Annalee Armstrong

Investment firm Deerfield Management is the latest to find a gem in China, which has been rising as a source of biotech innovation over the past few years.

At the BIO International Convention in San Diego, attendees marked the 50th anniversary of original biotech Genentech, reflecting on the immense challenges facing companies as China becomes a powerhouse innovator.

Who is the highest paid CEO in all of pharma? To be honest, the 2025 list of top paid chief executives looks a lot like the 2024 list.

The total of 52 mergers and acquisitions for the first half of 2026 reflects what analysts, industry watchers and executives are saying over and over: M&A is back.

The vibe at BIO 2026 in San Diego last week was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees observing noticeable changes at the FDA and an uptick in dealmaking and IPOs. Plus, a top medical journal this week retracted a pivotal study for Amgen's rare disease drug Tavneos, which has been in the FDA's crosshairs since January.

New data from a Phase 3 trial will further support a rolling submission for Compass Pathways' psilocybin treatment COMP360. Patients who saw a clinically meaningful benefit on depression severity maintained response through week 26.

Vera Therapeutics' atacicept, to be marketed as Trutakna, will go up against Novartis, Otsuka and possibly Vertex in the kidney disease primary IgA nephropathy after receiving an accelerated FDA approval.

A mostly black box since emerging with more than a billion dollars in hand, Xaira Therapeutics is slowly pulling back the curtain, revealing plans to find partners and validate its pipeline.

A surprising deal from Vertex Pharmaceuticals adds to Big Pharma's acquisitive streak as Crinetics folds into the cystic fibrosis drugmaker. Meanwhile, IPOs and venture capital raises trend upward, but mostly for derisked companies. Plus, FDA decisions slow only slightly as the hunt for a permanent leader drags on.

As antibody-drug conjugates advance and move into earlier lines of treatment, drug developers have to build gentler therapies that don't just extend survival but improve it.