The HCPFive: Top News for Healthcare Providers from the Week of 08/09

Welcome to The HCPFive, your go-to roundup for the latest healthcare news and breakthroughs, curated specifically for busy healthcare professionals.
Each week, we highlight 5 key developments or headlines from healthcare that you need to know — whether it's a cutting-edge treatment, regulatory updates, or innovations shaping the future of medicine. This week's top stories include phase 3 UP-AA data supporting AbbVie's supplemental NDA for upadacitinib (Rinvoq) in severe alopecia areata, new coverage of the phase 3 VALOR trial establishing Priovant's brepocitinib as the first targeted therapy to succeed in a placebo-controlled dermatomyositis trial, a phase 3 miss for Tenax Therapeutics' TNX-103 in pulmonary hypertension associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a one-year check-in on how Insmed's brensocatib (Brinsupri) has transformed bronchiectasis care, and HCPLive's preview of the six trials to watch at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2026 in Munich.
With The HCPFive, you'll get the essential takeaways to stay informed and ahead of the curve. Here's your quick dive into the top stories for the week of August 9, 2026 — let's jump in!

1. UP-AA: Upadacitinib Attains Primary Endpoint in New Alopecia Areata Data

Pooled data from the two replicate phase 3 UP-AA trials showed AbbVie's upadacitinib (Rinvoq) 15 mg and 30 mg once daily both met the primary endpoint of SALT score ≤20 at week 24 versus placebo (P<.001 in both studies), with the 30 mg dose achieving SALT ≤20 in 54–55% of patients compared with 1.5–3.4% on placebo. Upadacitinib also became the first JAK inhibitor to meet the ranked secondary endpoint of complete scalp hair regrowth (SALT=0) at week 24 in a phase 3 program, reaching that threshold in up to 22.5% of treated patients. AbbVie submitted a supplemental NDA to the FDA in April 2026; if approved, upadacitinib would join baricitinib as the second JAK inhibitor available for severe alopecia areata in the United States.

2. Phase 3 Dermatomyositis Trial Sees Brepocitinib Meet Primary Endpoint

In the phase 3 VALOR trial, Priovant's brepocitinib 30 mg — a first-in-class oral TYK2-JAK1 inhibitor — met the primary endpoint of Total Improvement Score at week 52 versus placebo (LS mean difference 15.3 points; P<.001), while the 15 mg dose failed to separate from placebo. The 30 mg dose was superior across all nine key secondary endpoints, including skin disease activity, glucocorticoid tapering, and physical function, with cutaneous improvements observed as early as week 4; serious infections were higher with 30 mg than placebo (10% vs 1%). The FDA accepted Priovant's NDA with Priority Review and a PDUFA target action date in Q3 2026, representing the first positive registrational trial for a targeted therapy in dermatomyositis.

3. TNX-103 Misses Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 LEVEL PH-HFpEF Trial

On August 10, 2026, Tenax Therapeutics and license partner Orion Corporation announced that the phase 3 LEVEL trial of TNX-103 (oral levosimendan) failed to meet its primary endpoint of improved 6-minute walk distance versus placebo in patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (LSM difference 3.5 meters; P=.63), and the key secondary endpoint of KCCQ total symptom score also failed to separate. A prespecified subgroup with baseline 6MWD below 333 meters showed a 26.3-meter improvement, and exploratory analyses showed a 49% greater NT-proBNP reduction with TNX-103 versus placebo; Tenax plans to request a Type C meeting with the FDA to refine the registrational path around an enriched population. Full LEVEL data are slated for presentation at ESC Congress 2026 in Munich later this month.

4. One Year of Brensocatib: How Bronchiectasis Care Has Changed

One year after Insmed's brensocatib (Brinsupri) became the first FDA-approved therapy for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in August 2025, HCPLive spoke with two pulmonologists about real-world experience with the first-in-class DPP-1 inhibitor — which reduced annualized exacerbation rates by 20% versus placebo in the phase 3 ASPEN trial. Prescribers described a field transformed, now anchored by a first national North American clinical practice guideline from CHEST 2026 that includes 13 conditional recommendations and formally integrates brensocatib for patients with frequent exacerbations. Key open questions remain around patient selection in those with co-prevalent NTM infection — affecting roughly half of US bronchiectasis patients — and the drug's long-term safety and tolerability profile in routine clinical use.

5. European Society of Cardiology 2026 Preview: 6 Trials to Know

ESC Congress 2026 opens August 28 in Munich, Germany, featuring a record 59 late-breaking trials across 12 Hot Line sessions spanning heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, atrial fibrillation, structural heart disease, and preventive cardiology. HCPLive's preview spotlights six trials to watch, including data for aficamten in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, pacibekitug in heart failure, and results from the terminated LIBREXIA ACS and CARDIO-TTRansform programs that may still shape future research directions. The HCPLive editorial team will be on-site in Munich for the duration of the conference providing written coverage and clinician interviews.