Biomedicine Daily · Thursday, 8 October 2026
CBA FRONTIER INSIGHTS
FDA Approves Tucatinib Regimen for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Maintenance
The FDA approved tucatinib (Tukysa) plus trastuzumab and pertuzumab on October 7 for maintenance treatment of adults with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer after induction therapy. In the 654-patient HER2CLIMB-05 trial, median progression-free survival reached 24.9 months with tucatinib 300 mg twice daily versus 16.3 months with placebo (HR 0.64, p<0.0001). The label carries a boxed warning for hepatotoxicity, and overall survival data remain immature. The approval gives clinicians a new maintenance option in a setting where the day also brought a second Parkinson's approval, AbbVie's tavapadon (Juvmo), and head-to-head Phase 3 wins for Takeda's TYK2 inhibitor TAK-279 over deucravacitinib in psoriasis, where more than 2.5 times as many patients achieved complete skin clearance at week 16.
Clinical readouts and safety
Takeda's TAK-279 Beats Deucravacitinib Head-to-Head in Phase 3 Psoriasis Trials
Takeda's zesosutinib (TAK-279), an oral high-selectivity TYK2 inhibitor in development, showed statistical superiority over deucravacitinib on the primary endpoint and all key secondary endpoints in the Phase 3 LATITUDE Atlas head-to-head study in adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Complete skin clearance was seen in more patients as early as week 8, and by week 16 more than 2.5 times as many patients on zesosutinib achieved complete clearance as on deucravacitinib.
Cerevance Parkinson’s drug shortens 'off time' in Ph. 3, paving path to FDA
Solengepras shortened daily "off time" in a Phase 3 trial, positioning Cerevance to discuss an FDA approval path for the Parkinson's therapy. In 341 patients with motor fluctuations on levodopa, 150 mg of solengepras as adjunct treatment cut average daily off time by 1.56 hours from a baseline of 5.65 hours, versus a 0.95-hour drop with placebo, a 0.61-hour placebo-adjusted benefit at week 12 that appeared by week two. On time without dyskinesia also improved, with no serious adverse events in the high-dose group.
SMARTEST Trial Finds Dapagliflozin No Better Than Metformin in Early Type 2 Diabetes
The SMARTEST randomized trial, presented at the EASD annual meeting in Milan, found that starting dapagliflozin directly was no better than metformin at reducing long-term complications in patients with early type 2 diabetes and no evident cardiovascular or kidney disease. The result challenges the assumption that newly diagnosed patients must begin with metformin, though it offers no basis for preferring dapagliflozin as first-line therapy.
AiCuris Reports Pivotal Phase 3 Data for Pritelivir in Refractory HSV Infections
AiCuris presented pivotal phase 3 data at the TANDEM conference for pritelivir, an oral HSV helicase-primase inhibitor in development for refractory herpes simplex virus infections, with or without resistance, in immunocompromised patients. The company positions the drug as the first new agent of its kind in more than 20 years, moving it closer to market.
medicalxpress.comTumor markers reveal which HER2+ breast cancer patients may respond to less intensive chemotherapy
In the CompassHER2-pCR trial, 43.8% of 2,141 early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer patients achieved a pathologic complete response after 12 weeks of neoadjuvant taxane, trastuzumab and pertuzumab, rising to 63.7% in ER-negative disease. The HER2DX test, analyzed in 569 participants, showed pCR rates of 68% with high scores versus 19% with low scores, an association that held after adjustment for clinical factors. The results support using tumor markers to select patients for less intensive chemotherapy.
[Articles] Neoadjuvant niraparib monotherapy for unresectable, homologous recombination deficiency-positive, high-grade serous ovarian cancer (NANT): a multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trial
Neoadjuvant niraparib monotherapy produced anti-tumour activity and enabled R0 resection in selected patients with HRD-positive, unresectable, high-grade serous ovarian cancer who were initially unsuitable for primary debulking surgery. The authors state the approach remains investigational and requires randomised validation against standard platinum-taxane neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
STAT+: In small trial, optogenetics restores some vision lost to retinitis pigmentosa
A small trial reported in the New England Journal Medicine tested optogenetics, which genetically engineers cells to increase their light sensitivity, as a treatment for retinitis pigmentosa. The genetic disorder degenerates the retina's light-sensing cells, and apart from patients with one specific mutation treatable by gene therapy, no cure exists. The trial explored the approach's safety and clinical potential for restoring vision.
