Biotech & Longevity · Monday, 19 October 2026

01 Briefing what happened

Europe's medicines advisers back Rasonque, a pancreatic cancer pill that nearly doubled survival in its final trial

A committee of the EU's medicines agency recommended approval of Revolution Medicines' pill for spread pancreatic cancer, leaving one last decision before it can be sold across the bloc.

$39,800

the US price of a 30-day supply of Rasonque

the US approved it in August after a speeded-up review [1]

EU countries where the pill could be sold after a final yes

the European Commission makes that call, after its advisers backed it on 15 October [1][2]

Nearly 2x

the usual survival time, in the pill's final-stage trial

for patients with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer [2]

The lead story — what happened

A committee of the European Medicines Agency, the EU's medicines regulator, recommended on Thursday 15 October that the EU approve Rasonque, a pancreatic cancer pill. [1][2]
The committee only advises. The European Commission, the EU's executive body, makes the final decision. [1]
Rasonque, also called daraxonrasib, is made by Revolution Medicines, a US drug company. It is taken by mouth once a day. [1]
It is meant for adults whose pancreatic cancer has spread and got worse after earlier treatment. [1]
It works by blocking RAS proteins. These proteins pass on signals that can make cancer cells keep growing. [1]
In a final-stage trial it nearly doubled the usual survival time for patients with an aggressive form of the disease, Bloomberg reported. [2]
Pancreatic cancer is often found only after it has spread. Chemotherapy is still the main treatment, and few options remain once it stops working. [1]
The US drug regulator, the FDA, approved the pill on 26 August for adults who had had at least one earlier treatment, or who cannot have combined chemotherapy. [3]
After the main trial results, demand was so strong that the FDA let patients get it through compassionate use, a route to unapproved drugs for the very ill. [1]
In the US a 30-day supply costs $39,800. [1]
Mark Goldsmith, the company's chief executive, said it will keep asking regulators in other countries to approve the pill. [1]

US approval26 Aug

EU advisers say yes15 Oct

European CommissionNext

Three steps, in order. The US said yes in August, Europe's advisers said yes on Thursday, and the European Commission decides next.

Who is involved

Revolution Medicines

a US drug company that makes Rasonque; it asked the EU to approve the pill
The European Medicines Agency's committee

the experts who advise the EU on new medicines; they recommended approval
The European Commission

the EU's executive body; it makes the final decision
The FDA

the US drug regulator; it approved the pill on 26 August

How it unfolded

26 Aug The FDA approves Rasonque for adults with spread pancreatic cancer who had treatment before [3]
15 Oct Europe's medicines advisers recommend EU approval [1][2]
Next The European Commission makes the final call [1]

Where this points

Watch whether the European Commission confirms its advisers' yes, the step that would let the pill be sold across the EU's 27 countries. [1][2]

What is pushing on the whole day

The bar and the word are our reading of how hard each one is pushing today. The arrow is where it is heading. The evidence is in the stories below.

Ebola crossing borders High↑

Congo confirmed Ebola in North Ubangi, an eighth province, which borders the Central African Republic. [6] Kenya confirmed its eighth case on Sunday, a patient attendant who had probably been exposed to its first patient. [4]

Fights over who may sell Building↑

Liquidia, a US drug company, pays $380.7 million and stops promoting its lung drug for one illness to end its lawsuits. [11] Gabon's ministers have drafted a ban on exports of iboga, a sacred plant that drug companies want. [9]

Better tools for blood sugar Building↑

A trial of Dexcom's sugar monitor, in people with type 2 diabetes who do not use insulin, was published in a top medical journal. [7] Diasome, a small US company, is planning a final trial of insulin aimed at the liver. [10]

The rest of the day

9 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

02
Ebola reaches an eighth province of Congo

Congo's national biomedical research institute confirmed on Sunday two Ebola cases, one of them a death, in North Ubangi province. [6] Reuters had first reported the cases on Thursday, before any official statement. [6] North Ubangi is the eighth province hit and borders the Central African Republic. [6] Congo's latest count is 9,415 cases and 4,536 deaths, with 67 new cases and 26 deaths in the 24 hours to 16 October. [6]

Cases9,415
Deaths4,536
Congo's Ebola count to 16 October. Deaths are nearly half the number of confirmed cases.

