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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.
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The total of 52 mergers and acquisitions for the first half of 2026 reflects what analysts, industry watchers and executives are saying over and over: M&A is back.
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.
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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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Lilly has already spent more than $25 billion in potential business development commitments this year, including the $6.3 billion buyout of Centessa Pharmaceuticals that closed today.
AbbVie scooped up immunology player Apogee Therapeutics for nearly $11 billion in one of the year’s top deals to-date, while Sanofi made a big play to survive its upcoming Dupixent patent cliff; FDA uncertainty continues as the agency changes direction on gene therapies by uniQure and REGENXBIO; and Jef Akst and Annalee Armstrong report back from San Diego.
The combined business entity with Boundless Bio, which will carry Serapha Bio’s name and fold in Boundless Bio, will focus on the development of a gene editor for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
For the 2026 fiscal year, Takeda anticipates declines in revenue and profit, highlighting what CEO-elect Julie Kim says is the need for the company to “invest in future growth.”
Speaking to media on Tuesday, BIO CEO John Crowley complimented China’s rise as a biotech powerhouse but said U.S. policy needs to protect and maintain America’s lead.
With positive feedback on a Phase 3 trial design, Ollin Biosciences has collected a $330 million series B to advance its VEGF/Ang2 antibody, which bested Genentech’s therapy in a head-to-head study.
Even biopharma’s biggest players have been forced to take a hard look at their businesses and realign their cost structures to cope with the continued and compounding challenges plaguing the industry.
While merger and acquisition activity has been robust of late, frequent changes in guidance and leadership at the regulator add risk to any transaction.
As Sangamo runs out of cash, Eli Lilly and Astellas have emerged as stalking horse bidders for key assets, including a Fabry gene therapy currently being submitted for potential FDA approval.
Given its intravenous route of administration, Merck’s tulisokibart will likely “need to be meaningfully improved” over Roche’s afimkibart, which can be given subcutaneously, BMO Capital Markets analysts said. Both assets are being tested for ulcerative colitis.