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Clinical update in oncology (phase 2 frontline NSCLC)
ROSETTA Lung-02 showed encouraging first-line activity for pumitamig (BNT327/BMS986545) combined with chemotherapy in non–small cell lung cancer, presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. In the...
Regulatory approval – checkpoint plus HIF-2 inhibitor in kidney cancer
Merck’s Welireg (belzutifan) plus Keytruda (pembrolizumab) gained FDA approval for adjuvant use in clear cell renal cell carcinoma, marking the first approval for a PD-1 and HIF-2 alpha inhibitor...
Regulatory action – Colorado drug import go-ahead
The FDA approved Colorado’s proposal to import cheaper drugs from Canada, according to a letter referenced in reporting. While the step clears an initial regulatory hurdle, the timeline and...
Financing – biotech startup debut
Vedana Therapeutics emerged from stealth with a $46 million Series A to develop its internally discovered antibody programs for migraine prevention. The startup’s pipeline focuses on...
Trial termination and workforce cuts after late-stage failures
Neumora Therapeutics ended its major depression program after two Phase 3 failures for navacaprant (a kappa opioid receptor antagonist), triggering a 35% workforce reduction. The biotech said the...
AI genomics and biomarker tech in diagnostics
Invitae is facing a class action alleging that its genetic data was illegally shared with Labcorp following Labcorp’s acquisition of Invitae assets in 2024. The complaint, filed in Illinois,...
Regulatory science and trial integrity – proposed OMB rule could end thousands of clinical trials
A new analysis warns that proposed White House regulations could terminate nearly 5,000 clinical trials, including about 1,000 cancer studies. The report from science advocacy group Stand Up for...
Regulatory and clinical development – phase 3 move for genetic heart disease drug
Edgewise Therapeutics is preparing for Phase 3 in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy after reporting updated Phase 2 evidence for EDG-7500. The company said the updated part D results from Cirrus-HCM...
Drug import policy and pricing pressure in Europe – Germany scraps variable discount plan
Germany backed away from a plan to implement variable discount pricing on branded drugs, Reuters reporting that opposition from drugmakers drove the change. The proposed discount initiative was...
AI platform deals and biobucks scale-up
Merck and Protillion Biosciences launched a multi-target AI drug discovery collaboration with potential milestone payments of up to $510 million, pairing Protillion’s Prot-MaP on-chip antibody...
Clinical-stage oncology efficacy signals
Pumitamig (BNT327/BMS986545) plus chemotherapy delivered high response rates in ROSETTA Lung-02, a phase 2 study of first-line non–small cell lung cancer presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting....
HIF-2 and PD-1 adjuvant kidney cancer approval
Merck’s Welireg (belzutifan) combined with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) received FDA approval for intermediate-high or high-risk, recurrence-free adjuvant treatment in clear cell renal cell carcinoma...
Regulatory shift on AI/biometric and clinical trial governance
Clinical evidence and regulatory review frameworks moved again around Moderna’s seasonal mRNA flu vaccine mRNA-1010 (mFLUSIVA). FDA documents ahead of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products...
China regulatory momentum and dealmaking for late-stage assets
China’s National Medical Products Administration approved Suzhou Alphamab’s HER2 bispecific antibody anbenitamab (KN-026) via priority review for adults with locally advanced or metastatic...
Biotech financing and IPO momentum
Vedana Therapeutics emerged from stealth with a $46 million Series A to develop internally discovered anti-PACAP antibody programs for migraine prevention, positioning its platform around...
Big pharma expansion via acquisitions in pain and beyond
Eli Lilly continued its non-opioid pain acquisition sprint by buying 4E Therapeutics, adding early-stage MNK inhibitor programs designed to target chronic pain without addiction risk. 4E’s lead...
Cell therapy and platform expansion for solid tumors
Oricell Therapeutics advanced its glypican-3 (GPC3)-targeted autologous CAR T therapy, Ori-C101, into confirmatory registration phase II for patients with GPC3-positive advanced hepatocellular...
Trial failures and restructuring in mental health biopharma
Neumora Therapeutics discontinued navacaprant after two phase 3 flops in major depressive disorder, failing to meet primary and key secondary endpoints in KOASTAL-2 and KOASTAL-3. The company also...
Drug discovery and validation around epigenetic hepatitis B therapy
Tune Therapeutics’ TUNE-401 epigenome editing therapy advanced with strong early clinical signals in a phase 1 study, reporting antiviral activity and safety data for its approach to add...
AI drug design deal
Merck & Co. launched a multi-target discovery collaboration and license agreement with Protillion Biosciences, setting up new AI-discovered therapeutic candidates built on Protillion’s Prot-MaP...