Today's Pharma Pulse
Ona lands $86.6M Series B, one of Spain’s biggest biotech rounds
Spanish biotech firm Ona announced an $86.6 million Series B financing, ranking among the largest venture rounds in Spain’s life‑science sector this year. The round was led by Seventure Partners with participation from existing backers and new strategic investors. The funding will be used to scale Ona’s AI‑driven drug discovery platform and accelerate its pre‑clinical programs.
Grace Therapeutics Hits FDA Roadblock on GTx-104, Plans Resubmission
Grace Therapeutics announced that the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter for its GTx-104 NDA, flagging chemistry, manufacturing, and non‑clinical concerns. The company will address the items and seek a Type A meeting before resubmitting, keeping hopes alive for the first major aSAH therapy in four decades.
SELUTION DeNovo: Sirolimus DCB Safe and Effective in ACS Patients
A subanalysis of the SELUTION DeNovo trial presented at SCAI 2026 shows that the sirolimus‑eluting Selution drug‑coated balloon (DCB) is non‑inferior to drug‑eluting stents (DES) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, with 1‑year target vessel failure (TVF) rates of 5.3%...
Enabling In Vivo Lentiviral Therapies: Manufacturing Strategies to Improve Purity, Scalability, and Clinical Readiness
SK pharmteco’s CTO Tatiana Nanda and Director Mardhani Aparajithan discussed the shift of lentiviral vectors from ex‑vivo tools to in‑vivo therapeutic platforms. They highlighted manufacturing hurdles such as the need for substantially higher vector doses, stricter impurity thresholds, and the...
Trump Administration Moves State‑Licensed Medical Marijuana to Schedule III, Offering Tax Breaks
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order shifting state‑licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, unlocking federal tax deductions and easing research rules. The move, hailed by industry groups as the biggest federal cannabis shift in decades, draws sharp...
Lunsotogene Parvec Becomes First FDA-Approved Gene Therapy for OTOF-Related Hearing Loss
Regeneron’s lunsotogene parvec‑cwha (Otarmeni) received accelerated FDA approval as the first gene therapy for OTOF‑related hearing loss. The single‑dose AAV vector is indicated for patients with severe‑to‑profound sensorineural loss who have confirmed biallelic OTOF variants and no prior cochlear implant....
LeonaBio to Host Virtual Key Opinion Leader Event Highlighting Potential of Lasofoxifene in Treatment-Resistant ER+/HER2-, ESR1-Mutated Metastatic Breast Cancer
LeonaBio announced a virtual Key Opinion Leader webcast on April 29, 2026 to discuss lasofoxifene, its novel selective estrogen receptor modulator, for treatment‑resistant ER+/HER2‑, ESR1‑mutated metastatic breast cancer. The company expects to complete enrollment in the Phase 3 ELAINE‑3 trial, which pairs...
Validating Your Business Idea with Punit Mehra
Punit Mehra, co‑founder of ALP AI, explains how biotech’s high‑stakes environment forces a startup playbook that prioritizes early validation over rapid iteration. The company uses AI to flag drug‑development risk before costly late‑stage trials, fitting its solution into existing risk‑budget...
Early ALPHA3 Data Could Signal Shift to Frontline Use of CAR T in LBCL
Allogene Therapeutics reported that its off‑the‑shelf CAR‑T product cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (cema‑cel) achieved 58.3% minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity at day 45 versus 16.7% with observation in the interim futility analysis of the phase 2 ALPHA3 trial. The study enrolled LBCL patients who...
CDC Blocks Release of COVID‑19 Vaccine Effectiveness Study, Halting Key Data
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention halted the publication of a study that found COVID‑19 vaccines cut emergency‑room visits and hospitalizations by roughly 50% during the last winter. The decision, made by acting CDC Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, has...
BBC Inside Science
Researchers have launched a phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate an mRNA vaccine targeting H5N1, the highly lethal avian influenza strain. The virus, endemic in birds, rarely infects humans but carries a high case‑fatality rate, prompting fears of a mutating...
Is Cervical Radiculopathy Less of a Compression Problem and More of a Cellular Stress Cascade Triggered by Compression?
A recent animal study demonstrated that needle‑knife therapy alleviates cervical spondylotic radiculopathy in rats by dampening endoplasmic reticulum stress through the IRE1α‑XBP1 arm of the unfolded protein response. The treatment improved pain thresholds, normalized gait, reduced microglial activation, and lowered...
