Biomedicine Daily · Sunday, 11 October 2026
CBA FRONTIER INSIGHTS
Iberdomide Combination Halves Progression Risk in Relapsed Myeloma
Bristol Myers Squibb reported positive results from the Phase III EXCALIBER-RRMM study in 800 multiple myeloma patients at first relapse or later. Iberdomide plus daratumumab and dexamethasone delivered median progression-free survival of 42 months, versus daratumumab plus bortezomib and dexamethasone, with a progression-free survival hazard ratio of 0.49 — roughly halving the risk of progression. The result positions the iberdomide regimen as a new option in a crowded relapsed myeloma landscape. Elsewhere, the FDA approved Teva's WELTRUZA, the first once-monthly subcutaneous long-acting olanzapine for schizophrenia, and two domestic Chinese GLP-1 candidates posted Phase III weight-loss results — RAY1225 at 22.24% body-weight reduction over 52 weeks and BGM0504 at 19.2%.
Clinical readouts and safety
Iberdomide Combination Halves Progression Risk in EXCALIBER-RRMM Relapsed Myeloma Trial
Median progression-free survival reached 42 months for iberdomide plus daratumumab and dexamethasone (IberDd), versus daratumumab plus bortezomib and dexamethasone, with a progression-free survival hazard ratio of 0.49. Bristol Myers Squibb reported the positive EXCALIBER-RRMM study results, which evaluated efficacy and safety in 800 multiple myeloma patients at first relapse or later.
medicalxpress.comProgram helping patients self-regulate strong-opioid use has potential for NHS, study shows
A support program, I-WOTCH, helped patients with nonmalignant chronic pain cut strong opioids without worsening health-related quality of life: 29% of more than 600 patients in the support group were off strong opioids at 12 months, versus 7% receiving standard care. The economic evaluation, run in general practice across England, shows higher first-year costs from extra tapering support that may pay off long term, offering the NHS a route to reduce strong opioid prescribing.
RAY1225 Cuts Weight 22.24% at 52 Weeks in Phase III, Beating BGM0504's 19.2%
RAY1225 injection, from Zhongsheng Pharmaceutical, met the primary endpoint in its Phase III weight-loss trial, with the 9 mg group losing 22.24% of baseline body weight over 52 weeks. Days earlier at EASD 2026, Borui Pharmaceutical's BGM0504 reported full Phase III data, with its 15 mg group losing 19.2% over 52 weeks. The two domestic GLP-1 candidates now post headline results exceeding the levels shown here for established comparators.
Prifemilast Beats Apremilast in Phase 3 Head-to-Head Plaque Psoriasis Trial
Prifemilast, an oral selective PDE4B inhibitor developed by cAMPfield Therapeutics and Newsoara Biopharma, was reported to beat apremilast head-to-head in a Phase 3 trial. The study randomized 607 adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis 2:1 to prifemilast 20 mg once daily or apremilast 30 mg twice daily for 16 weeks. Results were presented as two posters at the Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas, with publication expected in the Dermatology Online Journal.
Allist Responds to Failed Overseas Phase III FURVENT Trial of Furmonertinib, Citing Chemotherapy Assessment Gap
Aerri (Allist) said the overseas Phase III FURVENT study of its core product furmonertinib failed, and that the data need further analysis before deciding on continued development and regulatory discussions. At a global investigator meeting, experts judged that furmonertinib met prior efficacy expectations in EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. The company said progression-free survival assessed by blinded independent central review in the chemotherapy arm differed substantially from investigator assessment, and that all other data for the drug looked good.
Regulatory and policy
FDA Approves Teva's WELTRUZA, First Monthly Subcutaneous Long-Acting Olanzapine for Schizophrenia
The FDA approved Teva's WELTRUZA (olanzapine extended-release injectable suspension) on October 9, 2026 for adults with schizophrenia. It is the first once-monthly subcutaneous long-acting olanzapine approved worldwide, and unlike earlier long-acting olanzapine injections it requires no routine 3-hour post-injection observation and no supplemental oral olanzapine at treatment start.
Industry and deals
Research papers
Dynamics of human cardiogenesis and its disruption in trisomy 21.