In vivo BCMA CAR-T ESO-T01 gives 100 percent response in four myeloma patients in Nature Medicine
A Huazhong University of Science and Technology team reports in Nature Medicine that ESO-T01, an in vivo BCMA CAR-T therapy, produced objective responses in all four patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, a 100 percent response rate. The therapy works without leukapheresis or lymphodepletion, removing key barriers of conventional ex vivo BCMA CAR-T such as long manufacturing waits and high cost. The report extends earlier 3-month results toward longer-term safety and durability questions.
bsky.appSignal or noise? > Gene therapy tied to slower functional decline in Huntington’s at 4 years - Huntington's Disease News >> Comment below! #strategy #competitiveintelligence #marketing #competitivemarketing #biotech #healthcare #pharmaceutical #pharma
Gene therapy was tied to slower functional decline in Huntington's disease over 4 years, according to an industry and regulatory news report. The headline frames the finding as an open question of signal or noise, meaning the 4-year functional data have not been confirmed as a clear treatment effect. The report names no trial, dosing details or numerical outcomes.
Regulatory and policy
FDA approves tucatinib with trastuzumab and pertuzumab for the maintenance treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer
The FDA approved tucatinib (Tukysa, Seagen, a Pfizer subsidiary) with trastuzumab and pertuzumab on October 7, 2026, for maintenance treatment of adults with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer after induction therapy. In the 654-patient HER2CLIMB-05 trial, median progression-free survival was 24.9 months with tucatinib 300 mg twice daily versus 16.3 months with placebo (HR 0.64, p<0.0001). The label carries a boxed warning for hepatotoxicity; overall survival data were immature.
FDA Approves AbbVie's Tavapadon (Juvmo) for Adults with Parkinson's Disease
The FDA has approved AbbVie's tavapadon, brand name Juvmo, for the treatment of Parkinson's disease in adults. Tavapadon is a once-daily oral tablet and the first selective partial agonist targeting the dopamine D1/D5 receptor subtypes. AbbVie says more than 11 million people worldwide have Parkinson's disease.
Trump administration proposes $70,000 fee for popular international student work program
The Department of Homeland Security proposed a $70,000 fee for Optional Practical Training, the work authorization program used by international students, with an added $30,000 fee beyond one year. Institutions would pay the fee per recommended student, and DHS estimates collecting $12.4 billion annually if finalized. The proposed rule goes to the Federal Register Thursday with public comments open through November 9; NAFSA and academic experts say the plan threatens international students, who include about a quarter of life science Ph.D. graduates and 60% of postdocs.
FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Glycomine's GLM101 for PMM2-CDG
FDA has granted breakthrough therapy designation to Glycomine's GLM101 for phosphomannomutase 2 congenital disorder of glycosylation (PMM2-CDG), a severe multisystem disease with no approved treatment. GLM101 is an investigational liposomal mannose-1-phosphate substrate replacement therapy. The designation rests on evidence from an open-label Phase 2a study, including improvements in ataxia and other clinical measures after 24 weeks of treatment.
STAT+: PhRMA sues over Trump policy mandating lower drug prices in Medicare
PhRMA has sued the Trump administration in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing that the GLOBE pilot tying Medicare Part B drug prices to those in peer countries exceeds Medicare's statutory authority. The "most-favored nation" pilot is expected to have limited impact because the administration exempted all but a handful of companies that agreed to voluntary deals charging Medicaid MFN prices.
STAT+: Justice Department targets drugmakers in new directive on combating white-collar fraud
The U.S. Department of Justice has issued a new directive for combating fraud that expressly includes the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the federal law that tightly regulates the pharmaceutical industry. The directive from the agency's National Fraud Enforcement Division signals that drug and device makers are more clearly in its crosshairs, whereas the agency typically pursued fraud cases centered on providers, clinics, home health agencies, and hospices. Kevin Lowell, a former deputy chief in the division's health care fraud section, called it a subtle but significant expansion of jurisdiction.
