Takeda has launched ORZEYFUL (oveporexton) in Japan and China for narcolepsy type 1 (NT1), giving doctors first access to the drug. It is a first-in-class orexin receptor 2 agonist in tablet form, designed to treat the orexin deficiency behind the disease. China's National Medical Products Administration, the US Food and Drug Administration, and Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved it within a month of each other. A US launch is set for next month, once Drug Enforcement Administration scheduling is complete. In Phase 3 studies, patients on ORZEYFUL showed significant improvements over placebo in wakefulness, sleepiness, cataplexy, and quality of life across 12 weeks. Common side effects include insomnia, urinary urgency, urinary frequency, and excessive saliva. Takeda says submissions to health authorities are underway worldwide.

Trialbee, a patient recruitment platform provider, will present at DPHARM 2026 in Boston on 15-16 September. The Swedish-American company will unveil AI-powered patient screening in its Honey Platform, enabling conversational AI chatbots to conduct initial candidate assessments whilst giving patients the option to speak with recruitment specialists. Trialbee will present jointly with pharmaceutical company Takeda on integrating their respective platforms to build research-ready patient communities that extend beyond single trials. The company will also participate in a panel discussing AI applications at clinical trial sites. The Honey Platform has added several AI features this year, including candidate summaries, duplicate detection, and recruitment data analysis. Trialbee supports over 6,000 research sites across 50 countries and reports a 91% repeat business rate with biopharmaceutical companies.

Onco360, a US independent speciality pharmacy, has been selected by Takeda Pharmaceuticals as an ultra-narrow limited distribution partner for MIMRYLO (rusfertide). The treatment is indicated for erythrocytosis in adults with polycythemia vera. MIMRYLO is a mimetic of the endogenous hormone hepcidin that blocks the iron transporter ferroportin. This inhibition reduces iron availability for red blood cell production, resulting in lower hematocrit levels. The drug's approval was based on the phase 3 VERIFY study, a global, randomised, open-label clinical trial. The primary endpoint measured the proportion of patients achieving response during weeks 20-32, defined as the absence of phlebotomy eligibility. The most common adverse reactions were injection site reactions at 56% and anaemia at 16%.