Biopharmaceuticals

Santa Barbara – October 13, 2026 -- Rona Therapeutics will receive up to $100 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments from Roche under an exclusive worldwide license for its investigational RNAi candidate targeting activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7), with potential for a further $1.06 billion in milestones.

Rona is eligible for $1.06 billion in milestones plus tiered royalties

The additional $1.06 billion covers development, regulatory and commercial milestones. Rona is also eligible for tiered royalties on global net sales. Combined with the upfront and near-term payments, headline deal value reaches roughly $1.16 billion if all milestones are met.

The candidate uses Rona's proprietary extrahepatic delivery platform, which targets tissue outside the liver. Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) receives the exclusive license for the asset worldwide.

Uppsala – October 13, 2026 -- Akiram Therapeutics reported no dose-limiting toxicities among the eight patients treated so far with its lead radiopharmaceutical candidate 177Lu-AKIR001 in a Phase I trial, with treatment-related adverse events limited to grade 1-2.

The Swedish clinical-stage biotech will present the first clinical data at the EANM 2026 Congress in Vienna, October 17-21. The abstract was selected as a Top Rated Oral Presentation (TROP).

Sustained tumor retention supports continued dose escalation

The first-in-human study is evaluating 177Lu-AKIR001 in patients with irresectable or metastatic CD44v6-positive solid tumors who have no remaining standard treatment options. At data cut-off, eight patients had been treated, and four of them received repeat treatment after the first administration.

Shanghai – October 12, 2026 -- Shanghai Ark Biopharmaceutical (ArkBio) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of its investigational new drug application for AK0406, allowing a phase II trial of the long-acting antiviral drug-Fc conjugate for influenza prevention in the general U.S. population.

CDC data shows 24,000 U.S. flu deaths despite vaccines

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the 2025–2026 influenza season caused at least 32 million illnesses, 380,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 deaths in the United States. ArkBio says shifting circulating viruses and variable immune response limit vaccine protection, particularly among older adults and immunocompromised people.

Dublin – October 12, 2026 -- Keenova Therapeutics plc will present an exploratory analysis of the CONFIRM trial on October 12 at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting (October 9-14, 2026). The analysis covers TERLIVAZ (terlipressin) in hepatorenal syndrome-acute kidney injury (HRS-AKI) patients who are ineligible for liver transplant.

Ten-author analysis targets liver transplant-ineligible patients

The presentation is titled "Efficacy and Safety of Terlipressin in Patients With Hepatorenal Syndrome-Acute Kidney Injury Ineligible for Liver Transplant: An Exploratory Analysis of the CONFIRM Trial." Nancy Reau, MD, Associate Director of Solid Organ Transplantation and Section Chief of Hepatology at Rush University Medical Center, is the presenting author. Nine co-authors are listed, including Kavish Patidar, Kevin Regner and Nneka N. Ufere.

Sydney – October 12, 2026 -- The Safety Review Committee (SRC) for Racura Oncology's HARNESS-1 trial has cleared lead drug RC220 to escalate to 100 mg/m2, after finding no dose-limiting toxicities in either Cohort 1 patient. The Phase 1a/b study combines RC220 with osimertinib in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Both Cohort 1 patients received RC220 at 50 mg/m2 by intravenous infusion alongside osimertinib at 80 mg daily. The second patient has received three RC220 doses, given 21 days apart, with no dose-limiting toxicities or treatment-related safety concerns.

Riyadh – October 12, 2026 -- Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) employees in Saudi Arabia assembled and personalized more than 70 'Small Wins' toolkits for people living with schizophrenia, in partnership with the Saudi Schizophrenia Association ('Ehtiwaa'). The project was part of the 12th edition of BMS's annual Global Patient Week.

Ehtiwaa and BMS design a four-step kit to build daily motivation

The 'Small Wins: Everyday Activity & Motivation' toolkit guides patients through four steps: pick a card, try the activity, recognize the win, and add it to a jar. Each kit contains activity cards with optional suggestions such as listening to a favorite song, spending a few minutes outside or tidying one small space. A 'Small Wins Jar' with paper slips lets users record daily moments of joy. Each kit also carries a handwritten note from a BMS volunteer.

Taipei – October 12, 2026 -- China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved CAMCEVI® 42 mg, a ready-to-use 6-month subcutaneous depot formulation of leuprolide mesylate, for adult patients with advanced prostate cancer, Foresee Pharmaceuticals (TPEx: 6576) said. Licensing partner Changchun GeneScience Pharmaceutical (GenSci) notified Foresee of the approval of the Marketing Authorization Application and will commercialize the product in China.

GenSci holds exclusive China rights across all CAMCEVI indications

The license covers all current and pipeline indications: advanced prostate cancer, central precocious puberty (CPP) and premenopausal breast cancer. Foresee Chairman and CEO Ben Chien said GenSci's China launch will "significantly contribute" to the growth of the company's global CAMCEVI franchise.

Calgary – October 12, 2026 -- XORTX Therapeutics (NASDAQ: XRTX | TSXV: XRTX) has appointed Mika Grasso, 28, as co-CEO responsible for finance and public markets, and says it aims to advance its lead gout program, XRx-026, toward marketing approval over the next 18 months.

The company says the appointment follows a recent financing and growing investor interest. It is now restructuring its corporate and issuer status, re-initiating drug development programs and preparing regulatory filings for XRx-026. Risk disclosures in the release also refer to a voluntary delisting that may not be completed on the anticipated timeline, or at all.

Calgary – October 12, 2026 -- XORTX Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: XRTX | TSXV: XRTX | Frankfurt: ANU) has appointed Depesh Narotam, a financial services executive with more than 20 years of experience, to its board as an independent director effective July 27, 2026.

Board determines Narotam meets Nasdaq and Canadian independence standards

The board determined that Narotam, 43, is independent under applicable Nasdaq listing standards and Canadian securities laws. He also joins the board's Compensation, Governance and Nominating Committee.

Narotam is a resident of British Columbia, Canada.

Calgary – October 12, 2026 -- XORTX Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: XRTX | TSXV: XRTX) has rescinded a US$2.5 million investor relations agreement with IR Agency LLC and recovered the full fee. The company is postponing its marketing push while it exits the TSX Venture Exchange.

XORTX terminates 90-day IR contract effective August 7, 2026

The agreement, dated May 13, 2026, ran for 90 days from May 18, 2026. It covered 10 marketing days of news distribution campaigns for an aggregate fee of US$2.5 million, payable in advance. The fee had been fully earned on receipt and was non-refundable.

Both parties agreed to rescind the arrangement, and all services under it have been discontinued. The funds were returned to XORTX in August 2026. The release cites both August 7 and August 14 as the return date.