Pharmacokinetics in Patients with Impaired Hepatic Function: Study Design, Data Analysis, and Impact on Dosing
The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research issued a draft guidance on studying pharmacokinetics, and where appropriate pharmacodynamics, in patients with impaired hepatic function, including for therapeutic biological products. The non-binding recommendations cover study design, data analysis and impact on dosing for sponsors and applicants. Comments are due by 12/01/2026 under docket FDA-2026-D-8693 before work begins on the final version.
news.google.comAbbott nabs FDA approval for new CardioMEMS HF System that allows heart readings to be seen at home - Fierce Biotech
Industry and deals
AbbVie Completes $10.9 Billion Acquisition of Apogee Therapeutics and its IL-13 Antibody zumilokibart
AbbVie completed its acquisition of Apogee Therapeutics on September 3 in a deal with an equity value of about $10.9 billion. Apogee's lead asset is the late-stage IL-13 antibody zumilokibart, along with programmes targeting asthma and other diseases. AbbVie now advances these candidates through late-stage development.
Doudna’s CAR T biotech Caribou to end R&D activities, slash staff as financing freezes up
Caribou Biosciences, co-founded by CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna, will end all R&D activities, halt its clinical trials and make substantial staff cuts after failing to secure financing for its allogeneic CAR-T programs, including vispa-cel for B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and CB-011 for multiple myeloma. The company, which had $113.8 million in cash as of June 30 and expects $15 million to $19 million in restructuring costs, will explore a merger, acquisition or other strategic transactions.
STAT+: Merck suffers a setback in Europe over its new Keytruda formulation
A Dutch court ruled that Merck infringed a Halozyme Therapeutics patent covering a subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda and ordered the company to stop manufacturing and marketing that version in several European countries, including France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The decision is part of a widening patent dispute over the cancer treatment. Patients can still access the intravenous version, which is unaffected by the order. Merck was asked for comment.
Bayer commits $2.2B to build pharma manufacturing plant in Ohio
Bayer will invest $2.2 billion in a drug substance and drug product manufacturing facility in New Albany, Ohio, serving U.S. and global markets in oncology, cardiovascular disease and renal care. One drug substance module is expected to become operational in 2031 and a second in 2034. Ohio officials expect about 600 permanent jobs plus about 1,500 construction roles, with JobsOhio investing up to $30 million in a training center opening next summer.
Dutch Biotech RougeTx Launches With $58 Million Series A for HHT Therapy RTX-001
Dutch preclinical biotech RougeTx launched on October 6 with a $58 million Series A financing. The company develops disease-modifying therapies that target pericyte dysfunction to restore vascular integrity, and the funds will support its lead programme RTX-001 as it advances toward first-in-human development in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), the second most common inherited bleeding disorder.
Research papers
RNA catalysis emerges from dynamic structural ensembles
A heterogeneity-focused cryo-EM workflow resolves the conformational landscape of Geobacillus stearothermophilus RNase P RNA at near-atomic resolution, with and without the protein component rnpA, and maps structural and catalytic Mg2+ ions directly. More than 80% of the ribozyme's residues are flexible under physiological Mg2+ concentrations, a heterogeneity that static structures could not explain. Simulations estimate at least 50,000 particles are needed for a roughly 3 Å volume of this RNA. The work links RNA conformational dynamics to catalytic activity and provides a framework for studying flexible RNAs and their ions.
tRNA dosage regulates lineage dependency and resistance in prostate cancer
A single tRNA species, tRNA1Arg(UCU), is downregulated during prostate cancer lineage plasticity and acts as a key regulator of lineage conversion and therapy resistance. In LNCaP models of the adenocarcinoma-to-lineage-plastic transition, tRNAArg(UCU) was the only significantly downregulated isoacceptor among 49 (DESeq2 log2FC = -0.338, FDR = 2.42 x 10-25). Restoring it sensitizes tumours to AR pathway inhibitors, its dosage controls lineage dependency through translational regulation of SMARCC2, and its loss marks NE prostate cancer and reduced overall survival.
Alveolar stem cells transdifferentiate to drive bronchiolar regeneration
Alveolar type II (AT2) cells can cross anatomical boundaries and transdifferentiate into functional club and ciliated cells to repair injured bronchioles in vivo. Using a dual-gene-marker lineage tracing system that distinguishes AT2 cells from bronchoalveolar stem cells, the authors show that AT2-to-club conversion depends on integrin-β1-mediated migration and Notch-dependent fate specification, with infiltrating immune cells secreting SPP1 to direct AT2 migration toward injured bronchioles. The work provides definitive in vivo evidence of alveolar-to-bronchiolar repair, resolving ambiguity left by conventional Sftpc-creER tracing.