Freeze-Dried Platelets Combat TBI Brain Swelling and Bleeding
Researchers at UCSF have shown that Thrombosomes, a freeze‑dried platelet‑derived product, dramatically reduces bleeding and cerebral edema in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The biologic, originally created for battlefield hemorrhage, can be stored at room temperature for...
Trump Administration Reclassifies some Medical Marijuana Products as Less Dangerous
The Justice Department, via Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, issued an order moving FDA‑approved and state‑licensed medical marijuana products from Schedule I to Schedule III. The change reclassifies these cannabinoids as having a moderate to low potential for dependence, aligning them more...
CRISPR Base Editing Repairs Hard-to-Treat Cystic Fibrosis Mutation in Cell Models
A new study published in Science Translational Medicine demonstrates that an adenine base editor (SpRY‑ABE9) can correct the hard‑to‑treat CFTR 1717‑1G>A splicing mutation in cell models. Researchers delivered optimized mRNA and sgRNA, achieving up to 30% editing in kidney and...
TRIDENT: Triple Antihypertensive Pill Cuts Recurrent Stroke in ICH
The TRIDENT trial showed that a single low‑dose triple‑antihypertensive pill (telmisartan, amlodipine, indapamide) added to standard care reduced recurrent stroke in patients with prior intracerebral hemorrhage from 7.4% to 4.6% (HR 0.61). Mean systolic blood pressure during follow‑up was 127 mm Hg in...
Cardiometabolic Intervention: Evaluation of PCSK9 Inhibitors as the Successor to the GLP-1 Phenomenon
The 2026 analysis pits GLP‑1 receptor agonists against PCSK9 inhibitors, showing that the latter now deliver comparable or superior reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events and are expanding into oral formulations. Clinical trials such as VESALIUS‑CV demonstrate primary‑prevention benefits for...
RAS Cracked… yet the Hard Part Starts Now
A new RAS‑targeted therapy delivered a 58% overall response rate and a hazard ratio of 0.40 in previously treated pancreatic cancer, data unveiled at AACR in San Diego and slated for full presentation at ASCO. These outcomes, once thought impossible,...
ESCMID Global 2026: Adibelivir Emerges as Potential Disease-Modifying Therapy for HSV
Innovative Molecules presented Phase I/Ib data on adibelivir (IM‑250), a novel helicase‑primase inhibitor, at ESCMID Global 2026. The drug demonstrated nanomolar potency against clinical and acyclovir‑resistant HSV‑1/2 isolates and showed a favorable safety profile up to 200 mg with no dose‑limiting toxicities....
The Skinny on Skinny Labels: The Active Inducement Problem That Patent Practitioners Should Know
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma, a case that tests whether a generic maker can be liable for induced patent infringement despite using the FDA’s skinny‑label pathway. The dispute centers on Hikma’s generic icosapent ethyl, which omitted...
Key Takeaways: How Regulatory Exclusivity, PTA, PTE, and Double Patenting Shape Pharmaceutical Lifecycle Value
The recent Sterne Kessler webinar dissected how FDA regulatory exclusivities, patent‑term adjustment (PTA), patent‑term extension (PTE) and obviousness‑type double patenting (ODP) intersect to shape a drug’s lifecycle value. Regulators can grant exclusivity periods that outlast patent terms, while PTA can add...
The BioPharm Brief: CAR-T Advances, Pediatric Biologic Approval, and Oral GLP-1 Progress
A2 Biotherapeutics will unveil early data on its A2B694 CAR‑T therapy, which targets HLA‑A*02 loss of heterozygosity in solid tumors, at ASCO 2026. The FDA approved dupilumab for children ages 2‑11 with chronic spontaneous urticaria, marking the first biologic for this pediatric...
Cannabis Rescheduling Is Not the Story People Think It Is
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed a directive reclassifying state‑licensed medical cannabis as a Schedule III substance, marking the first federal acknowledgment of its medical use since 1970. The move overturns the longstanding classification of cannabis as having no accepted medical...
AI Learns From Millions of Genomes, Not Text
What if you could train a ChatGPT-style AI not on text from the internet, but on millions of genomes across all of life? Samuel King has spent his @Stanford PhD building exactly that. He'll be on the "Genome as a Canvas" panel...
