Healthcare, Pharma & Life Sciences

TORONTO – October 31, 2026 -- Profound Medical Corp. (NASDAQ: PROF; TSX: PRN) has signed a supply and distribution agreement with the iMRI Division of Cook Medical, adding a second U.S. capital equipment channel for its TULSA-PRO system while keeping recurring treatment kit and service revenue in-house.

Cook buys systems at a predetermined transfer price and resells them in the U.S.

Cook will purchase TULSA-PRO systems from Profound at a predetermined transfer price for U.S. distribution. Customers who buy through Cook will source single-use disposables and service contracts directly from Profound. The company therefore keeps the recurring revenue relationship on every system Cook places.

Profound's existing capital sales team will keep selling TULSA-PRO directly to sites with compatible MRI systems. The two channels target different buyers: hospitals using existing MRI infrastructure and those investing in new iMRI capabilities.

TORONTO – October 31, 2026 -- Profound Medical Corp. (NASDAQ:PROF; TSX:PRN) has enlisted Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Montel Williams for its next Let's Huddle patient webinar on November 5, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. ET, extending the reach of its prostate care outreach program.

Williams will join host Leonard Wheeler, Profound's Global Patient Ambassador, to discuss health advocacy, resilience, informed healthcare decisions and protecting quality of life. Advance registration is required, and an archived recording will be posted on the Let's Huddle website after the live event.

Let's Huddle targets men and families navigating prostate care

Let's Huddle is a global patient community offering education, connection and support through the prostate care journey. Wheeler is a former professional football player with an eight-year NFL career, a Co-Executive Director for NFL Legends and a prostate cancer survivor.

Shanghai – October 31, 2026 -- Shanghai Zhimeng Biopharma has completed enrollment of 255 patients in the pivotal Phase 2/3 trial of CB03-154 for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), moving the potassium channel opener toward topline data and a possible new drug application in China.

Trial runs at 15 Chinese centers with a Week 39 primary endpoint

The study is led by Professor Fan Dongsheng of the 3rd Affiliated Hospital of Peking University and spans 15 clinical research centers in Mainland China. Its primary efficacy endpoint is the change from baseline in ALSFRS-R score at Week 39. China's Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) cleared the Phase 2/3 study in July 2025. The U.S. FDA granted CB03-154 Orphan Drug Designation in October 2023.

Osnabrück – October 31, 2026 -- The share of births with one-to-one midwife care during the key phase of labor has doubled from one in four to one in two since Germany's nationwide midwife services contract took effect, according to the statutory health insurers' association GKV-Spitzenverband.

Stefanie Stoff-Ahnis, deputy chair of the GKV-Spitzenverband, told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung that the result shows higher quality in care. The contract entered into force on November 1, 2025, and governs care by roughly 18,000 freelance midwives across Germany. According to the insurers, it has cut bureaucracy and raised pay.

Hourly rates rise 33% outside hospitals and more than double in clinics

For out-of-hospital work, hourly pay increased by just over 33% to about 74 euros. For one-to-one care in hospitals, the rate more than doubled to 85.40 euros per hour.

Shelton – October 30, 2026 -- Intensity Therapeutics (Nasdaq: INTS) will report third-quarter 2026 financial results before the market opens on November 5, 2026, with management hosting a live webcast and conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time to review the numbers and give a corporate update.

The quarter covers the period ended September 30, 2026. An archived webcast will be available for replay shortly after the call ends.

Phase 3 sarcoma trial is the late-stage anchor of the pipeline

The late-stage clinical biotech develops intratumoral cancer therapies. Its lead candidate, INT230-6, combines cisplatin and vinblastine sulfate with a penetration enhancer molecule called SHAO, which the company says disperses the drugs throughout tumors. The drug is injected directly into the tumor.

Burlington, Mass. – October 30, 2026 -- Azenta (Nasdaq: AZTA) has secured an exclusive license to Elegen Corp.'s cell-free DNA synthesis platform and acquired SynPlexity Inc., two moves aimed at expanding the gene synthesis and discovery capabilities of its GENEWIZ business.

Elegen license adds cell-free DNA manufacturing to the GENEWIZ portfolio

The Elegen platform is designed to improve DNA quality, delivery speed and manufacturing scalability. It supplies sequence-verified DNA constructs and templates that simplify preparation for downstream experiments, including antibody discovery.

Production workflows are compact, so regional capacity can be added close to customers as demand requires.

Berlin – October 30, 2026 -- Only 23.5% of respondents say they use Germany's electronic patient record (ePA), even though 81.5% know it, according to a representative Civey survey commissioned by industry association Pharma Deutschland, 18 months after the nationwide rollout.

Awareness is high, but usage has barely moved since launch

The ePA has been available nationwide since April 29, 2025. Pharma Deutschland says its surveys show awareness was already as high a year ago as it is today, while the number of users has hardly risen in that period.

Civey has run continuous live monitoring for the association since January 2025. Its representative results draw on 5,000 responses.

Bridgewater, N.J. – October 30, 2026 -- RVL Pharmaceuticals reported double-digit year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter, driven by rising consumer demand for its prescription eye drop Upneeq, a national celebrity campaign and a widened product line.

Upneeq anchors RVL's vertically integrated platform

Upneeq (oxymetazoline hydrochloride ophthalmic solution, 0.1%) treats acquired blepharoptosis, or low-lying eyelids. It is the core asset of RVL's omnichannel platform, which combines consumer demand generation, healthcare provider engagement, telemedicine, pharmacy fulfillment and data-driven insights. RVL puts the total addressable market for Upneeq at an estimated $2.5 billion.

MOUNT VERNON – October 30, 2026 -- Knox Community Hospital has signed a definitive agreement to join Kettering Health, a nonprofit health system in western Ohio, with the transaction expected to close by January 1, 2027. The two organizations signed a letter of intent in July.

Closing still depends on legal and regulatory reviews

The definitive agreement is the formal contract setting out the terms of the combination. The deal is not final and remains subject to customary closing conditions and legal and regulatory reviews. In the coming months, the organizations will continue permitted transition planning while completing the remaining steps required to close.

Berlin – October 30, 2026 -- All 34 digital health application (DiGA) companies surveyed by Bitkom report a worsening situation for manufacturers over the past two years, and 82% describe the deterioration as severe. Industry association Pharma Deutschland cited the findings in calling for reliable reimbursement and less bureaucracy for digital therapies.

Three in four manufacturers rate DiGA reimbursement as inadequate

74% of respondents consider current remuneration not or rather not appropriate relative to development, operating, evidence and approval effort. 85% see high development and approval costs as a drawback for economic viability, and 76% rate investment security as low.