A spatially resolved single-cell multiomics map of the developing human heart defines 21 tissue niches, resolves three pacemaker cell subtypes in the sinoatrial node, and traces maturation trajectories of atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes. Trisomy 21 hearts show depletion of compact cardiomyocytes and increased apoptosis relative to euploid hearts, a finding validated in isogenic-matched induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, providing a mechanistic lead on congenital heart disease risk in Down's syndrome.
Insights into temporal and spatial dynamics of short association fiber formation in the human fetal brain.
In utero diffusion MRI and histology reconstruct short association fiber development in 243 fetuses, showing SAFs emerge before sulcal folding as flat, loosely arranged pathways along the subplate-white matter interface and later reorganize into U-shaped bundles. Maturation follows a sensorimotor-to-association gradient with nonlinear, bundle-specific trajectories, subplate changes preceding axonal coherence gains and early myelination. The work maps how the brain's local wiring forms prenatally and the origins of individual variability.
Astrocyte BCL2 loss drives blood-brain barrier disruption in offspring exposed to maternal preeclampsia
Maternal preeclampsia reduces BCL2 expression in striatal astrocytes of offspring, disrupting the secreted proteome and weakening brain microvascular endothelial cells, which breaks down the blood-brain barrier and leads to abnormal neurodevelopmental behavior. West China Hospital of Sichuan University established the mechanism by combining the ABCD human cohort, a rat preeclampsia model and primary cell culture, using DIA quantitative proteomics.
medicalxpress.comEnzyme inhibitor limits scarring after heart attacks and protects heart function in mice
Blocking the enzyme BCAT1, which supplies proline for collagen production in cardiac myofibroblasts, reduced scarring and preserved heart function in mice after a heart attack. The inhibitor ERG240 worked even when treatment began seven days after injury. Human heart tissue from patients with heart failure showed elevated BCAT1 linked to increased fibrosis, and BCAT1 was also raised in livers of patients with fatty liver disease.
medicalxpress.comImmune cell map uncovers how individual aging trajectories diverge
A map of immune aging built from roughly 12.4 million immune cells across 2,609 adults ages 20 to 90-plus shows that the ratio of granzyme K-producing to granzyme B-producing CD8 T cells tracks healthy versus unhealthy aging. Applying a protein-based model to 50,000 UK Biobank participants, the team found that a granzyme B-dominant profile at baseline predicted higher risk of death and chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, liver disease and renal failure over the following decade. The work points toward blood-based early-warning tests for age-related disease risk.
medicalxpress.comBlood cells from 80-year-old donor become stem cells with molecular age under 20
Direct reprogramming of human red blood cell precursors into induced neural stem cells resets epigenetic molecular clocks dramatically: cells from an 80-year-old donor acquired a molecular age under 20 years, with the rejuvenation proceeding gradually over more than 100 days. The slow, trackable de-aging provides an experimental model for testing which factors or active substances accelerate or slow cellular rejuvenation, relevant to neurodegenerative disease research.
medicalxpress.comHow the benefits of vaccination extend beyond protection from infection
Vaccination preserved long-term immune function in mice that recovered from an acute viral infection, according to work from Pompeu Fabra University published in Cell Death & Disease. Unvaccinated mice that controlled the virus still developed splenic fibrosis, disrupted immune cell organization and impaired T-cell activation, leaving them less able to respond to new challenges. Prior vaccination prevented all of these alterations.
medicalxpress.comBlood cancer study links blood formation and bone health
Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) already had lower bone density than age-matched controls and lost further bone density over three years, according to the prospective BoHemE study of 111 patients and 84 controls. Osteoporosis at baseline was linked to poorer overall survival, and a DNMT3A mutation in blood-forming cells was associated with lower bone density. The findings argue for making bone health part of routine MDS diagnosis and management.
medicalxpress.comLab-grown blood vessels reveal roles of different cells in rapid-aging disease
A three-layer tissue-engineered human blood vessel model combining endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts shows that different cell types drive distinct features of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) in the vasculature. Smooth muscle cells contributed to collagen accumulation, endothelial cells to inflammation, and HGPS fibroblasts substantially increased extracellular matrix changes, fibrotic signaling and vessel stiffness. CRISPR correction of the disease mutation returned many disease characteristics toward healthy levels.
