Curated news and analysis on clinical trials, drug approvals, and medical research.
Johnson & Johnson announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in a next-generation cell therapy manufacturing facility in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, creating over 500 biomanufacturing jobs and 4,000 construction positions as part of its $55 billion U.S. investment commitment.
ImmunityBio's stock jumped 41.9% following the European Commission's conditional marketing authorization for Anktiva combined with BCG to treat BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer across 33 European countries.
Novartis has entered a research and licensing agreement worth up to $1.8 billion with Unnatural Products to develop oral peptide medicines targeting cardiovascular disease using macrocyclic peptide technology.
The FDA agreed to review Moderna's mRNA-based flu vaccine after initially rejecting the application, following a Type A meeting that led to a revised regulatory approach splitting approval pathways by age group.
Eli Lilly is developing multiple next-generation obesity treatments, including oral GLP-1 drug orforglipron expected to launch in Q2 2026, as competition intensifies in a market projected to reach $95 billion by 2030.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is poised to launch generic oral and injectable semaglutide in India following regulatory approval, targeting a market projected to exceed $1 billion driven by 100 million diabetics.
Merck announced a strategic collaboration with Mayo Clinic to leverage AI and advanced analytics in drug discovery, focusing initially on inflammatory bowel disease, atopic dermatitis, and multiple sclerosis.
The FDA agreed to review Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine after initially refusing the application, while separately announcing it will drop its longtime requirement for two clinical studies to approve new drugs.
The U.S. FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for subcutaneous Rybrevant Faspro as monotherapy for adults with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, based on Phase 1b/2 study data showing rapid and durable responses.
Flatiron Health announced its first Panoramic datasets for prostate cancer patients in the UK and Germany, encompassing records of nearly 400,000 patients across three countries. The datasets leverage AI and large language models to provide unified real-world evidence for cancer research.
Novartis announced positive topline results from its Phase III RemIND trial of oral remibrutinib in chronic inducible urticaria, meeting the primary endpoint across three prevalent subtypes with significantly higher complete response rates versus placebo at Week 121.
OncoHost announced publication of a study in JPBA introducing a computational framework that harmonizes serum and plasma proteomic datasets, enabling researchers to combine previously incompatible specimen types for biomarker research.
Artificial intelligence is transforming pharmaceutical industry employment by creating hybrid roles and in-house AI teams rather than causing widespread job losses, with drug discovery emerging as the primary area for AI talent demand.
Merck and Mayo Clinic announced a research agreement on February 18, 2026, to integrate AI and advanced analytics into drug discovery, initially targeting inflammatory bowel disease, atopic dermatitis, and multiple sclerosis.
The Preeclampsia Foundation released a new educational resource to help OB-GYNs navigate predictive and diagnostic biomarker testing for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, covering FDA-cleared tests from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Roche Diagnostics.
A University of South Australia study finds salcaprozate sodium (SNAC), the compound enabling oral semaglutide tablets to work, may alter gut bacteria and increase inflammatory markers in rats, though human effects remain unclear.
Moleculin Biotech announced a preliminary blinded composite complete remission rate of 40% in the first 30 subjects of its Phase 2B/3 MIRACLE trial testing Annamycin plus cytarabine for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.
LIXTE Biotechnology Holdings appointed Sidney Braun as CEO of its Liora Technologies Europe Ltd. subsidiary on February 18, 2026. Braun brings over 20 years of healthcare experience and facilitated LIXTE's November 2025 acquisition of Liora's assets.
Novartis has signed a research partnership and licensing agreement with Unnatural Products valued at up to $1.8 billion to develop macrocyclic peptide therapeutics targeting cardiovascular diseases using AI-driven drug discovery.
Unnatural Products entered a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Novartis worth up to $1.8 billion to develop orally-delivered macrocyclic peptide therapeutics for an undisclosed cardiovascular program.
