GSK’s mRNA seasonal flu candidate progresses to late-stage trials, while new cardiovascular and cancer research highlight emerging trends and strategies at the latest DDW round-up ahead of the Drug Discovery Innovators & Investors Digital Forum.
DDW’s latest weekly round-up points to a busy start to September in drug discovery, with a mix of vaccine, cardiovascular and oncology updates alongside a preview of its Drug Discovery Innovators & Investors Digital Forum on 30 September. The forum is due to bring together researchers, developers and investors to examine the technologies, strategies, therapies and funding trends shaping early-stage development, according to DDW.
One of the main vaccine stories came from GSK, which said its mRNA seasonal flu candidate generated stronger immune responses than licensed standard-dose and high-dose inactivated vaccines across the strains tested. The company said the programme will now move into a Phase III efficacy trial in September 2026, which it described as the first late-stage study of an mRNA flu vaccine designed to target both haemagglutinin and neuraminidase, the two key surface antigens that help influenza spread.
In cardiovascular medicine, the US Food and Drug Administration extended approval of Lilly’s Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, to lower the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes. Reporting on the decision, Healthline said the approval is backed by the SURPASS-CVOT trial, which enrolled more than 13,000 people in 30 countries and found tirzepatide performed as well as dulaglutide in reducing heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death, while the FDA has also recently broadened the use of Wegovy for cardiovascular risk reduction in people with obesity or overweight and established cardiovascular disease.
Elsewhere, DDW highlighted fresh safety data presented at the ESC Congress 2026 by Isomab, which it said strengthen the case for therapeutic angiogenesis, a strategy that aims to stimulate new blood vessel growth and could offer a disease-modifying approach in coronary artery disease. The round-up also pointed to research suggesting that the way cancer-driving proteins accumulate inside tumours may affect how well PROTAC drugs work; as Springer’s review explains, PROTACs use targeted protein degradation to remove disease-linked proteins, and several candidates are already in cancer trials.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