Coordinated mitochondrial quality control underlies oxidative stress resilience in MUSE stem cells
MUSE cells, a rare SSEA-3+ MSC subset, resist oxidative stress through a coordinated mitochondrial quality-control program. After H2O2 exposure they showed lower ROS accumulation (~15-25%), preserved mtDNA integrity, reduced 8-oxo-dG, enhanced mitophagy (>2-fold LAMP1-MitoTracker colocalization, PINK1/phospho-Ub-S65 induction) and increased biogenesis (~45% higher COX-I/SDHA ratio, PGC-1a activation at 48 h), outperforming MSCs and Non-MUSE cells. The work assigns the ROS tolerance of MUSE cells to a remove-and-replace mitochondrial program driven by the PGC-1a/NRF2 axis.
Expression of V‑domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation in ovarian cancer and its regulation of follicular regulatory T‑cell function via the AKT/MAPK pathway
VISTA expression rises with ovarian cancer progression and tracks with infiltration of FOXP3+CXCR5+ Tfr-like cells in tumor tissues. In vitro, VISTA overexpression and silencing showed VISTA drives Tfr-like cell proliferation and secretion of IL-10 and TGF-beta 1, suppresses IL-21 and granzyme B, and reduces AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. The work links VISTA to immunosuppressive Tfr function via the AKT/MAPK pathway, supporting VISTA-targeted immunotherapy in ovarian cancer.
Methods and resources
ULTRA Delivers Three-Dimensional Intraoperative Pathology in 30 Minutes to Map Glioma Boundaries
A technique called ULTRA produces three-dimensional pathology of brain tissue in about 30 minutes, fast enough for use during glioma surgery. Diffuse glioma cells infiltrate normal brain beyond what visual inspection and MRI can identify, and earlier 3D histology methods took hours to days because of labeling, staining and repeated imaging, ruling out intraoperative use. ULTRA is intended to identify the infiltrating tumor boundary during the operation.
arxiv.orgLearning Probabilistic Logic Programs with Functional Gradient Guided Language Models
grasp (Gradient-boosted Synthesis of Probabilistic logic programs) learns probabilistic logic programs by treating relational structure learning as functional gradient boosting, with first-order rules as weak learners and an LLM serving as the proposal oracle for the inner search. Across four relational benchmarks, including molecular toxicity prediction (Tox21), mutagenesis, and citation matching (Cora), grasp improves over purely symbolic, neural, and LLM-based baselines while yielding interpretable weighted rule ensembles and retaining boosting guarantees.
Opinion and commentary
[Lecture] 50 years of Ebola research and response
Peter Piot and Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum delivered the two Virchow Prize Lectures in October 2026, covering 50 years of Ebola research and response. The lectures, published by The Lancet, trace the history of work on the disease. No further events are scheduled in the material.
medicalxpress.comTracking molecular malfunctions in metastatic colorectal cancer to find new avenues for treatment
Hokkaido University researchers, working with an international team led by University of South Florida Health and Tampa General Hospital, have shown that the 30-year-old sphingolipid rheostat model operates in the tumor microenvironment rather than inside cancer cells in metastatic colorectal cancer. Analysis of 574 human colon cancer tissue samples showed that rising sphingosine-1-phosphate and falling long-chain ceramide create a biochemical barrier that excludes cytotoxic T cells. In lab experiments, blocking S1P/S1PR3 let killer T cells attack tumors again, pointing to a combination strategy with immunotherapy.
Americans trust science more than peers around the world, survey shows
The Wellcome Global Monitor, a survey of more than 140,000 adults across 140 countries run with the Gallup World Poll, finds 52 percent of Americans report "a lot" of trust in science versus 26 percent globally. STAT's analysis shows the US is also more divided: a 24 percentage point gap between religious and non-religious Americans on whether science benefits most people, versus 5 points in other high-income nations, and a 19-point urban-rural gap. The growing divide stems from rising enthusiasm among college graduates and secular Americans rather than declining trust elsewhere.
Also today
11 events that did not make today's daily, one table per category, one row per event. Open a category to expand.
RegulatoryHovilpri（pritelivir） · NMPA Approves Bairui Medical's Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve System · FDA Approves Roche's Tecentriq as Adjuvant Therapy for Stage III dMMR Colon Cancer · Rasonque4 ▾▴
Filings, acceptances, designations, approvals and withdrawals at a regulator.
- Hovilpri（pritelivir）UpdateThe FDA has approved Asahi Kasei Therapeutics' oral antiviral Hovilpri (pritelivir) 100 mg tablets for mucocutaneous lesions caused by HSV infection in immunocompromised adults whose infections do not respond to acyclovir, valacyclovir or famciclovir. The company says it is the first FDA-approved HSV treatment with a new mechanism of action in nearly 30 years.FDA
- NMPA Approves Bairui Medical's Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve SystemUpdateChina's National Medical Products Administration has approved the innovative device registration application of Beijing Bairui Medical Technology's transcatheter pulmonary valve system, filed by Beijing Bairui Medical Technology Co., Ltd. The system, comprising a delivery system with a conveyor and a loader, is placed via a small transthoracic incision. It is indicated for patients aged 9 or older weighing at least 20 kg with severe pulmonary regurgitation and a native right ventricular outflow tract after surgery for complex congenital heart disease.NMPA
- FDA Approves Roche's Tecentriq as Adjuvant Therapy for Stage III dMMR Colon CancerUpdateThe US FDA has approved Roche's Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and its subcutaneous formulation Tecentriq Hybreza (atezolizumab and hyaluronidase), each combined with fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin, as post-surgery adjuvant treatment for stage III mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) colon cancer. Roche said this is the first immunotherapy adjuvant approval for stage III dMMR colon cancer in the US, based on data showing a 50% reduction in risk of disease recurrence or death.FDA
- RasonqueUpdateFDA
Clinicalefgartigimod1 ▾▴
Trial starts, early and mid-stage data, and results that did not make the daily.
- efgartigimodUpdateArgenx terminated the late-stage UNITY trial of efgartigimod in Sjögren's syndrome after the independent data monitoring committee concluded the study could not meet its primary endpoint. The news, announced before a single-day share drop of 11.83% on October 9, 2026, erased more than 5 billion US dollars in market value, Argenx's largest one-day decline in nearly three years.
Deals and financingNovo Signs Up to €1.165 Billion Deal with Nanexa for Long · CSL ← Alentis · Viatris to Acquire Pacira BioSciences for $1.65 Billion in Cash · TRexBio …5 ▾▴
Licensing, M&A and financing that did not make the daily.
- Novo Signs Up to €1.165 Billion Deal with Nanexa for LongUpdateOn September 24, 2026, Novo and Nanexa entered a global exclusive licence and collaboration worth up to €1.165 billion, using Nanexa's PharmaShell delivery platform, an ultra-thin inorganic shell enabling sustained release, to develop specific peptide drugs for obesity, type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases. The collaboration covers up to five projects aiming at monthly and quarterly dosing; the specific drugs are undisclosed. Novo will handle global development and commercialisation.
- CSL ← AlentisUpdate
- Viatris to Acquire Pacira BioSciences for $1.65 Billion in CashUpdateViatris has agreed to acquire Pacira BioSciences for $36.50 per share in cash, an equity value of $1.65 billion, with the deal expected to close by the end of 2026. The acquisition brings two patent-protected, US-marketed products: Exparel, a liposomal bupivacaine injection for postoperative pain, and Zilretta, an extended-release triamcinolone acetonide injection for knee osteoarthritis pain.
- TRexBioUpdateTRexBio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing fusion proteins and antibody immunomodulators based on tissue regulatory T cell (Treg) biology, completed its IPO by offering 8,333,334 ordinary shares at $14.00 per share, raising about $116.7 million (roughly RMB 781 million). Eli Lilly indicated interest in subscribing to shares at the IPO price, which would leave it holding no more than 19.9% of total shares outstanding after the offering. The subscription will complete as the offering settles.
- ForbionUpdate
OtherPhRMA1 ▾▴
Everything else with a concrete event that did not make the daily.
- PhRMAUpdatePhRMA sued CMS in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on October 7, seeking to vacate the finalized GLOBE model, arguing the agency acted beyond its legal authority. GLOBE, finalized September 30, is the mandatory enforcement tool under the Trump administration's Most Favored Nation pricing framework for the Medicare Part B channel, covering drugs administered in physician offices and hospitals. The court has yet to rule.