shigellosis, across the United States. iHeartRadio
• Drug-resistant infections are becoming harder to treat, and experts estimate that antimicrobial resistance could lead to 39 million deaths between 2025 and 2050. ScienceDaily
• The United States is heavily reliant on imports of pharmaceuticals, approximately 53% of patented pharmaceutical products are produced abroad - threatening national security and access to life-saving medications. ArentFox Schiff
• Express Scripts will establish a standard offering for plan sponsors where the out-of-pocket costs for patients are based on the net cost of a drug, rather than the list price. Arnold & Porter
• The Food and Drug Administration approved Nuvation's drug, Ibtrozi, last year; Nuvalent's zidesamtinib could follow by mid-September. BioPharma Dive
• By 2030, and potentially as early as 2028, the FDA wants animal testing to become the exception in preclinical drug development rather than the norm. Fierce Biotech
• Quantum AI will revolutionize sectors requiring massive computation, including drug discovery and climate modeling, within the next decade. AI Everywhere Briefing
• The fund, Sovereign AI, will invest roughly $675 million in homegrown startups in fields ranging from model development to agentic AI to drug discovery. Wired
• The global pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow steadily, driven by biologics innovation, AI-driven platforms, supply chain resilience, and increasing demand for personalized medicine. GlobeNewswire
• The global pharmaceutical industry is projected to reach approximately USD 1.72 trillion in 2026, reflecting steady growth driven by biologics and advanced therapies. GlobeNewswire
• Opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry include innovation in biologics, growth in GLP-1 therapies and precision oncology, rising demand for advanced treatments, and expanding manufacturing in Asia-Pacific. GlobeNewswire
• Asia Pacific is growing at a compounding annual growth rate of 5.84% during the predicted timeframe, owing to increasing urbanization, a strong pharmaceutical base, rising disposable incomes, and a growing geriatric population, which contributes to a surge in demand for muscle relaxants. Precedence Research
• By drug type, the neuromuscular blocking agents segment is growing at a CAGR of 5.1% from 2026 to 2035. Precedence Research

Last updated: 05 May 2026