Beeline Raises $300m for BMS Drugs, and Other Biofinancings
Beeline Medicines launched with a $300 million Series A led by Bain Capital, acquiring Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunology pipeline that includes an oral TLR7/8 inhibitor for lupus and other candidates targeting IL‑2‑CD25, TYK2, IL‑18 and IL‑10 pathways. The week also saw sizable financings across the sector: Oricell raised $110 million for CAR‑T therapies, Terremoto secured $108 million for AKT1 inhibitors, Harbinger obtained $100 million for AI‑driven liquid biopsies, Neomorph and Adcendo each closed $100 million and $75 million rounds, and STORM attracted $56 million for a METTL3 inhibitor. These deals underscore a resurgence of private capital in biopharma, especially for early‑stage immunology and oncology platforms. The influx of funds positions the companies to advance multiple clinical programs toward pivotal trials and potential market entry within the next few years.
Novartis CEO Joins Board of "Responsible" AI Firm Anthropic
Novartis chief executive Vas Narasimhan has been appointed to the board of Anthropic, a leading responsible‑AI firm. The move follows Anthropic’s $400 million acquisition of Coefficient Bio, expanding its platform for AI‑driven target and drug discovery. Anthropic recently launched Claude for...
Alamar, Hemab, Kailera, and Seaport Advance IPOs
A wave of biotech IPOs is hitting Nasdaq in early 2026 as Alamar Biosciences, Hemab Therapeutics, Kailera Therapeutics and Seaport Therapeutics file prospectuses. Alamar plans to sell 9.4 million shares at $15‑$17, targeting up to $154 million to expand its proteomics biomarker...
IDEAYA/Servier PKC Drug Aces Uveal Melanoma Trial
IDEAYA’s PKC inhibitor darovasertib, combined with Pfizer’s crizotinib, achieved a statistically significant improvement in progression‑free survival in the phase 2/3 OptimUM‑02 trial for HLA‑A*02:01‑negative metastatic uveal melanoma. Median PFS extended to 6.9 months versus 3.1 months for investigator‑chosen immunotherapy, and the...
NICE Update Doubles Eligible Patients for AZ's Lokelma
NICE’s draft guidance doubles the number of patients in England and Wales who can receive AstraZeneca’s Lokelma for hyperkalaemia. The eligibility threshold was lowered from a serum potassium level of 6.0 mmol/L to 5.5 mmol/L, and the specialist‑only initiation rule was removed....
Senju Launches First-in-Class Dry Eye Disease Drug in Japan
Senju Pharma has launched Avarept, the first TRPV1 antagonist drug for dry eye disease (DED) in Japan, licensed from Mochida and distributed by Takeda. The ophthalmic suspension is priced at ¥577.50 (approximately $3.63) per 5 ml bottle. DED affects over 20 million...
Diagnostics Lag Is Holding Back New Therapies, Says Study
A new UCSF analysis published in Science warns that diagnostic development is lagging behind therapeutic breakthroughs because of regulatory and reimbursement gaps. The authors highlight that nearly half of the world’s population—about 47%—has limited or no access to essential tests,...
Chinese Trial Backs Base-Editing Drug for Thalassaemia
A Chinese investigator‑led trial of CorrectSequence Therapeutics' ex vivo base‑editing drug CS‑101 showed that all five patients with transfusion‑dependent beta‑thalassaemia became transfusion‑independent after a single infusion, with an average cessation time of 16 days and sustained hemoglobin gains over three months....
Syneron Raises $150m for Macrocyclics, and Other Financings
Syneron Bio, a Beijing‑based biotech, closed a $150 million Series B just four months after raising $100 million, underscoring strong investor appetite for macrocyclic peptide therapeutics. The company’s AI‑powered Synova platform claims to design drug candidates for protein targets that have eluded conventional...
Activist Investor Renews Its Criticism of Novavax
Hedge fund Shah Capital, which owns roughly a 9% stake in Novavax, has renewed its proxy campaign ahead of the company’s annual meeting. The fund will vote against the re‑election of the eight‑member board and against executive compensation, citing weak...
Jeito Closes 'Record' $1.2bn Europe-Focused Biopharma Fund
France‑based Jeito Capital has closed its second fund, Jeito II, at €1 billion (≈$1.2 billion), the largest raise ever for an independent European biopharma fund. The new vehicle will back 15‑20 clinical‑stage companies with up to €150 million per investment, more than double the...
Sanofi's Bispecific Lunsekimig Has Mixed Readouts in Phase 2
Sanofi reported mixed phase 2 results for its bispecific antibody lunsekimig, which targets IL‑13 and TSLP. The drug met primary endpoints in the AIRCULES asthma trial and the DUET study for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, showing reduced exacerbations and improved...
Amgen Scores with New Thyroid Eye Disease Formulation
Amgen’s Tepezza, the only FDA‑approved therapy for thyroid eye disease, generated about $1.9 billion in 2023 but its IV dosing schedule has limited broader adoption. The company has developed a subcutaneous formulation delivered twice weekly via a wearable injector, aiming to...
DNA Testing Can Help Right Racial Imbalance in Breast Cancer
Routine genomic testing with Agendia’s MammaPrint and BluePrint can narrow the long‑standing survival gap between Black and white women with early‑stage, hormone‑receptor‑positive breast cancer. In a study of more than 1,000 matched patients, Black women were twice as likely to...
EMA Seeks Input on Virtual Alternative to Animal Test
The European Medicines Agency has released a draft qualification opinion that would allow virtual control groups (VCGs) to replace rats in dose‑range‑finding toxicology studies. The proposal, submitted by Synapse Research and five pharma partners under the VICT3R consortium, is open...
