Thursday, June 11, 2026
Eloxx Pharmaceuticals (ELOX) raises ~$66M via stock and pre‑funded warrants
Eloxx Pharmaceuticals is offering 2,975,000 shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 3,025,000 shares. The public offering price is $11.00 per share and $10.99 per pre-funded warrant, producing total gross proceeds of $65,969,750 before underwriting discounts. The underwriters expect to deliver the securities on or about June 10, 2026. The prospectus states the offering proceeds to Eloxx, before expenses, are $61,349,750. The offering assumes 461,314 shares outstanding as of May 31, 2026 and concurrent exercises of up to 600,000 shares from existing pre-funded warrants. Pro forma cash and cash equivalents after the offering are presented as $65,713,000.
Dassault, Airbus in new Eurodrone row after fighter collapse, sources say
Dassault Aviation is seeking compensation from Airbus over procurement changes to the delayed Eurodrone programme, three people familiar with the matter said, inflaming tensions after the collapse of their joint fighter jet project as Europe struggles to cooperate on defence.
The previously unreported rift centres on a reduced share of work expected for Dassault following a French decision to shelve purchases of the Eurodrone, a competitor to the U.S. Reaper being developed by France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
It is one of three flagship Franco-German defence projects backed by leaders at a 2017 summit and now mired in delays or disagreement, alongside the FCAS fighter halted by Berlin this week and the delayed MGCS battle tank.
Paris has not formally left the 7-billion-euro Eurodrone programme but its latest defence bill removes funding for purchases of systems up to 2035, citing the arrival of cheaper alternatives more adapted to high intensity warfare.
Under Europe's system of economic horse-trading known as "geo return," the suspension of purchases is expected to mean less work allocated to French companies through Dassault.
Paris-based Dassault wants to be compensated by project leader Airbus for part of any lost investment, the sources said.
Dassault declined comment and referred questions to Airbus.
Airbus said it had nothing to add to comments made in April by CEO Guillaume Faury that the Eurodrone project was "very likely to move forward with a slightly different setup," following a change of views by the French defence ministry.
France's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
'HEAVY AND EXPENSIVE'
Dassault Aviation is in charge of flight control and mission communication systems for Eurodrone - a "Medium Altitude Long Endurance" drone designed to reduce European reliance on U.S. and Israeli technology.
The four launch nations have ordered a total of 60 drones. Entry into service has slipped from an original 2025 target. First flight is now set for 2027.
In 2019, French senators described the Eurodrone as heavy and expensive, blaming disagreements over specifications. France's air force has voiced interest in a lighter drone called Aarok being developed by French startup Turgis & Gaillard.
Relations between Dassault and Airbus - long divided by their contrasting roots in French private and public industry, respectively - have deteriorated sharply this year.
Failure to agree on governance of the next stage of FCAS led to the collapse of the core fighter jet project, but unlike FCAS the Eurodrone is in advanced development so the immediate contractual consequences of any divorce are very different.
By coming to a head at the same time, the overlapping disputes add fresh tensions to an already acrimonious divorce between two of Europe's critical defence suppliers.
A person familiar with the matter said discussions over the two Franco-German programmes involving Dassault and Airbus were separate on paper but "psychologically and politically" linked.
https://www.aol.com/articles/exclusive-dassault-airbus-eurodrone-row-173251000.html
Oracle Gets $395.8 Million Contract to Provide HR Platform for Federal Government
Oracle received a $395.8 million contract to provide a human resources platform for the U.S. federal government.
The software and cloud-computing company said Thursday the new platform would be the single, government-wide system of record for workforce management, replacing more than 100 separate systems.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, which awarded the contract, expects that consolidating its systems onto a single cloud platform will cut costs to taxpayers by more than 90%. The move also aims to boost efficiency and security for agencies and employees.
"The federal government's HR infrastructure has become unnecessarily fragmented," said Scott Kupor, director of OPM. "This is an important step toward improving interoperability, strengthening workforce data capabilities, and delivering a more effective and accountable HR experience across the federal government."
OPM said the contract follows a competitive evaluation process that included testing and input from agencies across the government.
