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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.
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Of the 13 programs that the companies will advance, four will come from Hengrui Pharma and four from Bristol Myers Squibb. The remaining five assets will be jointly discovered.
Indirect comparisons between BridgeBio’s Attruby and Pfizer’s tafamidis products showed a numerical survival benefit with the biotech’s drug.
The FDA is looking to retool drugs with sufficient evidence to support their use in other indications, particularly those with unmet need.
While Daiichi Sankyo brought in $13.4 billion in 2025, setbacks forced the company to update its antibody-drug conjugate forecast, pushing demand below the minimum supply agreed upon with CMOs and prompting the cancellation of an in-house investment.
The widely covered impending ouster of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary not long after the exit of controversial biologics head Vinay Prasad highlights the severe turnover rates at the highest rungs of leadership at the health department.
Partner Therapeutics announced last week that the FDA had granted Bizengri a Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher to accelerate drug review.
New guidelines from two leading medical associations suggest that efforts to reduce bad cholesterol should focus on maintaining low levels of two key lipoproteins. Big pharma is all in, looking to improve on the standard statins to help vanquish America’s number one killer: heart disease.
The FDA’s decision last year to make complete response letters public provides new insight into why therapies sometimes fail to get the regulatory greenlight. Analysts say the information could help sponsors refine their regulatory strategies.
The FDA’s extension will give reviewers more time to review a major amendment to Biogen and Eisai’s application for a subcutaneous induction formulation of Alzheimer’s therapy Leqembi. The new target action date is on Aug. 24.
Eli Lilly’s latest manufacturing expansion will support production of obesity blockbusters and next-gen assets, while the new Lilly Lebanon Advanced Therapies site will take experimental genetic medicines from research to commercialization.