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The vibe at BIO 2026 in San Diego last week was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees observing noticeable changes at the FDA and an uptick in dealmaking and IPOs. Plus, a top medical journal this week retracted a pivotal study for Amgen’s rare disease drug Tavneos, which has been in the FDA’s crosshairs since January.
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At the BIO International Convention in San Diego, attendees marked the 50th anniversary of original biotech Genentech, reflecting on the immense challenges facing companies as China becomes a powerhouse innovator.
A recent FDA reversal sparked new hope for patients with Huntington’s disease. Flying under the radar, Skyhawk Therapeutics revealed 12-month functional data from a midstage trial of its own candidate showing improvements on a key disease measurement scale.
Recent approvals for Corcept Therapeutics and Merck have injected momentum into the space, where GSK, Allarity Therapeutics, OSE Immunotherapies and others are advancing their own candidates.
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If cell and gene therapy makers are going to achieve their mission to improve patients’ lives, the industry must come together to share information across stakeholders, from regulators to manufacturers to payers.
THE LATEST
Beam Therapeutics has enrolled the first patient in a Phase I/II trial studying a gene therapy leveraging base editing in adults with severe sickle cell disease.
Two months after selling an immuno-oncology platform developed by Good Therapeutics to Roche, Bonum Therapeutics launched Tuesday with $93 million in Series A financing.
Acrivon Therapeutics announced the pricing of its initial public offering Tuesday, putting all of its 7,550,000 shares of common stock up for sale for $12.50 apiece.
Surrozen announced it paused its Phase I study in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis as several healthy participants showed increased levels of liver enzymes.
Jnana Therapeutics forged its second small molecule discovery and development collaboration and licensing agreement with Roche valued at up to $2 billion.
FDA
ImmunoGen’s Elahere was approved Monday under the FDA’s accelerated pathway for patients who have received one to three previous lines of systemic therapy.
The FDA raised doubts about the future of Ardelyx’s experimental chronic kidney disease drug tenapanor in briefing documents released ahead of a Wednesday advisory committee meeting.
Stoke Therapeutics is gearing up for a pivotal trial of its lead program for a rare genetic epilepsy disease and announced positive results from its Phase I/IIa study in children with Dravet syndrome.
Indivior PLC announced it will acquire Opiant Pharmaceuticals and its lead candidate OPNT003, an intranasal-delivered opioid overdose recovery product.
During its third-quarter earnings call Monday, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics emphasized its commitment to seek an advisory committee meeting for NurOwn in ALS.