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In an unexpected move, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has withdrawn a controversial proposal that was designed to prevent pharmaceutical companies from abusing the patent system. Specifically, the proposed rule was crafted to stem the use of so-called patent thickets, which are wielded by drug companies to delay the arrival of lower-cost generic medicines in the marketplace. Essentially, thickets are collections of numerous patents that critics contend add only incremental changes to a drug and, therefore, produce little to no additional benefit to patients. (Silverman, 12/4)

Many moms-to-be opt for blood tests during pregnancy to check for fetal disorders such as Down syndrome. In rare instances, these tests can reveal something unexpected — hints of a hidden cancer in the woman. In a study of 107 pregnant women whose test results were unusual, 52 were ultimately diagnosed with cancer. Most of them were treated and are now in remission, although seven with advanced cancers died. (Johnson, 12/4)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Merus NV's therapy that targets a particular gene, offering a treatment option for patients with hard-to-treat type of lung and pancreatic cancers, the health regulator said on Wednesday. The therapy, branded as Bizengri, targets the NRG1 gene, which is associated with formation and progression of several tumors. (12/4)

Eli Lilly & Co. said its weight-loss drug Zepbound outperformed rival Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy in the first head-to-head trial of the two blockbusters. In a study sponsored by Lilly, people treated with Zepbound lost an average of 20% of their body weight — or about 50 pounds — over 72 weeks, while those who got Wegovy shed 14%. The results confirm earlier trials of the two drugs that indicated a stronger impact from Zepbound. (Muller and Kresge, 12/4)

Drugmaker Gilead said it will allow cheap, generic versions to be sold in 120 poor countries with high HIV rates, mostly in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. (Cheng and Verza, 12/2)

Mayo Clinic and Philips are collaborating to investigate ways artificial intelligence can make cardiac MRI scans faster. Mayo Clinic will combine its proprietary AI technology with Philips’ proprietary deep learning-based AI technology that is currently in development. Philips' AI will optimize the workflow and post-processing of cardiac MRI scans and Mayo Clinic's AI models will improve image acquisition and reconstruction speed. Reconstruction is the process of converting the raw data collected during the MRI scan into high-quality images that clinicians can use for diagnosis. (Dubinsky, 12/4)

Somewhere deep inside a forest in central Africa right now, there is a ball python waiting for its next meal. And waiting. And waiting. Pythons can go months — perhaps even longer than a year — without eating. But when they do it is a gourmand’s feast, with the python sometimes consuming a meal equivalent to its entire body weight. (Ingold, 12/4)

In early October, scientists revealed something spectacular—a complete map of a fruit fly’s brain. Roughly the size of a grain of salt, a fly’s brain has 140,000 neurons connected by almost 500 feet of biological wiring. The map showed myriad types of cells and how they’re connected. It promises to help us gain a better understanding of how brains work. Scientists are rejoicing. It was a huge achievement, but it also showed how hard it will be to take the next big step forward. (Vance, 12/3)