Under the contract, Oracle will provide the artificial intelligence-powered HR platform to about two million U.S. Executive Branch civilian employees, the company said. The platform is designed to provide a range of capabilities including position management, personnel action and records processing and workforce analytics, with integration to payroll, retirement, and benefits systems.
GLP-1 Drugs and Ischemic Optic Neuropathy
As the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists continues to expand for diabetes and obesity treatment, clinicians are beginning to examine a possible new safety signal: rare cases of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
Interest in the issue has increased following observational studies and case reports suggesting a possible association between GLP-1 medications and NAION, a condition caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve that can lead to sudden vision loss. Although the absolute risk appears to be small, the widespread use of these medications means that even rare adverse events are drawing increased scrutiny.
Experts emphasize that current evidence does not establish a causal relationship and that the overall benefits of GLP-1 therapy remain substantial. Still, clinicians say the reports highlight the importance of recognizing symptoms quickly and understanding which patients may already carry underlying risk factors for optic nerve ischemia.
A Refresher on NAION
NAION is the most common acute optic neuropathy in adults older than 50 years. The condition occurs when blood flow to the anterior portion of the optic nerve becomes compromised, leading to ischemic injury.
“Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is essentially an ischemic event that affects the head of the optic nerve,” said Kevin Gendreau, MD, an obesity medicine physician at the Weight & Wellness Center at Signature Healthcare in Brockton, Massachusetts.Patients typically present with sudden, painless vision loss in one eye, often noticed upon waking.
“Patients describe blurry vision, dim vision, or visual field deficits,” Gendreau said. “Initially, the presentation can be subtle, which can sometimes lead to delays in care.”
Pravin Date, MD, a primary care physician at SCV Medical Group in Santa Clarita, California, and a hospitalist at Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center in Panorama City, California, described a similar presentation.
Because permanent visual loss can occur, clinicians emphasize that any abrupt change in vision should be treated as an urgent medical issue.
Gendreau said that NAION is estimated to affect roughly two to ten individuals per 100,000 people annually, although the risk increases with age and vascular disease. The condition is typically unilateral at presentation, though patients who experience NAION in one eye may carry a higher risk of developing it in the other eye over time.
Risk Overlap With Metabolic Disease
A range of systemic and anatomical factors are known to increase the risk for NAION.
“Traditional risk factors include diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and a ‘crowded’ optic disc anatomy,” Date said.
Many of these same conditions are common among patients treated with GLP-1 medications.
“Patients who may be predisposed to NAION are often the same individuals we see in metabolic and weight-loss centers,” Gendreau said. “People with diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, or other vascular risk factors already carry a higher baseline risk of ischemic events.”
Some investigators have also proposed physiologic mechanisms that could theoretically contribute to optic nerve ischemia during treatment.
“A rapid change or correction in blood sugar could be one proposed mechanism,” Gendreau said. “Rapid changes in blood pressure or volume status could also contribute, in theory, although the data showing this link is lacking.”
What Ophthalmologists Are Seeing
Ophthalmologists say patient questions about the issue have increased as awareness of the potential association has grown.
“When patients ask me about ‘eye strokes’ and weight-loss medications, I try to explain it in a balanced way,” said Yuna Rapoport, MD, an ophthalmologist and refractive cornea surgeon at Manhattan Eye in New York City.
Some researchers have proposed that physiologic changes associated with GLP-1 medications — including shifts in blood pressure, fluid balance, or blood sugar — could theoretically reduce optic nerve perfusion in susceptible individuals.
“These medications can lead to changes in blood pressure, fluid balance, or blood sugar levels,” Rapoport said. “In certain people that may reduce blood flow to the optic nerve, especially overnight when blood pressure naturally dips.”
However, she said that the risk appears to occur primarily among patients who already have underlying vascular risk factors.
Questions About Drug Dose
Some clinicians have also questioned whether risk could vary between different GLP-1 formulations or doses.
“One of the medications that has been discussed more is Wegovy,” Rapoport said. “It uses a higher dose of semaglutide than Ozempic, which may lead to stronger metabolic and fluid shifts.”
Analyses of pharmacovigilance data have suggested that reports of ischemic optic neuropathy appear most frequently in association with semaglutide products.