Why it matters — The outbreak is the worst in Congo's history, and health teams now face a province on the border with another country. [6] Most new cases are still in Ituri, in the east, which had 44 of the 67. [6]
03
Kenya confirms an eighth Ebola case

Kenya confirmed its eighth Ebola case on Sunday, Patrick Amoth, the country's director-general for health, said. [4] The patient is a 49-year-old man who cleaned plates and bed linen for patients, not a health worker. [4] He had probably been exposed to Kenya's first case, a man who came from Congo and died in a Nairobi hospital on 5 October. [4] He fell ill on Saturday while already in quarantine, and his test came back positive on Sunday. [4] That day 38 people were tested, and he was the only positive. [4]

Why it matters — All of Kenya's cases are the Bundibugyo kind of Ebola, which has no approved vaccine or treatment. [5] Kenya's health ministry says there is no sign of the virus spreading in the wider public, and the second and third patients are stable and responding to treatment. [5]
04
A sugar monitor helps people not on insulin

Dexcom, a US maker of glucose monitors, said on 14 October that the New England Journal of Medicine had published its CONNECT trial of a skin sensor that reads blood sugar all day. [7] The trial screened 440 adults with type 2 diabetes who do not use insulin, at 22 US clinics. [7] Over 26 weeks, A1C, a measure of average blood sugar, fell 1.6 points from 8.8% in people wearing the monitor. That was 0.9 points more than with routine care, and 97% were still wearing the monitor at the end. [7]

Wearing the monitor1.6 points
Routine care0.7 points
How far A1C fell over 26 weeks in each group. The routine-care figure is the monitor's 1.6 less the 0.9 gap Dexcom reported.

Why it matters — Millions of people with type 2 diabetes do not use insulin, Dexcom says, and it is asking doctors and insurers to back monitors for them. [7] These figures come from the company's own announcement; the results were first shown at a diabetes meeting in June. [7]
05
Gabon moves to keep control of iboga

Gabon, a country in central Africa, is trying to control the trade in iboga, a rainforest shrub, the Guardian reported on 18 October. [9] Its root bark is used in Bwiti, a spiritual tradition, and contains ibogaine, a drug being studied for addiction. [9] A decree in May made traditional knowledge of iboga national heritage and requires firms that sell it to share the benefits with Gabon. [9] On 18 September ministers adopted a draft ban on exporting iboga in any form. [9]

Why it matters — Interest grew after a US presidential order on 18 April named ibogaine, and Texas granted $50 million for a trial. [9] Ibogaine can also be made from a related tree, Voacanga africana, so a ban on iboga does not control the drug itself. [9]
06
Blood antibodies hint at gut disease years early

Researchers in New York, the Netherlands and Austria found patterns of antibodies in blood that appeared up to ten years before people were diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. [8] That is a long-lasting inflammation of the gut, mainly Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. [8] The team tested 2,000 blood samples from 500 US military personnel; 400 later got one of the two diseases. [8] People who got Crohn's more often had antibodies against Epstein-Barr, the virus behind glandular fever. [8]

Why it matters — The study, in the journal Gut, shows a link, not a cause, and it still has to be checked in other groups of people. [8] An outside expert, James Lindsay of Barts Health, called it a research tool that is not ready for the clinic. [8]
07
Liquidia's shares recover after its settlement

Shares in Liquidia, a US drug company, rose about 25% in the five days after it settled six lawsuits with United Therapeutics, GEN reported. [11] They had fallen 57% on 30 September, after a US court found Liquidia's lung drug Yutrepia broke one of United's patents. [11] Liquidia pays $380.7 million and stops promoting Yutrepia to new patients with high lung blood pressure linked to scarred lungs. [11] It said Yutrepia's sales reached $222.7 million in July to September. [11]

Apr-Jun, $m170.4
Jul-Sep, $m222.7
Yutrepia's sales in two quarters, in millions of dollars, as Liquidia reported them. The July to September figure is not yet audited.

