Bridgebio Pharma Inc. disclosed positive top-line results from Propel 3, the global phase III pivotal study of oral infigratinib in children with achondroplasia. Change from baseline in annualized height velocity (AHV) proved superior to placebo, with a least-squares (LS) mean treatment difference of +1.74 cm/year and a mean treatment difference of +2.10 cm/year. In line with this, the secondary endpoint of absolute AHV at week 52 showed a significant improvement with infigratinib vs. placebo, as the infigratinib arm achieved the highest LS mean absolute AHV reported to date in a randomized trial in the disease (5.96 cm/year compared to 4.22 cm/year on placebo). Shares of Bridgebio (NASDAQ:BBIO) were trading at $79.40, up $6.07.

Viking to push oral GLP-1/GIP drug into phase III obesity trial

Viking Therapeutics Inc. said after-market hours Feb. 11 that it plans to advance its oral dual GLP-1/GIP receptor, VK-2735, into a phase III trial for obesity in the third quarter of 2026. VK-2735 is a novel dual glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GLP-1/GIP) receptor agonist. Viking is developing the candidate in both subcutaneous and tablet formulations for metabolic disorders, including obesity.

Newco news: Quantx raises $85M to advance oral immunology drugs

After closing an oversubscribed $85 million series B round, Quantx Biosciences Inc. is gearing up to begin clinical trials of its two lead immunology compounds, a STAT6 oral small-molecule inhibitor and an IL-17 oral small-molecule inhibitor. Quantx has developed a world class computational drug discovery platform by merging physics-based and statistical modeling with computational chemistry to develop high-quality, oral small-molecule candidates, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Wayne Tang told BioWorld. Tang co-founded the company in 2022 with his partner Yax Sun, who is the company’s chief technology officer and the former modeling head at Amazon.

Human-relevant models line up to replace animal tests in preclinical research

The pressure to replace animal testing with human-relevant assays that are more predictive of human-drug responses has now reached a tipping point, and there is a movement toward greater acceptance of these potentially more translatable tests. Particular spurs include the U.S. FDA in December 2025 setting out its roadmap to phase out animal testing in preclinical research by 2035, with a counterpart roadmap due to be published by the European Commission in Q1 2026. Meanwhile, the EMA is working on a pilot program with the pharma industry to gain confidence in, and better understanding of, the wide range of technologies that are now collectively referred to as new approach methodologies.

Investors raise concerns on 2026 financing for early stage med tech

Med-tech companies looking for capital will have to work harder this year to attract investor attention. Even though investment firms have money to deploy, the capital will go toward more targeted opportunities and later-stage companies. For early stage med tech, 2026 is expected to be a tough year, which is raising concerns about the pipeline of innovative technologies in the long term. Still, some investors remain committed to backing early stage companies recognizing the transformative potential of the devices being developed and the impact they could have on patients’ lives.

IPO window reopens, med-tech class of 2025 gains 26%

After a prolonged downturn, the med-tech IPO market rebounded in 2025, with deal value surging to $13.01 billion across 31 offerings. The recovery followed two muted years, with just $619 million raised in 2024 and a low-point of $110 million in 2023. Total value not only marked the strongest year since the 2021 peak, but also surpassed all prior years.

Also in the news

Agilent, Aim Immunotech, Avicanna, Biocardia, Biocodex, Biofrontera, Biorestorative, Calbiotech, Bioxytran, Crystalys, Eccogene, Envoy, Evogen, Formycon, FYR Bio, Galecto, GSK, Helsinn, Heparegenix, Immune Bio, Insight Molecular, Intrabio, Liquid, Lotus, Magnapharm, Merck, Moderna, Nasus, Neogap, Outlook, Owlet, Pharmala, Regenxbio, Secura, Takeda, Theranexus, Ultima Genomics, Upstream Bio, Wellumio, Zoll

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