Biopharmaceuticals

Telix to Acquire ITM in $1.65B Deal, Forming Radiopharma Giant

Melbourne – September 21, 2026 -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, NASDAQ: TLX) has signed a strategic agreement to merge with ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE in a deal valuing ITM at US$1.65 billion upfront on a cash-free, debt-free basis, with up to US$700 million in additional contingent consideration tied to regulatory and sales milestones.

Deal structures $1.25 billion in Telix stock alongside debt assumption

Under the agreement, ITM shareholders will receive approximately US$1.25 billion in the form of 105.8 million Telix shares priced at US$11.84 per share, released as Nasdaq-listed ADRs following escrow periods of up to 15 months. Telix will additionally assume US$302 million of ITM net debt at closing, with US$96 million allocated to management equity rollover and transaction expenses. Upon completion, existing Telix shareholders will hold roughly 76.3% of the combined company, with ITM shareholders holding approximately 23.7%.

Abbisko's Lavengratinib Shows 2.4cm/Year Growth Gain in Achondroplasia Trial

Shanghai – September 20, 2026 -- Abbisko Therapeutics Co., Ltd. (HKEX: 02256.HK) reported that its oral FGFR2/3 inhibitor lavengratinib achieved a mean increase of 2.4 cm/year in annualized height velocity among children with achondroplasia in the lowest-dose cohort of a Phase II trial, with a 100% responder rate.

Seven children in the first dose cohort completed six months of treatment with no serious adverse events

All seven participants aged 6 to 12 in cohort 1 of the ABSK061-202 study received lavengratinib at 0.064 mg/kg once daily for 27 weeks. Responders were defined as achieving at least a 25% improvement in annualized height velocity from baseline, a threshold every participant in the cohort met.

Antengene Doses First Patient in Phase III Trial of ADC ATG-022

Shanghai – September 20, 2026 -- Antengene Corporation Limited (SEHK: 6996.HK) has dosed the first patient in China in its pivotal Phase III CLINCH-3 study evaluating ATG-022, a CLDN18.2 antibody-drug conjugate, as monotherapy for CLDN18.2-positive advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

Breakthrough Therapy Designation accelerated the trial's launch

China's National Medical Products Administration granted ATG-022 Breakthrough Therapy Designation, which the company says streamlined regulatory communications and enabled the rapid start of CLINCH-3. The randomized, controlled, open-label multicenter study is initiated in China and planned for expansion into a multi-regional clinical trial, with Professor Lin Shen of Peking University Cancer Hospital serving as principal investigator. The study compares ATG-022 against treatment of investigator's choice, targeting a future marketing approval application.

Specialised Therapeutics Expands Incyte Deal for Opzelura in Australia

Singapore – September 20, 2026 -- Specialised Therapeutics (ST) has expanded its partnership with Incyte Biosciences International to commercialise, distribute, and register ruxolitinib cream, marketed as Opzelura, in Australia.

ST gains rights to market Opzelura for vitiligo and atopic dermatitis in Australia

Under the expanded agreement, Incyte will continue to develop and manufacture ruxolitinib cream, a topical Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, while ST takes on regulatory submissions, medical affairs, marketing, and distribution across the Australian market. The drug is approved in the U.S. and European Union for treating non-segmental vitiligo and mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis in patients who do not respond adequately to standard topical therapies.

S2S China Names 10 Biotech Finalists for Westlake Pitch Event

Shanghai – – September 20, 2026 -- Ten biotech startup teams have been selected as finalists for the inaugural S2S China Symposium, narrowed from roughly 20 semifinalists who competed to pitch global venture investors at Westlake University on October 15.

RA Capital and Qiming Venture Partners co-host China chapter of Science2Startup

S2S China is the China chapter of Science2Startup, an invitation-only program founded in 2018 by F-Prime, SV Health and Atlas Venture that connects academic therapeutics researchers with biotech investors. RA Capital Management, Osage University Partners and 5AM Ventures have since joined the network. The China edition is co-hosted by RA Capital Management and Qiming Venture Partners.

