BioWorld

Despite concerted efforts, transmission of the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is continuing to outpace control measures, and 100 days since the health emergency was declared is the fastest spreading outbreak on record. In the most recent official count on Aug. 26, the number of confirmed cases stood at 5,713, with 2,744 deaths. To date, the daily average of confirmed cases is markedly higher than in the first three months of the 2014 – 2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, or in the 2018 – 2020 outbreak in DRC.

Biopharma deal value through the first seven months of 2026 totaled $186.69 billion, a 13% increase from 2025's $165.06 billion, the previous record for the period. July contributed $16.58 billion, a step down from May ($41.95 billion) and June ($34.59 billion), as well as the more than $30 billion each in January and February.

Following a May 2026 announcement that Bioxcel Therapeutics Inc. was evaluating strategic options, the New Haven, Conn.-based company has decided to sell substantially all of its assets, including agitation-treatment Igalmi (dexmedetomidine sublingual film), and declare chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Abbott Laboratories received CE mark approval for the Amulet 360 left atrial appendage (LAA) occluder, its next-generation device designed to reduce risk of stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The regulatory clearance is a boon for the company, which is looking to grow its position in the $2 billion LAA occlusion market, currently dominated by Boston Scientific Corp.'s Watchman franchise.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.'s U.S. FDA go-ahead for Mimrylo (rusfertide) to treat erythrocytosis in adults with polycythemia vera (PV) came as little surprise, given the stellar phase III data that the hepcidin mimetic has yielded.

As fungal infections kill an estimated 2 million people annually and antifungal resistance continues to rise, researchers have uncovered two

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.'s U.S. FDA go-ahead for Mimrylo (rusfertide) to treat erythrocytosis in adults with polycythemia vera (PV) gave partner Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. its second approval of the year. Takeda stands as “exceptionally well positioned” to make the most of Mimrylo in marketing the drug for PV, said Protagonist CEO Dinesh Patel on Aug. 31. “We expect Mimrylo to be used all across the PV patient population,” since the drug takes aim at erythrocytosis.

Since the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act requires the U.S. FDA to maintain an updated list of prescription drugs that are in shortage, does the FDA have to go through months of a notice-and-comment rulemaking before it can remove a drug from the list when the agency determines it's no longer in short supply? The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit danced around that question even as it upheld a lower court's summary judgment shutting down compounders' challenges to the FDA removing Eli Lilly and Co.'s and Novo Nordisk A/S' popular GLP-1 drugs from the shortage list in October 2024.

Nine more biopharma companies have signed most-favored-nation (MFN) pricing agreements with the Trump administration. Together with the 17 big biopharma companies that had signed MFN deals earlier this year, the agreements cover 89% of the U.S. drug market, according to the White House.

With an eye to diversifying beyond obesity, Eli Lilly and Co. made known its plan for the buyout of privately held Merida Biosciences Inc., investing as $2.875 billion in cash. The amount includes an up-front payment plus contingent milestone rewards, though a breakout of terms was not provided. Lilly, of Indianapolis, brings aboard Cambridge, Mass.-based Merida's lead program, MER-511, which has reached phase I development in Graves' disease and thyroid eye disease. Both are driven by thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins, autoantibodies that activate the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor.