January Recap: 13 Top Health Press Releases

A roundup of the most newsworthy healthcare press releases from PR Newswire, including Zimmer Biomet's acquisition of Paragon 28, Icy Hot's partnership with Unrivaled and three major health news trends from January.

NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each month, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help healthcare journalists and consumers stay on top of the month's most popular releases and newsworthy trends, here's a recap of some of the past month's most read- and engaged-with stories.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Zimmer Biomet Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Paragon 28
   "This proposed transaction further diversifies Zimmer Biomet's portfolio outside of core orthopedics and positions us well in one of the highest growth specialized segments in musculoskeletal care…," said Ivan Tornos, President and Chief Executive Officer of Zimmer Biomet.
2. Icy Hot Signs on as Official Recovery Partner of Unrivaled
   Icy Hot will serve as the Official Recovery Partner of the groundbreaking professional women's basketball league. Icy Hot will provide topical pain relief products to players during games and practice sessions, and in recovery and training facilities throughout the nine-week season.
3. AbbVie and Neomorph Announce Collaboration to Develop Molecular Glue Degraders for Oncology and Immunology
   "We are excited to collaborate with Neomorph to develop novel molecular glue degraders which could pave the way for new, effective therapies in the treatment of immune disorders and cancer," said Steven Elmore, vice president, small molecule therapeutics and platform technologies at AbbVie.
4. Michael J. Fox Honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom
   The nation's highest civilian honor recognizes his tireless advocacy and dedication to speeding a cure for Parkinson's disease. "I'm grateful for this recognition, which I share with the patients, families and researchers who have brought us closer than ever to ending Parkinson's disease once and for all," said Fox.
5. Ginkgo Bioworks Partners with Universal Cells, an Astellas Company, to Advance Next-Generation iPSC-Derived Cell Therapies for Solid Tumors
   iPSC-derived cell therapies have the potential to transform cancer care by offering scalable, 'off-the-shelf' treatment options. The companies aim to accelerate the development of more potent and durable cell therapies while maintaining manufacturability at scale.
6. Eirion Therapeutics Announces Potential Breakthrough Treatment for Hair Loss Based on First-in-Man Clinical Trial Results
   "We believe that ET-02 has the potential to not only treat but prevent androgenic alopecia. The results of this clinical trial show we are an important step closer to potentially having a solution for hair loss," said Jon Edelson, MD, CEO and President of Eirion.
7. Variant Bio Announces Multi-Year Research Partnership with Novo Nordisk to Discover Novel Targets for Metabolic Disease
   "Metabolic disease - including obesity - affects people all over the world, yet newer targets with genetic evidence are primarily based on studies with European-ancestry populations. As a result, there is still an unmet need in this space," said David Moller, Chief Scientific Officer at Variant Bio. 
8. Panasonic Well Sets the Stage for the Future of Family Wellness in Opening Keynote at CES 2025 Families are at their breaking point as chronic stress, disconnection, and fragmented wellness solutions are taking a toll, and the call for help is loud and clear. To confront the mounting wellness imperatives families face in their daily lives, Panasonic Well CEO Yoky Matsuoka, took the stage to introduce the next step in building a comprehensive wellness ecosystem to support families.
9. SPRAVATO^® (esketamine) approved in the U.S. as the first and only monotherapy for adults with treatment-resistant depression
   This approval, which was granted following FDA Priority Review, is supported by positive results from the randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study in which SPRAVATO^® alone showed a rapid and superior improvement in depressive symptoms compared to placebo as early as 24 hours.
10. GORTEC Announces New Trial Success for Head and Neck Cancer Treatment
    "This is the first time in decades where a therapy demonstrated superiority over standard of care cisplatin-radiotherapy in high-risk patients with [locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck] LA-SCCHN," said Prof Jean Bourhis, Principal Investigator of the study and Medical Director of the GORTEC.
11. Viking Therapeutics Announces Initiation of Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral Dosing Trial of VK2735 Tablet Formulation in Patients with Obesity
    Company announced the initiation of a 13-week study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral VK2735 dosed once daily. VK2375 is being developed in both oral and subcutaneous formulations for the potential treatment of various metabolic disorders such as obesity.
12. Boston Scientific Announces Agreement to Acquire Bolt Medical, Inc.
    The acquisition is expected to further Boston Scientific's strategy to address coronary and peripheral disease. "Bolt Medical is developing a next-generation technology that is highly complementary to our existing portfolio. The addition of this system to our offerings can help us better serve physicians and their patients," said Lance Bates, senior vice president and president, Interventional Cardiology Therapies, Boston Scientific.
13. FDA Approves LEQEMBI^® (lecanemab-irmb) IV Maintenance Dosing for the Treatment of Early Alzheimer's Disease
    Ongoing treatment can slow disease progression and prolong the benefit of therapy, with the goal of helping patients maintain who they are for longer. For maintenance treatment, once every four weeks dosing regimen may be easier than once every two weeks dosing for patients and care partners to continue treatment for early Alzheimer's Disease.

For more news like this, check out all of the latest health-related releases from PR Newswire.

Do you have a health press release to distribute? Sign up with PR Newswire to share your story with the audiences who matter most.

Trending Topics 

Among the health news that was distributed in January, the PR Newswire team was able to spot several larger stories that highlight the trends shaping the industry.

• Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: January saw an increased focus on women's health, with our team noting a surge in new medical guidelines and concerning research findings. The American Cancer Society released data showing cancer mortality continues to decline despite rising incidence in women. New ASCCP guidelines introduced more precise screening methods, while survey results revealed many women are skipping critical OB-GYN exams - highlighting ongoing challenges in cervical cancer prevention and detection.
• Maternal Health Awareness Day: The maternal health crisis generated significant wire activity surrounding Maternal Health Awareness Day, which was observed on Jan. 23. March of Dimes celebrated historical White House engagement on the issue and healthcare providers shared promising results from innovative programs, including MedStar Health's Safe Babies Safe Moms initiative and Preeclampsia Foundation's creative intervention targeting Black maternal health.
• California Wildfires Response: As wildfires devastated the Los Angeles area, PR Newswire distributed a wave of announcements as organizations across sectors mobilized support for affected communities. Healthcare providers like CVS Health, DaVita and Magellan Health ensured continued care and crisis support. Fitness chains including 24 Hour Fitness and Crunch opened their facilities to displaced residents. Specialized assistance came from organizations like Braille Institute supporting visually impaired individuals, while companies donated air purifiers and other relief supplies to vulnerable populations. All news releases related to severe storms and extreme weather events across the U.S. can be found here.

Looking ahead: PR Newswire anticipates significant wire activity in February around American Heart Month, with releases spotlighting cardiovascular health innovations and awareness campaigns. Early February announcements are expected to focus on cancer research breakthroughs around World Cancer Day (Feb. 4), while health equity themes will likely dominate coverage of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (Feb. 7).

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News 

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features:

• Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.
• Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story.
• Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles.
• Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire 

PR Newswire is the industry's leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. 

SOURCE PR Newswire