Get the Daily Brief
Latest Biotech News
Oncolytics and FDA align on pivotal pelareorep study – mPDAC trial moves forward
Oncolytics Biotech announced alignment with the FDA on the pivotal Phase III trial design of pelareorep combined with standard‑of‑care therapy for first‑line metastatic pancreatic ductal...
Profluent raises $106M to scale AI protein design – Bezos Expeditions joins
Profluent closed a $106 million financing round led by Altimeter Capital and Bezos Expeditions to scale large AI models for protein design across therapeutics, agriculture, and biomanufacturing....
Function Health bags $298M Series B – $2.5B valuation for consumer labs
Function Health raised $298 million in a Series B led by Redpoint Ventures, pushing its valuation to about $2.5 billion. The consumer lab‑testing company plans to expand its direct‑to‑consumer...
GSK pays $50M upfront to LTZ to develop myeloid cell engagers – oncology push
GSK entered a collaboration with LTZ Therapeutics to develop up to four myeloid cell engager candidates using LTZ’s immune‑engager platform, paying $50 million upfront. The partnership targets...
Arrowhead RNAi approval: Price war with Ionis begins
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals secured U.S. regulatory approval for plozasiran (Redemplo) to treat familial chylomicronemia syndrome, and immediately positioned the drug at a markedly lower list price...
J&J shells out $3B for Halda: Precision oncology bet deepens
Johnson & Johnson agreed to acquire Halda Therapeutics for roughly $3.05 billion in cash to add Halda’s RIPTAC-based precision oncology portfolio, including a clinical-stage prostate cancer...
Roche’s oral SERD clears adjuvant test: Giredestrant scores again
Roche reported positive Phase 3 data for its oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), giredestrant, showing a statistically significant improvement in invasive disease-free survival in...
Merck buys Cidara for $9.2B: Push into long-acting influenza prevention
Merck agreed to acquire Cidara Therapeutics for $9.2 billion to add CD388, a long-acting, strain-agnostic antiviral designed for influenza prevention in high-risk populations. CD388 combines a...
Merck’s HIV push: Islatravir two-drug combo meets Phase 3 goal
Merck reported that its once-daily two-drug islatravir combination was non-inferior to a three-drug regimen in a Phase 3 study, marking another clinical success in the company’s effort to expand...
Profluent raises $106M: AI proteins scale toward therapeutics
Profluent closed a $106 million financing led by Altimeter Capital and Bezos Expeditions to expand its large‑scale AI models for protein design and commercialize across therapeutics, agriculture...
Iambic raises $100M: AI models to drive cancer drug discovery
Iambic closed an oversubscribed $100 million financing to advance its AI platforms — Enchant for clinical endpoint prediction and NeuralPLexer for protein-ligand structure forecasts — and...
Nvidia, Sheba and Mount Sinai partner: Build genomic foundation model
Nvidia announced a three‑year collaboration with Sheba Medical Center’s ARC Innovation and Mount Sinai to develop a Genomic Foundation Model (gFM) that links genetic variation — especially...
Roche expands early-cancer diagnostics: Freenome licensing deal tops $200M
Roche struck a licensing and commercialization agreement with Freenome worth potentially more than $200 million — including a $75 million equity stake — to commercialize Freenome’s blood‑based...
Kura/Kyowa menin inhibitor cleared: Komzifti wins FDA approval ahead of PDUFA
The FDA approved ziftomenib (Komzifti), an oral selective menin inhibitor, for relapsed/refractory NPM1‑mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML), delivering clearance more than two weeks ahead of the...
J&J snaps up Halda for $3.05B — gains 'hold-and-kill' oncology tech
Johnson & Johnson agreed to acquire Halda Therapeutics for $3.05 billion in cash, buying a pipeline built on Halda’s Regulated Induced Proximity Targeting Chimera (RIPTAC) platform. The deal...
Arrowhead wins FDA OK: RNAi drug clears rare‑lipid hurdle — price duel looms
The FDA approved Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals’ RNA interference therapy plozasiran (Redemplo) for familial chylomicronemia syndrome, marking the company’s transition to commercial-stage operations....
Roche's breast‑cancer pill edges adjuvant trial — SERD field jolted
Roche reported that its oral selective estrogen receptor degrader giredestrant met the primary endpoint in a Phase III adjuvant study, extending invasive disease‑free survival versus standard...
Zanidatamab tops phase III in gastric cancer: bispecific beats trastuzumab
Zymeworks and partners Jazz Pharmaceuticals and BeOne reported positive top‑line results from the HERIZON‑GEA‑01 Phase III trial: zanidatamab (Ziihera) plus chemotherapy improved progression‑free...
Merck pays $9.2B for Cidara to add long‑acting flu antiviral CD388
Merck agreed to acquire Cidara Therapeutics for $9.2 billion to secure CD388, a long‑acting, strain‑agnostic influenza antiviral advancing in Phase III. Merck framed the deal as a strategic...
FDA clears ziftomenib (Komzifti) for r/r NPM1‑mutant AML — menin inhibitor gets nod early
The U.S. FDA approved ziftomenib (Komzifti), the selective oral menin inhibitor developed by Kura Oncology and Kyowa Kirin, for relapsed or refractory NPM1‑mutant acute myeloid leukemia, granting...