Substance Use Disorder Biotech Tempero to Close After Earlier 'Serious' Safety Event
Tempero Bio, a biotech focused on novel treatments for substance‑use disorders, announced it will wind down operations following a serious adverse event in its late‑stage clinical trial. The company had raised more than $200 million to advance a kappa‑opioid receptor antagonist...
Pharmaceutical Executive Daily: FDA Expands Approvals for Tzield and Dupixent
The FDA broadened Tzield’s approval to treat children as young as one year with stage 2 type 1 diabetes, aiming to delay progression to stage 3 disease. It also expanded Dupixent’s label to cover young patients with uncontrolled chronic spontaneous urticaria, adding another...
Novartis' Radioligand Therapy Lutathera Could Soon Face Generic Competition
Novartis’s Lutathera, the first FDA‑approved radioligand therapy for neuroendocrine tumors, recorded $1.5 billion in 2023 sales and dominates a market projected to exceed $3 billion by 2028. A generic version filed by Sandoz aims for a 2025 launch, marking the first non‑brand...
FDA Approves Dupilumab for Young Children With Uncontrolled CSU
The FDA has approved dupilumab (Dupixent) for children ages 2‑11 with uncontrolled chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), marking the first biologic therapy for this pediatric group. The decision is based on the LIBERTY‑CUPID phase 3 program, which demonstrated significant reductions in itch...
FDA Approval of Regeneron’s Hearing Loss Gene Therapy Breaks Barriers
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals received FDA approval for Otarmeni, the first gene therapy targeting congenital deafness caused by otoferlin deficiency. The treatment, approved under the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program, demonstrated clinically meaningful hearing gains in 11 of 12 patients in the...
Drug-Coated Balloons Reduce the Need for Permanent Heart Stents
A sub‑study of the SELUTION DeNovo trial presented at the SCAI 2026 meeting shows that a sirolimus‑eluting balloon (SEB) can treat NSTEMI and unstable angina with outcomes comparable to drug‑eluting stents (DES). The analysis of 1,089 patients found one‑year target‑vessel...
Pugs and Frenchies Could Find Breathing Relief for Squishy Faces with New Treatment
After 15 years of research, RMIT scientists and biotech firm Snoretox have developed Snoretox-1, an injectable treatment that uses a modified tetanus toxin to improve muscle tone in the geniohyoid muscle of flat‑faced dogs. In a small clinical trial, six...
GLP-1 Drugs Target the Roots of Dementia
A systematic review of 30 preclinical studies finds that GLP‑1 receptor agonists—particularly liraglutide, semaglutide, dulaglutide and exenatide—consistently reduce amyloid‑beta plaques and tau tangles, the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. The drugs also appear to curb neuroinflammation and improve brain insulin signaling,...
Regeneron Approves Free Gene Therapy, Sparks Industry Precedent Worries
$REGN wins FDA approval for its gene therapy to treat a very rare genetic form of hearing loss. The company is giving away the therapy for free. OTOF-related hearing loss affects approx. 50 newborns per year, so really rare, but......
Trump’s Drug Pricing Deals Underdeliver on Promised Cuts
Trump celebrated closing the first round of 17 drug pricing deals, now looking ahead to many more. But the reality of the deals, so far, have fallen short of grand promises the president made. https://t.co/QmhvZNgNyI
Tirzepatide Significantly Reduces Cardiovascular Risk in High-Risk Patients
Two recent real‑world studies demonstrate that tirzepatide, a dual GIP/GLP‑1 receptor agonist, markedly lowers cardiovascular risk in high‑risk patients. In a propensity‑matched cohort of 1,281 type‑2 diabetics undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, tirzepatide reduced mortality by 62% and cut major adverse...
FDA Approves First Free Gene Therapy Restoring Deaf Children's Hearing
JUST IN: FDA approves first ever gene therapy that restores hearing in children born deaf, with treatment available at no cost
STAT+: Legislatures in Colorado and Virginia Resist Moves to Constrain Drug Affordability Boards
Legislators in Virginia and Colorado pushed back against attempts to limit the authority of state drug‑affordability boards. In Virginia, the General Assembly voted unanimously to keep the original bills that would create a board with power to set price caps...
Roche Launches New Elevidys Trial to Address EU Rejection in Duchenne Therapy Bid
Roche has launched a new global phase 3 trial of its Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys, targeting ambulatory boys after the European Medicines Agency rejected its earlier submission. The study will enroll about 100 patients and compare Elevidys to...
