Pharmaceuticals & Biopharmaceuticals

Hong Kong – – September 29, 2026 -- Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX: 1672) reported a 48.9% placebo-adjusted reduction in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores from a 28-day U.S. proof-of-concept trial of ASC50, an oral small molecule IL-17A inhibitor positioned as a needle-free alternative to injectable antibody therapies for plaque psoriasis.

Once-daily 200 mg dosing matched published efficacy benchmarks for injectable IL-17A antibody secukinumab

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase I study (NCT07024602) enrolled mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis patients who received once-daily 200 mg oral ASC50 for 28 days. Ascletis said the PASI reduction was comparable to published secukinumab data, though the comparison was not conducted head-to-head.

San Diego – September 29, 2026 -- Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VKTX) has closed concurrent upsized public offerings totaling approximately $575.0 million in gross proceeds, funding to accelerate its late-stage obesity drug pipeline.

Viking raises $575 million through combined stock and convertible note sale

The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company sold 9,035,714 shares of common stock at $35.00 per share, alongside $258.75 million in aggregate principal amount of 2.00% convertible senior notes due 2032. Both tranches were upsized after underwriters fully exercised their options, adding 1,178,571 shares to the equity offering and $33.75 million to the note offering.

Conshohocken, Pa. – September 29, 2026 -- TJP, an independent agency focused on value and patient access for life sciences, has acquired Evolution Consulting & Research, a market research organization serving global pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

Acquisition completes TJP's end-to-end commercial platform for life sciences brands

The deal integrates Research, Strategy, Creative, Pull-Through, and Analytics into a single operating model. It follows TJP's earlier addition of FX2 Virtual, which brought Virtual Sales Professionals, Virtual Key Account Managers, reimbursement specialists, and omnichannel data analytics into the agency's portfolio.

Mississauga, ON – September 29, 2026 -- Kye Pharmaceuticals ranked No. 105 on Report on Business magazine's 2026 list of Canada's Top Growing Companies, posting three-year revenue growth of 264%.

Kye secures second consecutive year on the Globe and Mail growth ranking

The Mississauga, Ontario-based specialty pharmaceutical company previously appeared on the 2025 edition of the list, marking its second straight year of recognition. The 2026 ranking included 376 companies in total, each qualifying through a voluntary application process and targeted revenue thresholds based on three-year growth performance.

North Chicago, Ill. – – September 28, 2026 -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) has secured U.S. FDA approval for JUVMO (tavapadon), the first and only selective D1/D5 receptor agonist for adults with Parkinson's disease, with commercial availability set for October 2026.

JUVMO targets dopamine pathways differently than existing D2/D3 agonists

Roopal Thakkar, AbbVie's chief scientific officer, called the approval the first dopaminergic breakthrough for Parkinson's disease in decades. The once-daily oral tablet can be taken with or without levodopa, positioning it across the full disease continuum rather than a single treatment stage.

Piscataway, N.J. – September 28, 2026 -- Sampled has secured a five-year contract worth up to $27.1 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide genomics analyses for the Million Veteran Program (MVP), one of the world's largest research initiatives of its kind.

MVP has enrolled more than one million veterans since its 2011 launch

The program studies how molecular factors, lifestyle, and service-related experiences drive elevated veteran health risks, including PTSD, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Published MVP findings have already advanced understanding of PTSD, artery disease, suicide risk, stroke, and substance use.

Indianapolis – September 28, 2026 -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) launched the Lilly Change the Course Commitment on Sept. 28, targeting treatment parity for diabetes and obesity patients between high-income countries and resource-limited settings by 2040. Today, for every four patients in high-income countries who access Lilly's diabetes and obesity medicines, only one patient in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can reach them.

Lilly targets registration of GLP-1 medicines across Africa, Latin America and Asia

The initiative rests on three pillars: adapting clinical development for resource-limited settings, accelerating registration of innovative medicines including GLP-1s in more LMICs, and strengthening primary health systems through training and digital tools. Lilly said it will prioritize regulatory filings and access pathways in Africa, Latin America and Asia, working with regulators, NGOs and global health organizations.

Friendswood, Texas – September 28, 2026 -- Castle Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTL) said a new peer-reviewed study found its TissueCypher Barrett's Esophagus Test prompted clinicians to change management recommendations in 90% of cases involving patients with non-dysplastic Barrett's esophagus (NDBE).

The case series, published in Foregut: The Journal of the American Foregut Society, evaluated 30 NDBE patients tested as part of clinical care at Keck Medical Center of the University of Southern California (USC).

Test reclassifies risk within a population considered uniformly low-risk

TissueCypher classified 17% of the 30 patients as intermediate or high risk for progression to high-grade dysplasia or esophageal adenocarcinoma within five years, while 83% were confirmed low risk. All patients had received the same NDBE diagnosis prior to testing.

Shanghai – – September 28, 2026 -- MOYOM Biotech, a Chinese developer of regenerative aesthetic biomaterials, has secured a new financing round from the Cathay Consumer Co-Creation Fund, managed by Cathay Capital, to fund international expansion of its flagship CaHA-based implant brand Aphranel®.

Cathay Capital Fund Backed by L'Oréal Targets Beauty and Skin Science Innovation

The investment vehicle was jointly established by Cathay Capital, L'Oréal and the Shanghai Jing'an District Government. Cathay Capital's broader portfolio includes Moonshot AI (Kimi), autonomous driving firm Momenta, U.S. fintech Chime, digital asset platform Ledger, delivery platform Glovo and AI biotech company Owkin.

South San Francisco, Calif. – September 28, 2026 -- IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDYA) promoted Dr. Michael White from Chief Scientific Officer to President, Research and Development, effective September 28, 2026.

White expands authority over IDEAYA's oncology pipeline after five years as CSO

Dr. White has served as Chief Scientific Officer at IDEAYA since 2021, overseeing research into synthetic lethality and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) programs targeting solid tumors. The precision medicine oncology company's pipeline spans multiple indications, including uveal melanoma, pancreatic cancer, small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer.