News
Even as FDA approvals for biologic therapies fell in the first half of 2026, regulatory experts are optimistic about a turnaround in the rare disease space after the departure of key leaders at the agency. Still, there will continue to be tension between science and politics.
FEATURED STORIES
A mostly black box since emerging with more than a billion dollars in hand, Xaira Therapeutics is slowly pulling back the curtain, revealing plans to find partners and validate its pipeline.
After debuting on the public markets with $256.3 million and raking in an additional $472 million, Veradermics has emerged as one of biotech’s biggest post-IPO standouts. CEO Reid Waldman credits the weight loss craze for establishing consumer-driven channels.
Molecular glue degraders are gaining traction in the clinic as well as funding from Big Pharma, with their potential to treat previously “undruggable” cancers and immunological diseases. Here are five clinical programs worth keeping an eye on.
FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
Congressional letters sent to the CEOs of Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Merck, BMS and AbbVie this week voicing concerns about the pharmas’ clinical trials in China highlight an ongoing discrepancy in how government and industry think about the rise of the Asian country’s biotech industry.
THE LATEST
Gilead Sciences is ending the development of magrolimab for the treatment of blood cancer following the FDA’s placement of a clinical hold on all its programs related to the drug.
Kyowa Kirin’s dealmaking continued on Wednesday when BridgeBio Pharma granted the Japanese company an exclusive license to develop and commercialize infigratinib.
BioNTech will pay $50 million in cash and purchase $200 million of Autolus Therapeutics’ shares to progress the companies’ respective CAR-T candidates to commercialization.
On Thursday, Kyverna Therapeutics is debuting on the Nasdaq with an upsized initial public offering which the biotech will use to support its pipeline of anti-CD19 CAR T therapy candidates.
Thursday’s full-year financial results from AstraZeneca showed a revenue crash of more than 90% for COVID-19 medicines, while cancer, cardiovascular and rare diseases all generated double-digit revenue growth.
The European Medicines Agency is looking into how Novo Holdings’ recently announced $16.5 billion acquisition of contract manufacturer Catalent might affect the availability of drugs.
Under the FDA’s compassionate use program, an eyedrop formulation of Krystal Biotech’s Vyjuvek restored the vision of a teenager with the rare genetic disease dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.
A proposed class-action lawsuit accuses Johnson & Johnson of failing to negotiate fair prescription drug prices for its employees, but experts note that the company is also on the hook for benefits costs.
Takeda, AbbVie and Moderna are among the companies with open positions.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals is acquiring Redx Pharma’s KRAS inhibitor program including preclinical-stage drug candidates, with the companies working to advance assets through IND-enabling studies.