Mechanism of spliceosome termination
Cryo-EM structures of endogenous human spliceosomes, combined with biochemistry, RNA sequencing and genetics, define how the RNA helicases DHX15, Aquarius (AQR) and DHX35 drive spliceosome termination, the process of intron-lariat ejection, debranching and spliceosome disassembly. The work identifies a new splicing intermediate, the debranched intron spliceosome (DIS), and candidate termination factors DHX35, GPATCH1, WDR83 and YJU2B, and shows how shared and context-specific factors terminate both regular and defective spliceosomes.
A preinvasive regulatory T cell axis for lung cancer interception
An effector regulatory T cell circuit can be monitored in blood samples to track the development of lung cancer. Blocking this immune network in the preinvasive setting intercepts tumorigenesis, reducing both tumour incidence and size. The work identifies a blood-accessible immune axis that could enable tracking and early intervention before invasive disease.
A gut microbial odd-chain fatty acid alleviates atherosclerosis in mice
The paper reports that a gut microbial odd-chain fatty acid alleviates atherosclerosis in mice. The work draws on mouse experiments together with human gut metagenomic datasets from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis cohorts, and includes RNA-seq data and molecular docking against the human HMGCR structure.
Prehistoric global migration of vanishing gut microbes with humans
Deep metagenomic sequencing of 133 faecal samples from 85 Tsimane adults in Bolivia identified 1,408 bacterial and archaeal species, and comparison with 137 Hadza hunter-gatherers from Tanzania revealed more than 1,200 shared microbial species, 60% of them rare or absent in industrialized populations. Population genetic analyses that account for recombination show strain-level reproductive isolation stronger than in industrialized populations, supporting transgenerational maintenance of gut microbial communities through ancient human migrations.
5-oxoETE links redox control of epithelial damage detection and resilience
The DHRS7–OXER1 pathway links oxidative stress to immunity and tissue resilience by modulating the lipid mediator 5-oxoETE via the NADP+–NADPH couple. 5-oxoETE activates OXER1 to recruit antimicrobial cells and induces NUDIX enzymes that protect epithelial redox integrity. The work identifies a mechanism connecting redox state to epithelial damage detection and resilience.
Xiangya Hospital Team Maps Gut Microbiota-FXR-GLP-1 Pathway Protecting Joints in Science
A team from Xiangya Hospital of Central South University has published multi-omics work in Science establishing the gut microbiota-GUDCA-FXR-GLP-1-joint pathway in osteoarthritis. The study combined two population cohorts, macrometabolomics and the IMRD database, and identified C. bolteae and UDCA as protective for joints, supported by bioinformatics in large cohorts, gene-edited mice and real-world validation. The approach offers a replicable framework for drug repurposing in osteoarthritis.
Amyloid PET Quantitation and Centiloid Thresholds in the Diagnosis of Alzheimer Disease: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.
An individual participant data meta-analysis of 49 227 amyloid PET scans from 53 studies across 15 countries establishes data-driven Centiloid cutoffs for amyloid positivity. Gaussian mixture modeling set a single positivity cutoff of 18 Centiloids, while correspondence with visual reads gave 27 Centiloids (Cohen κ, 0.86); scans between 11 and 26 Centiloids fall in a lower certainty range. These thresholds replace variable cutoffs with standardized bounds for clinical and trial interpretation of amyloid PET.
Serpins Weave a Fibrin Immunosuppressive Niche in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Serpins help pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma build a fibrin-rich, immunosuppressive niche, pointing to why PDAC resists anti-PD-1 therapy despite a five-year survival rate of only about 13%. Using the Perturb-map platform, the team combined in vivo CRISPR knockout with Pro-Code protein barcoding and multiplex immunofluorescence imaging, tracking 35 Pro-Code-labeled KPC cells in orthotopic tumors. A Pro-Code/CRISPR library targeting coagulation and fibrinolysis genes, with F8-targeting guide RNA as control, was implanted in the pancreata of immunocompetent mice and spatially imaged at days 7, 14 and 21.
A split attractor design for rapidly writing a navigational goal
A recurrent h∆K–PFG neural circuit produces persistent heading memories using slow excitation, fast inhibition and a disinhibitory gate. Disinhibition acts as the switch that controls functional coupling of the network, allowing rapid transitions between measurement and memory states. The work identifies a circuit mechanism for writing a navigational goal quickly.
