Trump vs. Science

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Trump 2.0 vs Science

In the first four months of Trump’s sequel Presidential term, thousands of government scientists have been pink-slipped, clinical trials have idled, and over 1,000 grants targeting everything from climate change to cancer have been cancelled.

A new feature from Nature this week highlights the impact the first 100 days of the Trump administration has had on science. The administration’s 2026 budget pitch threatens to lop off nearly half of NASA’s science funds and slice 40% off NIH’s budget. Immigration clampdowns have seen international researchers detained and are nudging top talent to send their résumés abroad, while a Nature poll shows 94% of readers sweating over the future of US research and an SOS letter from 1,900 National Academy members warns the enterprise is “decimated”.

Bubbling beneath it all is Project 2025’s blueprint to dismantle the administrative state—call it the ultimate lab makeover or, for skeptics, a roadkill safari on the path to privatizing public-good agencies. If Congress step in soon, the US STEM scene could be irreparably set back, meaning more budget cuts for the veterinary sector, fewer product innovations, and a thinner pipeline of young people interested in our field. It’s feels like if Science Vs. did a Black Mirror crossover episode, and we don’t like it.

If you’re interested in how the US became a science superpower in the first place, read this Nature piece from a couple of weeks ago.

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A new heart drug for cats

Felycin-CA1 is the first and only FDA-conditionally approved sirolimus delayed-release tablet for cats with subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, offering vets a proactive tool to slow—or even reverse—ventricular wall thickening. Administered once weekly at 0.3 mg/kg (available in 0.4, 1.2, or 2.4 mg strengths), it targets the mTOR pathway without inducing full immunosuppression at these feline doses. Before starting therapy, screen for pre-existing liver disease or diabetes mellitus and confirm HCM via echocardiography; Felycin-CA1 is prescription-only and should not be used in patients with those comorbidities. While pivotal trials wrap up ahead of a full approval expected later in 2025, early data suggest minimal adverse effects beyond the underlying cardiac condition—and more sunbeam naps and fewer vet visits for your whiskered sidekicks.

Read more:

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IDEXX crushes Q1

IDEXX Laboratories $IDXX ( ▼ 0.65% ) kicked off 2025 with nearly $1 billion in Q1 revenue—$998 million to be exact—marking a 4% increase driven largely by strong demand for consumables and new instrument placements in clinics like yours. Within the Companion Animal Group, VetLab consumables sales jumped double digits, reference lab volumes held steady, and software plus imaging systems revenue climbed 9 percent, reflecting wider adoption of cloud-based tools in practices. Profitability stayed healthy too, with gross margin expanding to 62.4 percent and diluted EPS rising to $2.96 (up 5%). Looking ahead, IDEXX nudged its full-year revenue outlook up by $40 million—now targeting $4.095–$4.210 billion—and lifted its EPS guidance, underscoring confidence in ongoing lab growth and new product rollouts like the Cancer Dx panel launched this quarter.

Read the whole earnings release here:

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Quick Hits

Here are some of the other stories that caught our eye and we're following this week from around the veterinary world and animal kingdom: