Latest Headlines from Cafepharma

India’s Sun Pharma wins South Africa approval to launch generic Ozempic

CNBC Africa — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:57:33 -0400

India’s Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has received approval from South Africa’s health regulator to manufacture and sell a generic version of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s top-selling diabetes and obesity drugs.

AAIC: Roche ‘very interested’ in testing tau for Alzheimer’s despite focus on phase 3-stage amyloid drug

Fierce Biotech — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:54:18 -0400

Roche’s biggest bet in the Alzheimer’s disease space may be its phase 3-stage amyloid asset, but the Swiss pharma is keeping its options open when it comes to targeting tau.

J&J axes eye disease gene therapy after key phase 2b readout

Fierce Biotech — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:37:46 -0400

Johnson & Johnson has stopped development of an eye disease gene therapy after reviewing data from one of its key readouts for 2026.

AAIC 2026: Lilly keeps door open for maintenance Kisunla after amyloid clearance

BioSpace — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:36:01 -0400

Eli Lilly’s anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s drug is designed to be stopped after patients drop below a certain amyloid level in the brain. However, at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Wednesday, Lilly revealed it is studying the potential of maintenance therapy for patients who need it.

Pfizer scraps Seagen-developed ADC for solid tumors

BioSpace — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:33:30 -0400

Just weeks after Pfizer’s Seagen-acquired antibody-drug conjugate sigvotatug vedotin failed a Phase 3 non-small cell lung cancer study, the big pharma has quietly culled another program being developed by the ADC specialist.

Johnson & Johnson beats earnings expectations and hikes its full-year outlook

Quartz — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:09:15 -0400

Johnson & Johnson $JNJ -0.70% reported second-quarter sales of $25.31 billion on Wednesday, up 6.6% from a year earlier, as strong demand for drugs in its Innovative Medicine segment helped the company top expectations and lift its full-year guidance.

Celcuity Shares Fall as Delayed Breast Cancer Drug Launch Eclipses First US FDA Approval

US News/Reuters — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:07:05 -0400

Study flags need to monitor frailty risks with GLP-1 drugs for older adults

ET Pharma — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:02:49 -0400

Potential signs of frailty in older adults taking Eli Lilly's GLP-1 obesity drug Zepbound may signal relatively high risks for adverse outcomes, according to a large study that underscores concerns about how best to monitor seniors as U.S. Medicare expands access to GLP-1 therapies.

Fresh off buyout, Akero execs reunite to advance long-acting psoriasis pill

BioPharma Dive — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:55:55 -0400

Set to go public via a reverse merger, Avere has licensed from a prolific Chinese drugmaker rights to a potential threat to medicines like Skyrizi and Icotyde.

AI specialist Chai Discovery raises $400m

Pharmaphorum — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:53:44 -0400

Fresh from signing an alliance with Novartis, Chai Discovery has raised $400 million in a third-round financing to support the further development of its AI-driven molecular design platform.

Biogen, Ionis trumpet Alzheimer's data, but shares dip

Pharmaphorum — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:50:58 -0400

Biogen and Ionis have revealed the first clinical results with tau-targeting Alzheimer's drug candidate diranersen, showing it was able to slow cognitive decline, but shares in both companies were affected by some misgivings about the data.

FDA finalizes psychedelic clinical trial guidance

Clinical Trials Arena — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:40:23 -0400

The FDA document details recommendations for trial design, participant safety, abuse potential, and data collection. In conjunction with the guidance, the FDA and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a public hearing on the therapeutic use of psychedelics, scheduled for 14 September.

Q32 Bio stock soared after its alopecia drug cleared a key clinical bar

Quartz — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:38:31 -0400

The biotech's Phase 2a study of bempikibart showed a 35.3% mean reduction in hair loss scores, with the company planning a registration-directed program by early 2027

Summit sells failed antibiotic to OpenAI-backed startup in $105M deal

Fierce Biotech — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:34:37 -0400

Summit Therapeutics has cleared out an asset from its pre-ivonescimab history, offloading the antibiotic candidate ridinilazole to the OpenAI-backed startup Biossil for $500,000 upfront.

Exit of Roche’s embattled Huntington’s drug ‘tightens’ case for Wave’s more selective ASO

BioSpace — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:11:06 -0400

The failure of Roche’s Ionis-partnered tominersen in Huntington’s disease may indicate that Wave Life Sciences’ allele-specific antisense oligonucleotide candidate WVE-003 is on the right track, according to analysts at Rodman & Renshaw.

FDA's latest onshoring move homes in on streamlined facility registration, foreign plant scrutiny

Fierce Pharma — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:05:03 -0400

In an initiative to increase the efficiency of drug manufacturing in the United States, the FDA has proposed a streamlined pathway for registering production facilities that operate under a “hub-and-spoke” model.