A genome-scale adaptation map identifies the FANCM-RMI1/2 complex as an opposing modulator of cell fitness upon BRCA1 or BRCA2 loss.
FANCM is essential in BRCA1-deficient cells but toxic in BRCA2-deficient cells, where it recruits RMI1/2 to promote replication fork degradation and sensitization to PARP inhibition. An isogenic genome-scale screening platform with acute depletion of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mapped hundreds of genes with shared, distinct, or opposing fitness effects. FANCM loss in BRCA2-deficient cells restored fork integrity and proliferation without restoring homologous recombination, and a FANCM variant disrupting RMI1/2 binding was found in a BRCA2-mutant breast cancer patient with PARP-inhibitor resistance.
Human lung organoid modelling of tissue-resident antiviral T cell responses
Human lung organoids with endogenous resident immune cells show that SARS-CoV-2 infection elicits protective, tissue-resident memory T cell responses. The system demonstrates local recall immunity in lung tissue itself rather than in blood. It also provides a platform for studying human tissue-resident antiviral defence.
Structural basis for regulating lipopolysaccharide transmembrane transport
Structures of the Gram-negative bacterial protein machinery that transports lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the cytoplasmic membrane to the outer leaflet of the outer membrane were determined. They reveal how conformational changes in response to the presence of LPS promote its transport. The work provides a structural mechanism for LPS transmembrane transport.
Methods and resources
Deep learning extracts MoA-specific signatures from high-throughput images of chemically and genetically perturbed Corynebacteria.
A deep learning model classifies modes of action directly from high-throughput images of drug-treated Corynebacterium glutamicum, a surrogate for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The model classifies MoAs of established antibiotics, recognizes MoAs of previously unseen antibiotics, and clusters inhibitors with a previously unseen MoA apart from reference drugs, enabling detection of novel MoAs. It also links drug and mutant images targeting similar pathways, supporting mutant-based target prediction for compounds with novel MoAs.
medicalxpress.comNew HPV selection method could help develop more stable, easier-to-produce vaccines
A Yale team developed a way to grow large quantities of HPV in culture by expressing the L1 and L2 genes on separate small plasmids, then built a matched library of random HPV mutants by infecting human kidney cells at low multiplicity so each cell got one virus. They demonstrated selection of a single mutant with a chosen trait, antibody resistance. The platform, published in Science Advances, could yield L1 variants for vaccines that are more stable and easier to produce amid persistent global HPV vaccine shortages.
Opinion and commentary
2026 Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded for ‘mirror image’ molecule research, with impact on pharmacology
Henri B. Kagan, 95, and Kenso Soai, 76, shared the 2026 Nobel Prize in chemistry for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis, announced Wednesday at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. Their work explains how chirality, where molecules exist as mirror images, can favour one variant through an autocatalytic reaction. The finding matters for pharmacology because more than half of clinically employed drugs are chiral, such as the cough medicine novrad and the painkiller darvon.
Molecular glue targets ALK resistance
Conery et al. report in Nature the discovery and preclinical characterization of TRI-611, a selective, brain-penetrant molecular glue degrader that targets ALK fusion proteins in non-small-cell lung cancer, including tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant variants. The approach aims to address acquired resistance driven by ALK kinase domain mutations, TKI toxicity, and limited CNS penetration that hinders treatment of brain metastases. Further preclinical and clinical development would follow.
medicalxpress.comInternational consensus sets updated framework for CAR T-cell therapy in severe autoimmune diseases
A group of 31 international experts has published updated consensus recommendations in The Lancet Rheumatology on using CAR T-cell therapy for severe, treatment-refractory autoimmune diseases. The 2026 recommendations, developed by EBMT, ISCT and JACIE with input from EULAR and ECTRIMS, update the first best-practice guidance from 2024 and cover patient selection, treatment in experienced FACT/JACIE-accredited centers, and reporting of patient data to the EBMT Registry. The panel calls for treatment within clinical trials where possible and lists larger controlled trials, biomarkers and novel CAR targets as research priorities.
In brief
Also today
11 events that did not make today's daily, one table per category, one row per event. Open a category to expand.
