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What changed in pharmaceuticals regulation and policy this week?
Government decisions, new rules and policy shifts reported this week.
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Canada's Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agency has issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence to generate real-world evidence (RWE) for health technology assessments.
Read at citeline.com ↗03
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that Eli Lilly's once-weekly insulin injection, Onswik, be funded by the National Health Service (NHS) in England.
Read at citeline.com ↗04
EMD Serono and Exelixis have implemented return-to-office mandates that resulted in workforce reductions for remote employees.
Read at biospace.com ↗05
The European regulatory timeline for the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) drug apitegromab has been delayed following a failed inspection of its fill-finish facilities.
Read at citeline.com ↗06
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme advisory committee recommended that the government fund the drug triptorelin for breast cancer, endometriosis, and gender dysphoria treatment.
Read at theguardian.com ↗07
The United States maintains significant trade barriers against China, including 250 percent tariffs on electric vehicles and various national security restrictions on drones and robotics.
Read at foreignaffairs.com ↗08
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on August 10, 2026, to reduce childhood vaccine recommendations, citing unproven links to autism.
Read at kffhealthnews.org ↗8 of 16 regulation and policy events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in pharmaceuticals this week?
The week’s notable investments, financing rounds, acquisitions and strategic deals.
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Werewolf Therapeutics has agreed to merge with Ambros Therapeutics in an all-stock deal.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗10
Amgen has terminated its Crohn's disease collaboration with TScan Therapeutics.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗11
Tolerance Bio has entered into a licensing agreement with NeoImmuneTech to acquire rights for a fusion protein targeting thymus-related indications.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗12
BioMarin Pharmaceutical has agreed to acquire Alesta Therapeutics for an upfront payment of $275 million.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗13
Leo Pharma has entered into a $435 million agreement to acquire a rare skin disease drug from Tanabe Pharma.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗14
Steris announced a $600 million investment to construct a 600,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Lee County, North Carolina.
Read at insurancejournal.com ↗15
BioMarin Pharmaceutical has entered into a deal with Alesta to continue its focus on genetically driven diseases.
Read at citeline.com ↗16
In 2026, at least seven biopharmaceutical companies have conducted layoffs following mergers or acquisitions, resulting in a total of at least 1,359 job losses.
Read at biospace.com ↗8 of 10 funding and m&a events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What products launched in pharmaceuticals this week?
Notable product launches, releases and platform updates from the week.
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The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and Isotek Systems have opened a new analytical laboratory in Building 2026 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Read at ans.org ↗18
A new weekly insulin injection for type 2 diabetes patients has been introduced as a potential replacement for daily injections.
Read at bbc.co.uk ↗19
The US FDA has granted approval to Ultragenyx for its gene therapy Genglycos, intended to treat a rare glycogen storage disease.
Read at biopharmadive.com ↗20
On August 20, 2026, the FDA approved Regeneron's Pasatru for adults with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, an ultra-rare disorder.
Read at pharmexec.com ↗21
BlueRock Therapeutics has developed an automated system for high-throughput analytical auditing of cell therapies.
Read at genengnews.com ↗22
Insilico Medicine has launched a new Virtual Aging Cell platform designed to accelerate drug discovery processes.
Read at citeline.com ↗23
Nestlé is developing new food products tailored for users of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to address side effects such as muscle loss.
Read at esmmagazine.com ↗24
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance to Lantheus for its Alzheimer’s PET imaging agent, Tauklarify.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗8 of 10 product launches events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What financial results were reported in pharmaceuticals this week?
Earnings, guidance and other financial results reported this week.
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Bavarian Nordic reported a boost in its travel vaccine business, bucking broader industry trends.
Read at citeline.com ↗26
Walmart reported a 2.6% same-store sales growth for Q2 2026, missing analyst expectations of 3.5% and falling from 4.6% a year prior.
Read at foodnavigator.com ↗27
Merck and Moderna reported positive phase 3 clinical trial data for their cancer vaccine, resulting in a $45 billion increase in Moderna's market capitalization.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗28
Moderna saw its market value increase by $45 billion in a single day on August 20, 2026, following positive news regarding its cancer vaccine.
Read at biopharmadive.com ↗29
Moderna Inc. shares experienced a record 160% surge on August 19, 2026.
Read at bloomberg.com ↗30
Lundbeck, led by CEO Charl van Zyl, has announced a strategic plan to scale up operations starting in 2027.
Read at citeline.com ↗31
JPMorgan initiated coverage of Nuvation Bio on August 18, 2026, with an Overweight rating and a price target of $13 per share through December 2027.
Read at thestreet.com ↗32
Bora Pharmaceuticals reported record-high quarterly revenue of NT$5,889 million for 2Q26, representing a 47.2% increase quarter-over-quarter.
Read at treasurytoday.com ↗8 of 9 financial results events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What court rulings and legal actions hit pharmaceuticals this week?
Court rulings, filings and legal actions reported this week.
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US investment group Gotham City Research has issued a second report targeting Sumitomo Pharma, raising concerns regarding the company's cell therapy research and its relationship with the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) in Japan.
Read at citeline.com ↗34
An unnamed drug manufacturer has agreed to pay over $46 million to settle allegations of providing kickbacks to doctors for prescribing its kidney medication.
Read at complianceweek.com ↗What research was published in pharmaceuticals this week?
New research findings and studies published this week.
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A study led by Dr. Christopher P. Holstege at the University of Virginia Health’s Blue Ridge Poison Center found a 400% increase in liver injuries linked to xenobiotic substances in the U.S. over the past 25 years.
Read at fastcompany.com ↗36
Researchers at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw (IIMCB) have compiled a systematic catalog of 267 cullin–RING ligase substrate receptors.
Read at genengnews.com ↗37
Merck and Moderna announced that their Phase 3 INTerpath 001 trial for the personalized cancer vaccine intismeran autogene (V940/mRNA 4157) in combination with Keytruda met its primary endpoints for treating resected melanoma.
Read at thestreet.com ↗38
Merck & Co. and Moderna have reported successful phase 3 clinical trial results for their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗39
An international team of scientists identified ethical and legal concerns in 853 research articles published by the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU).
Read at theguardian.com ↗40
Moderna and Merck announced positive Phase 3 trial results for their mRNA-based melanoma vaccine, intismeran autogene (mRNA-4157), on August 19, 2026.
Read at gizmodo.com ↗41
Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in modeling human brain development using organoids, successfully maintaining them for a period of five years.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗42
Researchers led by Jeffrey Bailey and Karamoko Niaré from Brown University identified new genetic mutations in Plasmodium falciparum parasites in Uganda that cause decreased susceptibility to common antimalarial drugs.
Read at genengnews.com ↗8 of 33 research events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What incidents and outages hit pharmaceuticals this week?
Incidents, outages and safety events reported this week.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that the manufacturer of Clear Eyes Maximum Itchy Eye Relief has voluntarily recalled nearly 40,000 bottles of eye drops.
Read at nytimes.com ↗44
The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a severe Ebola outbreak in its eastern and northeastern regions as of August 22, 2026.
Read at aljazeera.com ↗45
The United Nations reports that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in over 2,500 deaths, with half occurring in the last 20 days.
Read at courthousenews.com ↗3 of 6 incidents and safety events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.