The new rule would cut red tape, allowing manufacturing entities that have equivalent production units at different locations to register as a single establishment instead of having each unit register and gain clearance separately.

Top 10 340B drugs in 2025

Beckers Hospital Review — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:59:52 -0400

Ten medications accounted for about 28.6% of the $100 billion in 340B outpatient drug purchases in 2025, according to new data from HRSA released July 13. The figure comes as 340B purchases hit a record $100 billion for the year, continuing a stretch of double-digit annual growth for the program.

Edwards will pay $10M to settle FTC charges of skirting antitrust review

Medtech Dive — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:55:09 -0400

The artificial heart valve maker will settle allegations it deliberately structured its deal to acquire JC Medical to sidestep a Hart-Scott-Rodino review.

Biogen data highlight promise, questions surrounding tau-targeting Alzheimer’s drugs

BioPharma Dive — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:47:51 -0400

The study provides the clearest evidence yet that medicines like BIIB080 might improve cognition, but leaves unclear why higher doses didn’t perform better.

AstraZeneca takes another China trip, picking Dizal’s lung cancer drug for up to $1.5B

BioSpace — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:45:30 -0400

Dizal Pharmaceutical’s Zegfrovy is approved in the U.S. for locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. For $600 million upfront, AstraZeneca will gain global rights to advance and commercialize the asset.

FDA clears at-home start dose for Alzheimer's drug Leqembi

Pharmaphorum — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:41:31 -0400

After a delay, Eisai and Biogen have won FDA approval for their new subcutaneous formulation of Alzheimer's disease therapy Leqembi as a starting dose, adding to its current use as a maintenance therapy.

Spero snaps up Innovent immunology drug in strategic pivot

Pharmaphorum — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:40:03 -0400

Spero Therapeutics has licensed rights to an anti-CD40L antibody developed by China's Innovent Biologics, planning to develop it for IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disorder that causes tumour-like masses in organs.

Top emerging biotech hubs in 2026

Fierce Biotech — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:42:14 -0400

When it comes to centers for biotech innovation and expansion, well-established locations such as Boston and South San Francisco have long dominated the field. But in the last few years, an array of other cities have emerged to stake their claim by offering government incentives, new developments, a lower cost of living and other advantages.

These regions hope to ride the wave of the life sciences industry’s increased prominence since the pandemic. That attention has helped spark a global real estate boom, with more than 35 million square feet of lab and R&D space under construction in 2024, according to a report from real estate firm CBRE last year.

Top medical device deals shaping the industry in 2026

Medical Device and Diagnostics — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:37:14 -0400

MD+DI editors have compiled a list of the deals that capture the biggest trends in 2026. Listed in order of significance, we present the deals that are shaping and transforming the industry.

Star Padcev-Keytruda combo expands bladder cancer reach with FDA approval

Fierce Pharma — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:33:04 -0400

The increasingly more popular combination of Padcev and Keytruda has expanded its bladder cancer territory once again.

Thanks to an FDA nod on July 10, Padcev and Keytruda have become the first muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) treatment that does not require considerations over the patient’s eligibility for cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

FDA posts new rejection letters days after confirming pause

BioSpace — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:31:26 -0400

The FDA last week confirmed that it would suspend the release of complete response letters pending the resolution of a citizen petition from an unnamed pharma company. Nevertheless, 14 new CRLs are now available on the agency’s portal.

Biotech startup funding gap widens despite rebound in VC investment

BioPharma Dive — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:26:40 -0400

Nearly 70 venture-backed biotechnology startups raised more than $9.1 billion between January and June, according to BioPharma Dive data, but the majority already had drugs in testing.

FDA takes first step toward ‘de facto’ ad ban: What to know

Medical Marketing and Media — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:22:41 -0400

The FDA has taken its first step to remove the adequate provision guidance around pharma DTC ads, which would require TV and radio ads to list full safety and risk information, in a proposed rule.

Mylan to sell up to $363 million stake in India's Biocon, term sheet shows

Economic Times, India — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:18:05 -0400

Mylan Inc, part of a global healthcare company Viatris, plans to sell up to 92 million shares in Indian ‌drugmaker ⁠Biocon Ltd, ⁠worth up to 34.81 billion Indian rupees ($363 million), according to a term sheet seen by Reuters.

Illumina builds out C-suite with 2 new execs

Medtech Dive — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:15:03 -0400

Illumina has named two executives to lead its commercial and legal affairs teams.
Mike Sullivan will join Illumina as chief commercial officer on July 20 and Julie Coletti will join as chief legal officer starting Aug. 3, according to a Thursday announcement.