BioCentury

Current Editions

June 29, 2026
Retinitis pigmentosa emerges as next genetic medicine test bed

As therapies for one form of retinitis pigmentosa near the market, new technologies put subtype-agnostic therapies in reach

Product Development

Immunic tests Nurr1 to push beyond MS’s inflammation ceiling 

Phase III candidate vidofludimus calcium will show whether pairing DHODH inhibition with direct neuroprotective effects can slow MS progression

Product Development

Planned reforms could narrow, but not close, U.S.-China trial start gap

Operation TrialBlazer combines short-term incremental reforms with attempts at transformational change

Regulation

House committee to vote on China investment and in-licensing restrictions

Rules Committee will consider proposals to add BINSA, research restrictions, and domestic biomanufacturing support to the NDAA

Politics, Policy & Law

Hengrui rising: Frank Jiang on building a global biotech

Behind the deals and R&D of China’s top biopharma 

Deals

Product Development

Satri-cel ushers CAR T into solid tumors, but not on the modality’s usual terms

China’s approval of CARsgen’s satri-cel gives CAR T its first solid tumor foothold, and a new calculus for its cost, complexity, and safety

Ebola outbreak exposes treatment gap

WHO prioritizes Zaire-tested mAbs, antivirals as academic labs seek path for strain-specific, pan-Ebolavirus therapies

Emerging Company Profile

Expedition Medicines: Generative covalent chemistry to unlock difficult targets at scale

Flagship’s Expedition is training AI on proteome-wide reactivity data and quantum chemistry to design covalent small molecules

Data Byte

NewCo boom picks up pace in 1H26

Halfway through the year, at least 13 West-based companies have launched with Asian assets, nearly matching 2025’s full-year total

Discovery & Translation

Human neural models get closer to CNS disease

BioCentury’s Distillery highlights organoids, assembloids, and engineered neurons modeling CNS disease across circuits, time, and vulnerable cells

Regulation

Tracking FDA’s TrialBlazer reforms

Some actions are already complete, but the biggest changes to IND review, IRBs and trial enrollment remain ahead

Where TrialBlazer puts FDA ahead — and where China still leads

The U.S. roadmap could speed trial starts, but China retains advantages in parallel review, faster IND pathways, and regulatory flexibility

Upcoming FDA adcomms will test post-Makary independence 

Replimune and Capricor meetings revisit Prasad-era controversies, while peptide review will test MAHA’s influence over FDA

Regenxbio’s gene therapy latest example of FDA’s reversion to the mean

At least 11 products derailed under Makary, Prasad, Høeg are back on track as if they hadn't happened

CHMP joins FDA in challenging Tavneos’ approval basis

Recommendation to revoke EU authorization follows FDA withdrawal proposal, with both agencies citing data integrity concerns

Tryngolza expansion gives Ionis its first prevalent-market test

FDA approval moves Tryngolza from rare FCS into severe hypertriglyceridemia, giving Ionis its first shot at a broad cardiometabolic market

Politics, Policy & Law

FTC pushes back against court’s antitrust standard in J&J biosimilar case

FTC brief argues J&J's acquisition of Momenta's patents broke antitrust law if it harmed competition — regardless of what J&J intended

Deals

AbbVie seeks further extension to immunology franchise via $10.9B Apogee deal

Takeout adds long-acting atopic dermatitis therapy, headed into Phase III, that could compete with Dupixent and Ebglyss

Finance

RQ Bio raises $115M to advance long-acting antibody prophylaxis for flu: Venture Report

Plus: Patient Square backs Osanni’s hub-and-spoke model; Nura moves ahead in neurodegeneration; and a handful of NewCos draw cash

Definium’s $805M offering leads follow-on quartet: Public Equity Report

Plus: uniQure, MoonLake and Taysha round out group raising nearly $1.5B combined

Biopharma Stock Performers

Use BioCentury's interactive dashboard to view top-performing biopharma stocks for the day and the week.

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