Why it matters — Liquidia keeps selling the drug for the other main use, high blood pressure in the lungs' arteries, which already makes about 60% of its sales. [11] United Therapeutics sells Tyvaso, a rival inhaled drug, and its shares fell 3% that week. [11]
08
Diasome plans a final trial of liver-aimed insulin

Diasome, a small company in New Orleans, says it is finishing plans for a final-stage trial of its insulin for type 1 diabetes, GEN reported. [10] Its insulin is wrapped in tiny fat particles that steer it to the liver, which controls how much sugar the body stores. [10] In a 25-week trial in 226 adults, it kept blood sugar about as well as a standard insulin. [10] Severe low blood sugar happened in five people on the standard insulin and none on Diasome's. [10]

Why it matters — Robert Geho, Diasome's chief executive, calls dangerously low blood sugar the biggest limit on how much insulin people can take safely. [10] The gap of five to none was not strong enough to rule out chance, and the company still has to discuss its final trial with the FDA. [10]
09
India orders cancer drug prices cut by 70%

India will cut the prices of as many as 137 cancer drugs by 70%, its Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said on Saturday. [12] The list includes immunotherapy drugs, which help the body's own defences attack a cancer, used for more than 20 kinds of cancer. [12] It also covers medicines for breast, prostate, colon, ovarian and cervical cancer. [12] The new prices start on 9 November, and wholesalers and shops may keep no more than 30% of the most a shop may charge. [12]

Why it matters — It widens the price controls India set in 2019 on 42 cancer drugs, which cut their prices by as much as 90%. [12] Reuters reports that the aim is to make cancer treatment more affordable. [12]
10
South Africa finds four more mpox cases

South Africa's health department confirmed four new mpox cases, taking the country's total since 1 January to 26. [13] Mpox is a virus that causes a rash and fever, and it spreads through close skin-to-skin contact. [13] Of the 26 cases, 18 were in the Western Cape, and 16 of those were caught inside the country. [13] Of 17 cases tested for their type, 13 were clade Ib and four clade IIb, two branches of the virus. [13]

Why it matters — All but one of the 26 patients are men, aged 23 to 50. [13] The department says it is tracing contacts with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, and that mpox can be prevented and treated. [13]

02 Lesson why it matters

Why one drug can be sold for one illness and held back for another

A patent, a deal or a law often covers one use or one source of a chemical, not the chemical, so a single drug's sale can be split.

The twist

A patent, a deal or a law often locks up one use of a chemical, or one place it comes from, rather than the chemical itself. So a single drug can be sold for one illness and held back for another.

The picture

For lung artery pressureStill sold

For scarred-lung pressureNot promoted

One inhaled drug, split in two by a court settlement. Liquidia keeps selling it for one lung illness and stops promoting it to new patients with the other.

How it works

Many medicines are old chemicals, or can be made in more than one way
So a right is often written around one use, or one source
A court, a deal or a law can split one chemical by what it treats or where it came from
The same chemical can then be open for one purpose and closed for another

The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

Liquidia's shares recover after its settlement

The settlement did not stop Yutrepia being made. It drew a line between two lung illnesses, so Liquidia keeps one use and gives up promoting the other.
Gabon moves to keep control of iboga

Gabon's decree claims the plant and the knowledge about it. Ibogaine can also be made from another tree, so the rule reaches one source of the drug, not the drug.

Where you've seen this

Songs

the right to play a song on the radio is sold apart from the right to use it in a film

Land

the oil or minerals under a house can belong to someone other than the person who owns the house

Seeds

a farmer can buy a patented seed and still not be allowed to save its seeds and plant them next year

The catch

A line drawn by use is only as strong as the checking behind it. A company can stop promoting a drug for one illness, but doctors in many countries may still prescribe an approved drug for another.

And the whole of it

A patient with scarred lungs, a healer in a temple near Libreville and a shareholder in either drug company each live with a line drawn in a court file or a decree. Most of them will never read the papers that drew it.

03 Truth what's really going on

What is really going on

Revolution Medicines is one European Commission decision away from selling its pancreatic cancer pill across the EU, and in the US a month of it costs $39,800. [1] The rest of the day is mostly Ebola still spreading in Congo and Kenya, and two fights over who may sell a drug: Liquidia's patent settlement and Gabon's rules on iboga. [4][6][9][11]

Why it works on us — A phrase like nearly doubled survival sounds close to a cure, but the reports here give no number of months, and doubling a short time still leaves a short time. [2]

Who gains

Revolution Medicines — A final yes would open the EU's 27 countries to a pill that already sells at $39,800 a month in the US. [1][2]
Liquidia — The settlement ended six lawsuits and lets it keep selling Yutrepia for its main use, and its shares rose about 25% in five days. [11]
United Therapeutics — It receives $380.7 million, and Liquidia stops promoting Yutrepia for the lung illness where United's drug Tyvaso competes. [11]
Dexcom — A trial in a top journal backs its case that people with type 2 diabetes who do not use insulin should get its monitor, and it is asking insurers to agree. [7]
Gabon's government — Its May decree sets up a national fund paid partly by royalties from firms that use iboga. [9]

Who pays

Patients and insurers in the US — A 30-day supply of Rasonque costs $39,800. [1]
New patients with high lung blood pressure from scarred lungs — Liquidia will no longer promote Yutrepia to them under the settlement. [11]
Hospital staff in Kenya — Three health workers and now a patient attendant who cleaned linen have caught Ebola from patients. [4][5]
Families in eastern Congo — The outbreak killed 26 more people in the 24 hours to 16 October, most of the new cases being in Ituri. [6]
Gabon's healers and its forests — Collectors dig up whole iboga roots without replanting, and one healer said visiting students took her remedies and the money. [9]

What nobody knows yet

Open questions from across today’s stories — ours included.

01

How many extra months Rasonque gives patients.

Bloomberg says it nearly doubled the usual survival time in its final trial, and neither report here gives the months. [1][2]
02

When the European Commission will decide, and what the pill will cost in Europe.

Reuters says only that the Commission makes the final call; no date and no European price is given. [1]
03

Whether Kenya has stopped the virus spreading.

Kenya's health ministry says there is no spread in the wider public, but the eighth case was a patient attendant who had probably been exposed to the first patient, and the Bundibugyo kind of Ebola has no approved vaccine. [4][5]
04

How far Ebola has gone in North Ubangi.

Congo's institute confirmed two cases there, one of them a death, and has not said how many contacts are being followed near the border with the Central African Republic. [6]
05

Whether the sugar monitor improves health, not just blood sugar.

The CONNECT trial ran 26 weeks and measured A1C and time in range; Dexcom's announcement reports no effect on heart, kidney or eye problems. [7]
06

Whether the antibody warning signs for gut disease hold in other people.

The samples all came from US military personnel, the authors say it must be confirmed, and the study shows a link rather than a cause. [8]
07

How much wild iboga is left in Gabon.

A former environment minister, Lee White, calls wild iboga rare and poorly studied, and says he could not get funding for a study of it. [9]
08

Whether Gabon's export ban becomes law.

Ministers adopted it as a draft decree on 18 September, and the Guardian does not report a final decision. [9]
09

Whether Diasome's insulin really cuts severe low blood sugar.

It was five cases against none in 226 people, a gap the trial could not separate from chance, and the final trial is still being designed. [10]

04 Hope carry this

Europe's medicines advisers recommended approval of Rasonque, a daily pill that nearly doubled the usual survival time for people with an aggressive pancreatic cancer in its final trial.

Also true today

In a 26-week trial of a blood-sugar monitor in people with type 2 diabetes, 97 of every 100 were still wearing it at the end.
Kenya's second and third Ebola patients were stable and responding to treatment, its health ministry said.