“In a large global analysis of FDA adverse-event reports, semaglutide overall showed an association with ischemic optic neuropathy,” Rapoport said. “The signal appeared strongest with Wegovy, suggesting the risk may be dose-related rather than purely drug-specific.”
Evidence Remains Observational
Despite the emerging discussion, experts stress that current evidence linking GLP-1 medications to NAION remains limited.
“Currently, the evidence linking GLP-1 agonists to NAION is limited and observational,” Gendreau said. “Retrospective studies and case reports have raised the question of an association, but that’s different from proving definitive causation.”
Date echoes that interpretation.
“Regarding GLP-1 medications, the current signal appears to come primarily from observational data and case reports, which means the association should be interpreted cautiously,” he said.
Because these medications are prescribed to millions of patients, rare events may appear more frequently simply due to scale.
“These drugs are now used by millions of patients,” Date said. “So rare events may emerge simply through scale.”
At present, the available evidence suggests a possible association but not a confirmed causal relationship.
Balancing Risk and Benefit
As GLP-1 receptor agonists continue to be used by a growing number of patients worldwide, experts say clinicians should expect increased attention to rare adverse events.
“As these medications become more widely used, we are naturally going to see more discussion of rare events,” Gendreau said.
Date emphasized that potential safety signals should be considered alongside the substantial clinical benefits these medications provide.
“GLP-1 therapies are delivering substantial population-level benefits in obesity and metabolic disease,” he said. “While potential adverse signals deserve careful study, clinicians should weigh these against the well-established reductions in cardiovascular and metabolic risk seen with these medications.”
Awareness of symptoms, attention to existing vascular risk factors, and prompt referral for evaluation of sudden visual changes remain the most practical steps clinicians can take while researchers continue to study the possible association between GLP-1 therapies and ischemic optic neuropathy.
No reported disclosures.
FDA Grants Emergency Approval for OTC Drug Capstar, Capaction to Treat Screwworm in Pets
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized the emergency use of a generic over-the-counter tablet to treat infestations caused by the New World screwworm in dogs and cats, as the government steps up efforts to contain the parasite.
U.S. officials this month confirmed the first domestic cases of the parasite in more than six decades in cattle, a goat and a dog in Texas and New Mexico.
New World screwworm is a fly whose larvae feed on living tissue, entering animals through open wounds and burrowing into the flesh.
The agency said nitenpyram tablets, a fast-acting treatment, can be used in pets weighing at least two pounds and at least four weeks old, adding that the drug is expected to help kill most larvae within hours of the first dose.
A second dose should be given six hours after the first, the agency said, but added that the drug may not protect against reinfestation and veterinarians may still need to remove remaining larvae and treat wounds.U.S. officials have warned that while most pets in the country face low risk, animals that have recently been in affected areas were more vulnerable.
The tablets, available in two dosage strengths, are the first generic animal drug cleared under an emergency pathway for this use.
Officials said the move was part of a broader push by U.S. health and agriculture agencies to limit the spread of the parasite and ensure pet owners have access to affordable treatment options.
The benefits of the treatment outweigh potential risks based on available evidence, the FDA said.
https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/fda-grants-emergency-approval-over-counter-drug-treat-2026a1000joz
SpaceX filing shows $75 billion IPO at $135 a share
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. priced its initial public offering at $135 a share, according to a free writing prospectus (FWP) filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday.
The filing shows SpaceX is offering 555,555,555 shares of Class A common stock, raising about $74.99 billion before any overallotment option. The shares are expected to trade under the ticker SPCX on Nasdaq and Nasdaq Texas, with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, BofA Securities, Citigroup, and JPMorgan listed among the lead book-running managers.
BlackRock plans to invest $5B in SpaceX shares
BlackRock placed an order to acquire SpaceX shares worth at least $5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The world's richest man Elon Musk's SpaceX is staging the blockbuster initial public offering tomorrow, selling $75 billion worth of shares, the biggest in history. The scheme paves the way for Musk to become the planet's first trillionaire. Demand from individual investors alone topped $70 billion in requested SpaceX shares, while interest also poured in from sovereign-wealth funds and family offices, with one family office reportedly seeking a stake exceeding $1 billion on its own.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/BlackRock-plans-to-invest-dollar5B-in-SpaceX-shares/66490080
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)