0908 | Major Global Events Yesterday: 5 Newly Emerged Developments

Japan's Ministry of Finance announced that foreign exchange reserves fell to $1.2075 trillion at the end of August, down $79.575 billion from the end of July—the largest monthly decline on record. Previously, between July 30 and August 26, Japan sold dollars and bought yen totaling ¥15.3993 trillion (approximately $98.66 billion), setting another record for monthly intervention. Some of these operations were coordinated with the United States—the first joint currency intervention by the two countries since 2011. The intervention temporarily pulled the yen back from near 164 per U.S. dollar to around 155, but it subsequently slid again to roughly 160. Thus, nearly $100 billion has so far mainly bought time—rather than lasting stabilization. Should the yen continue weakening, Japan’s import costs for energy and food will remain under pressure, and any further government intervention would carry even higher costs. 3. Nearly 95% of Bitcoin in Liquid Network Wallets Withdrawn; Network Halts New Transactions Liquid Network reported that an unknown party withdrew approximately 4,000 bitcoins—about 95% of the roughly 4,200 BTC held—in a multi-signature wallet jointly managed by several institutions. The value is estimated at around $320 million. The perpetrator自称 “white-hat hacker,” but funds have not yet been confirmed as returned. The network has suspended new transactions and stated that the withdrawal was executed via the authorized SideSwap channel; no private keys were compromised. Users lock their bitcoin into such jointly managed wallets to mint L-BTC—liquid, fast-settling tokens on the Liquid Network. With nearly all underlying bitcoin reserves drained, users are temporarily unable to deposit or withdraw normally. This incident highlights a critical vulnerability: even when cryptographic keys remain secure, software flaws can still directly release massive sums of digital assets. 4. Russia–North Korea’s First Road Bridge Opens, Enabling Direct Truck Access to Russia’s Highway Network Russia and North Korea inaugurated their first road bridge across the Tumen River. Approximately 1 kilometer long and equipped with dual lanes, the bridge permits up to 300 vehicles daily. Freight transport commenced immediately; passenger service is scheduled to launch by year-end. Although rail and air links previously existed between the two countries, vehicular transit had only been possible under special arrangements via nearby railway bridges. This new bridge integrates directly into Russia’s federal highway network—transforming cross-border transport from ad hoc detours into a stable, permanent corridor.

Weekly International Regulatory Approvals, Licensing Partnerships, M&A Activities, Clinical Trial Updates, and Financial Results of Leading Global Pharmaceutical Companies — September 7–13, 2026

• Bayer: On September 9, Bayer announced the initiation of a global Phase II clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of BAY 3670549. BAY 3670549 is an investigational, highly selective inhibitor of the G protein–gated inwardly rectifying potassium channel 4 (GIRK4), with potential as a novel therapy for controlling myocardial electrical activity in patients with atrial fibrillation. In a completed first-in-human, single-ascending-dose Phase I study, BAY 3670549 demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability in healthy volunteers. GIRK4 channels are specialized proteins that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) to facilitate potassium ion (K⁺) flow, thereby modulating cardiac myocyte electrophysiology. This mechanism plays a particularly critical role during the late phase of cardiac electrical conduction—especially during the atrial effective refractory period (AERP). Enhanced GIRK4 activity shortens the AERP, reducing the recovery time after each heartbeat—a change that may promote both the onset and persistence of atrial fibrillation. • Novo Nordisk: On September 7, Novo Nordisk released the first results from the STEP Young Phase III clinical trial, evaluating once-weekly semaglutide combined with a low-calorie diet and increased physical activity for treating obesity in children aged 6 to 12 years. Baseline data showed that over 85% of enrolled children had severe obesity—classified as Class II or Class III (corresponding to adult BMI ≥35 and ≥40, respectively). The trial met its primary endpoint: at Week 68, the semaglutide group exhibited a significantly greater reduction in BMI compared with the placebo group. Notably, 40.4% of children receiving semaglutide were no longer classified as obese, whereas none in the placebo group achieved this outcome. Both groups received concurrent lifestyle interventions—including low-calorie diets and increased physical activity—throughout the trial. Full STEP Young data will be presented at ObesityWeek 2026, the annual meeting of The Obesity Society. Childhood obesity is defined as BMI ≥95th percentile for age and sex; Class II and Class III childhood obesity correspond to BMI ≥120% and ≥140% of the 95th percentile, respectively. Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that mimics the action of the naturally occurring hormone GLP-1, which regulates both blood glucose and body weight. • Takeda Pharmaceutical: On September 9, Takeda announced results from two Phase III studies evaluating oveporexton (ORZEYFUL), an oral orexin receptor type 2 (OX2R) agonist, for the treatment of patients with type 1 narcolepsy (NT1). Oveporexton is the first and only therapy targeting the underlying cause of NT1. The findings were simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The FirstLight and RadiantLight trials demonstrated consistent, clinically meaningful, and statistically significant improvements—compared with placebo—across multiple endpoints including wakefulness, daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, disease severity, and quality-of-life measures, at multiple doses over 12 weeks. These improvements emerged as early as the first assessment timepoint and persisted throughout the duration of both studies.

Novo Nordisk and UNICEF renew push to prevent childhood obesity

Sep 22, 2026

Novo Nordisk and UNICEF expanded their partnership to prevent childhood obesity, committing $18 million from 2026 to 2030. The initiative aims to reach over 80 million children across seven countries as part of Novo's updated sustainability strategy.

reuters

Novo Nordisk and UNICEF renew push to prevent childhood obesity

FAQ