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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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Eli Lilly's drug Mounjaro is expected to see strengthened market performance following a cardiovascular risk-reduction claim.
Read at citeline.com ↗03
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has initiated an investigation into German drug pricing policies.
Read at citeline.com ↗04
On August 27, 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna, Novavax-Sanofi, and Pfizer-BioNTech targeting the XFG variant.
Read at theguardian.com ↗05
Cari-Anne Quinn, CEO of Life Sciences Hub Wales, discusses the role of health innovation in addressing pressures within the Welsh healthcare system.
Read at gov.uk ↗06
On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Todd Blanche, announced a temporary ban on three kratom derivatives: mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), MGM-15, and MGM-16.
Read at courthousenews.com ↗07
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed a clinical hold on Regenxbio's gene therapy candidate RGX-121.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗08
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment over a 30-day period regarding potential changes to childhood vaccine recommendation classifications.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗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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AusperBio Therapeutics has secured $120 million in a Series C funding round.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗10
BioXcel Therapeutics has filed for bankruptcy and entered into an agreement for Teva Pharmaceutical to acquire its neuroscience portfolio.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗11
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has committed up to $16.5 million to support the clinical development of an Ebola vaccine candidate developed by the Egyptian biotech company Minapharm.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗12
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) has been awarded $46 million in grant funding from Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA).
Read at genengnews.com ↗13
McKesson has agreed to acquire Precision Medicine Group for $2.25 billion.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗14
Melbourne-based biotech startup ImmunoBiota Therapeutics, founded by Dr. Eliana Marino, is seeking to raise $5 million in a Seed funding round to advance clinical trials for its oral type 1 diabetes treatment, IBT-100.
Read at startupdaily.net ↗15
Sentivera, a startup founded by Arch Venture Partners and Population Health Partners, has secured a licensing deal for inflammatory disease treatments.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗16
The UK government has awarded funding to nine projects focused on developing animal-free drug testing technologies.
Read at citeline.com ↗What products launched in pharmaceuticals this week?
Notable product launches, releases and platform updates from the week.
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The FDA has granted approval to Priovant Therapeutics for its drug Lisraya, intended to treat a rare skin disease.
Read at biopharmadive.com ↗18
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Read at nytimes.com ↗19
The FDA approved Revolution Medicines' oral therapy Rasonque (daraxonrasib) for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the United States.
Read at genengnews.com ↗20
On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Rasonque (daraxonrasib), a daily pill developed by Revolution Medicines for adults with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Read at thestreet.com ↗21
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted expedited approval to the drug daraxonrasib, marketed as Rasonque by Revolution Medicines, for treating metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Read at courthousenews.com ↗22
On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Rasonque, a new drug developed by RevMed for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Read at semafor.com ↗23
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Revolution Medicines' drug daraxonrasib on August 26, 2026.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗24
Roche and Eli Lilly have received FDA clearance for a new Alzheimer's disease diagnostic blood test.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗8 of 11 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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The August reporting season in Australia highlights shifting consumer behaviors amid cost-of-living pressures.
Read at theguardian.com ↗26
Bank of America initiated coverage of the biotech company Apnimed with a Buy rating and a $41 price objective.
Read at thestreet.com ↗27
The FDA approved three new therapies this week: Priovant Therapeutics' Lisraya for dermatomyositis, Gilead Sciences' Bixlenvo for HIV, and an expanded indication for Eli Lilly's Mounjaro.
Read at pharmexec.com ↗28
Alex Zhavoronkov, the Founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, discussed the company's financial performance and business outlook on Bloomberg: The China Show on August 27, 2026.
Read at bloomberg.com ↗29
Immatics, a Germany-based biotechnology company, has secured additional financing to support the advancement of its cancer drug pipeline.
Read at citeline.com ↗30
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended its review period for Capricor Therapeutics' cell therapy candidate, deramiocel, following the submission of an updated application with a refined indication.
Read at biopharmadive.com ↗31
Hansa Biopharma is exploring a potential US stock market listing.
Read at citeline.com ↗What court rulings and legal actions hit pharmaceuticals this week?
Court rulings, filings and legal actions reported this week.
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Walmart has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a lawsuit regarding its role in the opioid epidemic.
Read at nytimes.com ↗33
On August 25, 2026, U.S. District Judge Maria A. Lanahan dismissed an antitrust lawsuit filed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation against pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts and its subsidiary Accredo Health Group Inc. The court ruled that the claims were barred under Missouri law because they constituted claim splitting, as they arose from the same 2017 Pharmacy Provider Agreement and facts as a previous lawsuit dismissed in 2023. The litigation took place in a Missouri federal court regarding operations in Louisiana.
Read at courthousenews.com ↗What research was published in pharmaceuticals this week?
New research findings and studies published this week.
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BioNTech and Genentech have discontinued a phase 2 clinical trial for their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine after it failed to demonstrate efficacy as a standalone therapy.
Read at fiercebiotech.com ↗35
Researchers at Boston University’s Center for Regenerative Medicine and Boston Medical Center have developed a scalable method to generate CD4+ helper T cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Read at genengnews.com ↗36
Researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), led by Jim Heath, have identified that atypical memory B cells are responsible for producing autoantibodies following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Read at genengnews.com ↗37
A small gene-editing study conducted by researchers has demonstrated that a single-time treatment can significantly reduce LDL cholesterol levels.
Read at nytimes.com ↗38
A Phase 1 clinical trial at Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin involving six patients with severe, treatment-refractory rheumatoid arthritis demonstrated that CD19-CAR T-cell therapy (mivocabtagene autoleucel) significantly reduced disease activity.
Read at genengnews.com ↗39
Eli Lilly published a study in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism showing that adults over 55 using Zepbound for weight management experienced lower healthcare costs and reduced hospital admission rates.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗40
The article discusses the evolution of Alzheimer's disease drug development, moving beyond amyloid-focused therapies to include tau-lowering approaches and TREM2 agonists.
Read at pharmexec.com ↗41
AstraZeneca and Amgen's drug Tezspire has achieved positive results in a clinical trial for Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE).
Read at citeline.com ↗8 of 27 research events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What partnerships were announced in pharmaceuticals this week?
Partnerships, integrations and joint projects announced this week.
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Abu Dhabi-based healthcare company M42 has signed a 10-year contract with the Botswana Ministry of Health to implement a national genomics program and digitize health records.
Read at semafor.com ↗1 of 8 partnerships events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What people moved in and out of pharmaceuticals roles this week?
Executive appointments and departures reported this week.
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Cellares, a cell therapy manufacturing company, announced it will lay off 100 employees.
Read at biopharmadive.com ↗1 of 2 people moves events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What else happened in pharmaceuticals this week?
Developments from the week that fit none of the other sections.
44
A digest of recent events includes a warning from a Dutch drug institute regarding fatal Trump-shaped ecstasy pills.
Read at politico.eu ↗45
The US FDA has approved Johnson & Johnson's drug Imaavy (nipocalimab-aahu) for treating warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia in patients aged 12 and older.
Read at pharmexec.com ↗2 of 22 other developments events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.