Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on October 20, 2026

Bitopertin meets both Phase 3 endpoints in erythropoietic protoporphyria

Disc Medicine said bitopertin met both co-primary endpoints in its Phase 3 APOLLO study in erythropoietic protoporphyria.1 Compared with placebo, treatment lowered whole-blood protoporphyrin IX by 41.4% and added 12.2 hours of average monthly pain-free time in light during month six.1

The findings helped answer questions about bitopertin’s efficacy, and Disc’s shares rose nearly 40% after the results became public.1

Metabolic changes accelerated in the first months of antipsychotic treatment

A UCL-led observational study of nearly 97,000 adults found that HbA1c, a measure of average blood glucose, rose about 14 times faster during the first 90 days after starting antipsychotics than before treatment.2 Weight rose about nine times faster over the same period, based on NHS primary-care records for people who began one of four medicines between 2000 and 2023.2

Olanzapine had the largest early changes among the four drugs, with HbA1c rising about 50 times faster and weight about 10 times faster than before treatment.2 Within two years, type 2 diabetes developed in 19% of participants who had prediabetes when treatment began, compared with 3% of those with normal blood glucose.2

Blood glucose and weight changes did not always occur together, and women had larger early HbA1c increases than men.2 The researchers recommended checking both measures before treatment and again in the first few months.2 Because the analysis used existing records and was observational, it cannot establish that antipsychotics alone caused the changes. It also could not account for diet, exercise, or other medications.2

Amphista starts Phase 1 trial of protein degrader in blood cancers

Amphista Therapeutics has dosed the first participant in BRAMLIE, a Phase 1 trial of AMX-883 for acute myeloid leukemia and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.3 The study is expected to enroll about 54 participants and assess safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy with AMX-883 alone.3

AMX-883 is an oral targeted protein degrader designed to recruit DCAF16 and break down its target, BRD9.3 The FDA authorized the study in June 2026, and Amphista said it plans to test the drug with existing therapies in relapsed or refractory leukemia.3

Also published

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