Healthcare, Pharma & Life Sciences

Fremont – October 19, 2026 -- Ultima Genomics' UG200 Sequencing Platform has been selected to power a single-cell immune profiling study of 80,000 UK Biobank blood samples, run with IMU Biosciences to produce a foundational dataset for AI.

Study starts with 80,000 samples and targets the full 500,000-participant cohort

The project combines IMU's High Definition (HD) Immunology platform, the BD FACSDiscover Cell Analyzer platform, the BD Rhapsody single-cell multiomics platform from Waters Corporation and Ultima's sequencing. The initial cohort is 80,000 blood samples from UK Biobank participants. The partners aim to expand across the full UK Biobank cohort of 500,000 participants.

Boston – October 19, 2026 -- Ascentria Care Alliance is the subject of an upcoming "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia" segment, filmed in Worcester, Massachusetts, that presents workforce development and immigrant integration as a response to a shrinking caregiving workforce and an aging U.S. population.

Segment frames care shortages as a systems problem

The feature argues that traditional healthcare systems struggle to meet the long-term needs of older adults when they operate in isolation. It points to social determinants of health, including housing stability, transportation and language access, as the foundation for community infrastructure that supports people at every life stage.

Basel – October 19, 2026 -- WuXi Biologics will expand annual capacity to approximately 300 IND programs and 20 BLA programs by 2027, as bispecific antibodies and ADCs made up 71% of the 169 projects it added in the first half of 2026. More than two-thirds of those new programs originated in the United States and Europe, the company said at its 3rd annual Basel CRDMO+ Day, held alongside Festival of Biologics Basel 2026, which drew more than 3,000 industry professionals.

The company's portfolio stands at 1,064 integrated projects, including 399 first-in-class programs, 732 global IND clearances and more than 90 market authorizations. More than 100 biotech and pharma leaders attended the Basel session.

Singapore – October 19, 2026 -- HistoIndex and Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly run preclinical evaluation and characterization of therapeutic candidates for fibrotic diseases, including cancer-associated fibrosis.

A*STAR pipeline candidates will be measured with HistoIndex's AI-based tissue analysis

The agreement pairs A*STAR's therapeutic development capabilities with HistoIndex's proprietary imaging technology and fully quantitative, AI-powered tissue analysis. HistoIndex's platform will provide objective, sensitive and accurate measures of fibrosis and treatment response across A*STAR's pipeline. Researchers are expected to use the data to decide which candidates to advance.

Shanghai – October 19, 2026 -- Mabwell's Nectin-4-targeting antibody-drug conjugate 9MW2821 (Bulumtatug Fuvedotin, "BFv") achieved a 30.0% objective response rate in 60 efficacy-evaluable triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients previously treated with a topoisomerase I (Topo I) ADC, according to Phase II data to be presented orally at the 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress.

Phase II data show 80% disease control and 8.7-month response duration

The study (CTR20242376) evaluates 9MW2821 as monotherapy or combined with a PD-1 monoclonal antibody in locally advanced or metastatic TNBC. Data are as of October 19, 2026.

Barcelona – October 19, 2026 -- Young adults who received antibiotics from childhood onward had 1.5 times the odds of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) at age 24 (95% CI 1.0–2.2), according to a study presented at UEG Week 2026.

Study tracks 2,853 Swedish participants from age 9–11

Researchers analysed data from 2,853 participants in the Swedish BAMSE birth cohort. Antibiotic prescriptions came from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, covering 2005, when participants were aged 9–11, until one year before IBS was assessed at age 24.

At 24, 10.0% of participants had IBS. Antibiotic exposure was higher among those with IBS, at 87.8%, versus 80.2% among those without. The 1.5-times odds ratio was adjusted for sex and family socioeconomic status.

Indianapolis – October 19, 2026 -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) will present first Phase 1 data for its investigational FRα-targeting antibody-drug conjugate sofetabart mipitecan (Sofe-M) in platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer (PSOC) at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, October 23–27 in Madrid, alongside updated data across lung, thyroid and breast cancer programs.

Sofe-M plus bevacizumab data in PSOC backs ongoing Phase 3 trial

Lilly will give a rapid oral presentation on the first Phase 1 results for Sofe-M combined with bevacizumab in PSOC. The company says the data support the ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of Sofe-M in PSOC.

North Chicago – October 19, 2026 -- AbbVie will present new and updated data on seven solid tumor assets at the 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, October 23-27 in Madrid, the company's most expansive ESMO program to date. The data span lung, colorectal, ovarian, prostate and gastric cancers, across antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), bispecific antibodies and combination regimens.

Temab-A posts 30% response rate in colorectal cancer combination

In a Phase 1 study of previously treated advanced colorectal cancer, Temab-A (telisotuzumab adizutecan) at 2.4 mg/kg plus bevacizumab delivered a 30% overall response rate after a median follow-up of 18.2 months. Median overall survival reached 14.7 months with the combination (n=30), against 10.2 months for standard of care (n=20), regardless of c-Met expression. No new safety signals were observed. The combination is now in the global Phase 3 AndroMETa-CRC-560 study.

Valby, Denmark – October 18, 2026 -- H. Lundbeck A/S plans to install former Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen as Chair of its Board after the 2027 Annual General Meeting (AGM), succeeding Dorothea Wenzel, who will step down at that meeting.

Jørgensen joins the Board as observer on 10 November 2026

Jørgensen will take an observer seat on 10 November 2026 and will remain in that role until the AGM 2027. At that meeting he is expected to be formally elected as a Board member, subject to shareholder approval. The Board intends to elect him Chair thereafter. Nominated candidates will be listed in the notice convening the AGM 2027.

Menlo Park, Calif. – October 18, 2026 -- Antheia has received a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of War's Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) for a direct, long-term loan of up to $80 million to expand domestic production of critical pharmaceutical ingredients.

The loan, together with additional private capital, would fund Antheia's U.S. manufacturing strategy. The company's advanced biosynthesis platform is the technology behind the planned onshoring effort.

U.S. depends on foreign suppliers for about 90 percent of key drug inputs

The U.S. relies on foreign countries for approximately 90 percent of its key starting materials (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The source names public health emergencies, natural disasters, geopolitical tensions and supply chain failures as drivers of drug shortages that follow from this dependence.