Roche Bets on Cancer and Obesity Drugs Amid Biosimilar Pressure
Roche, facing biosimilar threats, puts faith in new cancer and obesity drugs https://t.co/IIt0INA9sI @ByJonGardner $RHHBY
New ADC Yields Encouraging Clinical Benefit in Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
In a Phase I trial presented at AACR 2026, the investigational antibody‑drug conjugate QLS5132 demonstrated notable antitumor activity in patients with advanced platinum‑resistant ovarian cancer. Among 28 heavily pretreated participants, the overall objective response rate was 50% and disease control...
STAT+: Sanofi Research Priorities in Flux as New CEO Logs In
Sanofi’s new chief executive, Belén Garijo, assumes leadership amid questions about the French drugmaker’s research direction. The company recently intensified its immunology portfolio, but recent trial disappointments have dampened expectations. Garijo is expected to reassess R&D allocations, potentially shifting focus...
Senate Hearings Put RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Stance Under Fire as Cassidy Questions HHS Secretary
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced two Senate hearings chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy, where he denied anti‑vaccine claims and defended a $1 billion NIH vaccine research push. Cassidy, a physician‑senator battling a Trump‑backed primary challenger, pressed Kennedy on vaccine...
New Trial Compares Dara‑Bor‑Dex vs Cy‑Bor
EAA241 - Ph 2 RCT Dara-Bor-Dex vs Cy-Bor-Dex in the treatment of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma with Light Chain Cast Nephropathy (LCCN) [Study activated 8/11/25] @keruakous https://t.co/1NgvVZ3fTA #NCT07085728 #mmsm @eaonc https://t.co/n2tSuJXS5b
Daratumumab Boosts Revlimid Efficacy in Smoldering Myeloma
#EAonc EAA173 - Daratumumab to Enhance Therapeutic Effectiveness of Revlimid in Smoldering Myeloma (DETER-SMM) - PI: @nsc_natalie https://t.co/VtBMJUjI5X Activated: Apr 30, 2019 #mmsm @eaonc #NCT03937635 @VincentRK @mweissmdphd https://t.co/VPIH8iphVP
Roche, Facing Biosimilar Threats, Puts Faith in New Cancer and Obesity Drugs
Roche said its emerging breast‑cancer pill giredestrant and a suite of obesity drugs could generate up to $9 billion in peak annual sales. First‑quarter sales rose 6% to 14.7 billion Swiss francs (≈$18.8 billion) but fell 5% on currency effects, and the company...
Phase 3 Trial Tests Daratumumab Reg
.@SWOG S2213 Ph3 RCT Dara-VC Induction Followed by ASCT or Dara-VCD Consolidation & Daratumumab Maintenance in Pts w/ Newly Diagnosed AL Amyloidosis [Activated: 12/1/23] https://t.co/OizUfJCc2c #mmsm #bmtsm https://t.co/xv1RlCv8gl
90% of Chinese Trial Participants Hear Better After Gene Therapy for Deafness
A Chinese clinical trial of an experimental gene therapy for congenital deafness reported that 90% of participants experienced significant hearing improvement, including whispers and normal conversation. The results, published in Nature, mark the most compelling early evidence for a potential...
Biossil Exits Stealth with $70 Million USD to Give Failed Medicines a Second Chance
Toronto‑based biotech Biossil has emerged from stealth after raising roughly $70 million in equity from investors including OpenAI and Founders Fund. The company leverages an AI platform to spot abandoned drug candidates, then licenses or purchases them to fast‑track development. It...
Department of Justice Officially Reschedules Marijuana: What Truckers Need to Know
The U.S. Department of Justice officially moved state‑licensed marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, allowing only FDA‑approved products and those tied to state medical licenses to benefit. The change acknowledges medical value but does not legalize cannabis federally and leaves commercial...
Backing Coherence Neuro's Real Solution for Glioblastoma
A great look at @coherenceneuro, a company we've been backing since 2024. Coherence is actually building something useful for a real market; the thousands of people who get diagnosed with glioblastoma - one of the deadliest brain cancers - each...
Sanofi Reports Strong Sales Amid Growing R&D Pressure
Sanofi posts upbeat sales as R&D pressure builds https://t.co/4WUccjXY5D by Kristin Jensen $SNY + 2% $REGN