Accro Bioscience Doses First Patient in AC-101 Phase IIb UC Trial

New York and Suzhou, China – September 20, 2026 -- Accro Bioscience Inc. has dosed its first patient in a Phase IIb trial testing AC-101, a selective RIPK2 inhibitor, in patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC).

Trial spans roughly 50 clinical sites with three treatment arms

The multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study is designed across approximately 50 clinical sites and includes two AC-101 dose cohorts plus a placebo control arm. The primary endpoint is clinical remission rate at Week 12, with exploratory endpoints covering histologic remission and long-term maintenance of clinical and histologic remission.

Par Health Recalls Two Dexmedetomidine Lots Over Particulate Risk

Rochester, Mich. – September 20, 2026 -- Par Health is voluntarily recalling two lots of Dexmedetomidine HCl in 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection 400 mcg/100 mL (4 mcg/mL) at the hospital level after detecting particulate matter identified as cellulose or stopper material.

Contaminated vials carry risk of pulmonary emboli and vessel occlusion

The FDA-notified recall covers Lots 87558 and 88802, which were distributed nationwide to wholesalers between May 13, 2025 and June 29, 2025. Par Health warned that administering the affected product carries a reasonable probability of causing life-threatening adverse health consequences, including pulmonary emboli, occlusions of other blood vessels that can lead to tissue death and organ damage, and inflammation of vein walls that may result in clotting. The company said it has not received any adverse event reports tied to the recall to date.

FDA Grants Full Approval to Lilly's Inluriyo-Verzenio Combo for Breast Cancer

Indianapolis – September 20, 2026 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval to Eli Lilly and Company's (NYSE: LLY) Inluriyo (imlunestrant) in combination with Verzenio (abemaciclib) for adults with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), HER2-negative, ESR1-mutated locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose disease progressed after at least one line of endocrine therapy.

EMBER-3 trial shows combination doubles progression-free survival

The approval rests on Phase 3 EMBER-3 data in 159 patients with ESR1-mutated metastatic breast cancer who had previously received an aromatase inhibitor, with or without a CDK4/6 inhibitor. Patients randomized to Inluriyo plus Verzenio (n=67) achieved a median progression-free survival of 11.1 months, versus 5.5 months for Inluriyo alone (n=92), a hazard ratio of 0.53 (95% CI, 0.35–0.80).

BioCytics Taps Eremid Genomics to Sequence Cancer Cell Therapy

Huntersville, N.C. – September 20, 2026 -- BioCytics, Inc. has engaged Eremid Genomic Services to perform single cell transcriptomic and TCR sequencing analysis on immune cells central to its autologous cancer cell therapy program.

Eremid will characterize immune precursor cells before clinical deployment

The North Carolina-based genomics contract research organization will run scRNA-Seq and TCR sequencing on an autologous immune cell fraction supplied by BioCytics. The analysis is designed to confirm whether expanded immune cells are biologically fit for cancer-killing activity and to map their mechanism of action ahead of reinfusion into patients.

NAVER D2SF Backs ImpriMed's $10M Round for AI Cancer Diagnostics

Seoul – September 20, 2026 -- NAVER D2SF, the in-house corporate venture arm of NAVER, has joined a $10 million Series A2 bridge round for Silicon Valley-based precision medicine company ImpriMed, backing its push toward U.S. regulatory clearance and Asian market expansion.

ImpriMed targets FDA clearance and CLIA certification by Q1 2027 for its blood cancer platform

The company is preparing to commercialize diagnostic products for blood cancers and blood infection in the United States, having already established business partnerships with major U.S. hospitals. ImpriMed's xCellSense platform keeps patient-derived cancer cells viable outside the body for extended periods, allowing evaluation of drug sensitivity alongside genomic, immunophenotypic and clinical data. The company's AI models are trained on more than 3.5 million data points combining real-world data with functional cell analysis.