ClinicalRetatrutide Phase III Results Appear in NEJM and The Lancet as Nearly a Quarter With Obesity Lose Ov · Iron or Multiple Micronutrient Powder Supplements With Malaria Chemoprevention in Rural Malawian Chi · Epkinly（Genmab/AbbVie） · relcobatinib …6 ▾▴
Trial starts, early and mid-stage data, and results that did not make the daily.
- Retatrutide Phase III Results Appear in NEJM and The Lancet as Nearly a Quarter With Obesity Lose OvUpdateRetatrutide, the first triple hormone receptor agonist to complete Phase III with key efficacy data, was published in NEJM and The Lancet on the same day. The Eli Lilly drug activates GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptors in a single molecule and is given as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection. Nearly a quarter of participants with obesity lost more than 35% of their body weight.
- Iron or Multiple Micronutrient Powder Supplements With Malaria Chemoprevention in Rural Malawian ChiUpdateUniversal iron supplementation, given with malaria chemoprevention, did not improve cognitive outcomes in rural Malawian infants. In the IRMA randomized trial of 2168 six-month-old infants, neither iron syrup (MD, -0.52 [95% CI, -2.52 to 1.48]) nor iron-containing micronutrient powders (MD, -0.85 [95% CI, -2.80 to 1.09]) differed from malaria chemoprevention alone on the Bayley-III Cognitive Scale composite score at 1 year of age. Both iron interventions raised ferritin but did not reduce anemia prevalence, and neither increased malaria risk.
- Epkinly（Genmab/AbbVie）UpdateGenmab and AbbVie's bispecific antibody Epkinly, approved in May 2023 for diffuse large B cell lymphoma after at least two prior systemic lines, cut risk of disease progression or death by 51% in a Phase 3 trial when combined with R-CHOP in the frontline setting. In deals, Shionogi bought IntraBio for $2 billion, Novartis committed up to $7.8 billion to Abogen Biosciences, Eli Lilly added up to $870 million with Gate Bioscience, and Sanofi and Regeneron renewed their collaboration with a $1 billion upfront. Sarepta shared Elevidys data in older Duchenne patients at the World Muscle Society meeting, with Jefferies citing upcoming readouts and an FDA decision on Amondys 45 and Vyondys 53.
- relcobatinibUpdateA Netherlands court blocked sales of Merck's subcutaneous Keytruda Qlex in eight European countries, siding with Halozyme in a patent dispute over its under-the-skin drug delivery technology. Separately, Enliven Therapeutics reached agreement with the FDA on a late-stage trial of relcobitinib in chronic myeloid leukemia, enrolling 450 people to test superiority at spurring a major molecular response. Halozyme is also challenging Merck in a U.S. court after a win in Germany.FDA
- CabenuvaUpdate
- Kairos seizes moment to push prostate cancer prospect into earlier settingUpdate
Deals and financingForbion · Lilly expands Molecular Gate oral drug alliance with Gate Biosciences in deal worth over $870 millio · TRex Bio stomps toward $111M IPO, as Retension and Lycia also gear up to go public3 ▾▴
Licensing, M&A and financing that did not make the daily.
- ForbionUpdateForbion has raised €2.3 billion ($2.6 billion) across two new funds, Growth Opportunities Fund IV and Ventures Fund VIII, its largest raise ever, to back some 30 high-potential drugmakers, from pre-clinical and early clinical-stage biotechs to private growth, crossover and public investments. Eli Lilly participated alongside KfW Capital, PGM and Kauffman Foundation. The Dutch firm now has approximately €7.5 billion ($8.42 billion) in assets under management across a portfolio of more than 140 companies.
- Lilly expands Molecular Gate oral drug alliance with Gate Biosciences in deal worth over $870 millioUpdateGate Biosciences announced on October 5 an expanded research and licensing deal with Eli Lilly for the Molecular Gate oral drug platform, adding one undisclosed target on top of their 2025 agreement, with an option for Lilly to select a second target later. Gate receives an undisclosed upfront payment, research funding, additional payment if the second target is chosen, plus milestones and tiered royalties; the expansion's potential total value exceeds $870 million. The original July 2025 collaboration was worth up to $856 million, and Lilly joined Gate's $65 million Series B that November.
- TRex Bio stomps toward $111M IPO, as Retension and Lycia also gear up to go publicUpdate
OtherProposed nuclear safety rules threaten to stall Novartis’ Pluvicto expansion · BD2 ▾▴
Everything else with a concrete event that did not make the daily.