400: Seaport's IPO adventure, obesity pill battles, and Makary's troubles

Biotech IPOs are rebounding as investors show renewed interest, highlighted by the recent public offering of Seaport Therapeutics. Seaport CEO Daphne Zohar explains how the company utilizes its proprietary Glyph platform to bypass first-pass metabolism, enabling oral administration of drugs like allopregnanolone for major depressive disorder. Meanwhile, the FDA faces political scrutiny regarding Commissioner Marty Makary’s future amid controversies over flavored vape approvals and internal regulatory disagreements. In the competitive obesity drug market, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill continues to dominate, despite emerging reports of adverse events in rival products. Additionally, Cytokinetics reports positive results for its heart failure drug, mavacamten, in patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, signaling potential for expanded market reach. These developments underscore a shifting landscape in both regulatory oversight and therapeutic innovation within the biotechnology sector.