Belgian startup revives Galapagos CAR-T research

Armed Cell Therapeutics, chaired by former Galapagos CEO Paul Stoffels, has assumed control of cell therapies the company — now known as Lakefront Biotherapeutics — divested in a strategic overhaul.

By Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 15, 2026

Another Paragon spinout goes public through reverse merger

One lawyer involved noted how it's yet another example of Paragon and key investor Fairmount — which have helped transform the reputation for reverse mergers — quickly executing on a complicated deal.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 13, 2026

Roche extends China deal streak with $1B pact for RNAi obesity drug

An alliance with Rona Therapeutics adds to a particularly active stretch for Roche and makes the company the latest to bet on medicines that can lower levels of “visceral” fat.

By Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 13, 2026

Viatris boosts pain drug portfolio with $1.7B buyout of Pacira

The deal hands Viatris two non-opioid pain treatments that booked nearly $700 million in 2025 but could soon lose patent protection. Viatris vowed to use its “intellectual property expertise” to sustain sales.

By Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 8, 2026

In the hunt for reverse merger targets, Caribou could be prized game

The struggling cell therapy developer is exploring strategic alternatives, which, among other characteristics, make it a likely candidate to receive reverse merger interest.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 8, 2026

GE HealthCare to acquire Sofie Biosciences for $945M

The purchase expands GE HealthCare’s radiopharmaceutical capabilities, helping manufacture and distribute time-sensitive drugs used in PET imaging.

By Susan Kelly • Oct. 6, 2026

Shionogi pays $2B to acquire a rare disease startup

The acquisition of Texas-based IntraBio adds to a growing rare disease business for Shionogi by handing the company a marketed treatment for two inherited conditions.

By Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 5, 2026

Optogenetics researchers win a Nobel Prize; Roche bets on Alector brain drug

The Nobel laureates “laid the foundation” for a new field of brain research, the award committee wrote. Elsewhere, Roche and CSL cut licensing deals and the FDA endorsed broader use of a Lilly medicine.

By Ben Fidler • Oct. 5, 2026

Sanofi, Regeneron broaden alliance to find their next Dupixent

The deal carries a $1 billion upfront payment and tasks the two companies to develop long-acting antibody drugs that go after the same targets as their blockbuster anti-inflammation agent.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 1, 2026

Novo to pay Hengrui up to $2.6B for a once-weekly obesity pill

The deal, which hands Novo a challenger to Lilly’s market-leading Zepbound, comes as the Danish drugmaker looks to calm investor fears about its future.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 29, 2026

AstraZeneca invests $2B in Summit, gaining ‘seat at the table’ for PD-1/VEGF drug push

The equity investment comes alongside a deal to test Summit’s ivonescimab alongside potentially many AstraZeneca drugs — but doesn’t hand the pharmaceutical company any ownership rights.

By Ben Fidler • Sept. 29, 2026

Telix buys ITM in bid to create a ‘radiopharmaceutical powerhouse’

Worth $1.65 billion up front, the deal combines two large pipelines and manufacturing networks, helping Telix potentially “corner the industry” for radiopharmaceuticals, one analyst wrote.

By Ben Fidler • Sept. 21, 2026

Novo partners with Orbis, deepening investment in oral peptide drugs

The potentially $1.4 billion alliance will see the two companies collaborate on “macrocycles” that could yield oral treatments for cardiometabolic diseases.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 17, 2026

Novartis to pay $125M for blood-brain barrier crossing platform

Proceeds from the deal, which hands Novartis global rights to a technology developed by Sironax, will help advance three candidates that the startup says have “best-in-class” potential.

By Delilah Alvarado • Sept. 16, 2026

This week in charts: RA’s insatiable appetite, Novartis’ big slide and a reverse merger spree

RA Capital has already participated in four biotech financings in September. Meanwhile, Janus Henderson has been the year's most prolific backer of biotech reverse merger deals, according to Gilmartin Group.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 11, 2026

A booming business on Wall Street would love more biotechs to quietly die

Once disparaged, reverse mergers have become so popular that some deal experts question whether there are enough quality shell companies to meet the demand.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 10, 2026

This week in charts: China deals, stock flatlines and Lilly’s M&A spree

Deals with Chinese drugmakers are continuing at a steady pace, while two mid-cap biotechs' stock prices took a tumble this week. Meanwhile, Lilly has outpaced other pharmas in dealmaking this year.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Sept. 4, 2026

GSK wagers up to $1.3B on a different kind of cancer drug

With its latest foray into China, GSK acquired rights from Hutchmed to an “antibody-targeted therapy conjugate” impacting two well-known cancer drivers, EGFR and KRAS.

By Delilah Alvarado • Sept. 3, 2026

Mid-cap biotechs join Trump’s latest round of drug pricing deals

Focused on Medicaid, the new pacts now involve more than just large pharmaceutical companies, but still aren’t expected to meaningfully impact drugmaker profits.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 1, 2026

Lilly adds to immune drug pipeline with $2.9B Merida buyout

The big drugmaker’s latest company acquisition this year is centered around a technology designed to degrade proteins that malfunction in autoimmune disorders.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 31, 2026

Biohaven trades cash for ‘upside’ with $795M epilepsy drug deal

Faced with a dwindling bank account after a series of research setbacks, Biohaven is letting go of its most advanced experimental drug in a deal one analyst viewed as a “surprising” transaction.

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 26, 2026

Roche commits to lean-mass preservation with Hanmi obesity deal

For $190 million up front and as much as $2.3 billion overall, the Swiss drugmaker is building its portfolio with a shot that aims to spur weight loss but spare muscle tissue.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 24, 2026

BioMarin acquires experimental drug for rare bone disorder in $275M deal

The Alesta buyout helps restock BioMarin's pipeline with an asset it says could “reach our largest addressable patient population,” joining other muscle and skeletal disease treatments in development.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 18, 2026

AstraZeneca scores in lung cancer; Sandoz inks a China deal

A combination of AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso and Hutchmed’s Orpathys extended survival for some lung cancer patients. Elsewhere, MapLight floated the idea of partnering on its autism drug.

By BioPharma Dive staff • Aug. 18, 2026

Leo Pharma buys rare skin disease drug in $435M deal

Tanabe Pharma has already asked the FDA to approve the medicine for two conditions that cause severe reactions to sunlight.

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 18, 2026