In an all-cash transaction valued at €780 million (US$920 million), Asahi Kasei Corp. offered to buy Aicuris Anti-infective Cures AG, expanding its infectious disease portfolio with a marketed cytomegalovirus product and a herpes treatment nearing an NDA. Aicuris won U.S. FDA approval in 2017 for Prevymis (letermovir) to prevent cytomegalovirus reactivation in seropositive adults receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell and kidney transplants, with global partner Merck & Co. Inc. reporting sales of $978 million in 2025. Aicuris also has in clinical development antisense oligonucleotide AIC-468 to treat BK virus reactivation in kidney transplant patients, and helicase-primase inhibitor pritelivir, which targets both herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, holds the FDA’s breakthrough therapy designation, and is set for an NDA filing this quarter. The merger is expected to close in the first half of 2026.

Ataibeckley shares dip on phase II with R-MDMA candidate in SAD

Ataibeckley Inc. disclosed positive top-line data from an exploratory, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled, first-in-patient phase IIa study testing oral R-MDMA therapy EMP‑01 in adults with social anxiety disorder (SAD). The study met its primary safety objective and generated encouraging secondary and exploratory efficacy signals in a highly severe, difficult‑to‑treat SAD population, Ataibeckley said. Shares (NASDAQ:ATAI) were trading at $3.73, down 61 cents, or 14%.

FDA approves Allurion’s gastric balloon system

The U.S. FDA approved Allurion Technologies Inc.’s premarket application for its swallowable gastric balloon system, which features its Smart Capsule, for weight loss. The clearance is boon for the company as GLP-1 agonists gets increasingly adopted to treat obesity. The approval also brings to the market a new non-invasive option to patients looking for alternative ways to lose weight.

Biocom 2026: the state of venture capital investments

At Biocom’s Global Partnering and Investor Conference, venture capitalists on multiple panels gave their thoughts on the state of venture investing and offered advice for startups interested in securing funding. Sentiment for early stage investment was mixed; one panelist noted that it’s “much harder to raise money,” while another described the market as “pretty neutral.” Timeframes to reach inflection points have compacted, which has made investing in platform companies more challenging.

CROI 2026 highlights depression and cognitive vulnerability in HIV

The effects of aging pose an additional challenge for people with HIV due to the neurological and psychological consequences that persist despite antiretroviral therapy. At the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections held Feb. 22-25, 2026, in Denver, the scientific community examined how the virus affects the brain, how the reservoir is established in the CNS, and which genetic, immunological or treatment-related factors influence cognitive health. In this context, depression emerges as a relevant issue that cannot be understood solely as an emotional response to diagnosis or stigma, but rather as a biological and multifactorial phenomenon.

Jiuyuan seeks approval of Wegovy biosimilar in China

China’s National Medical Products Administration has accepted for review Jiuyuan Genetic Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s drug application for Jikeqin, a biosimilar product to Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy (semaglutide) for obesity. Announced in a securities filing Feb. 25, Jikeqin is positioned to become the first glucagon-like peptide-1 copy product in China for weight loss in obese or overweight individuals.

Wave of deals lifts large-cap biopharma stocks

The BioWorld Biopharmaceutical Index (BBI) ended 2025 up 24.07%. Large-cap biopharmas listed on the BBI remained active on the dealmaking front in late 2025 and into early 2026. Much of the most news over the period centered on M&A activity, such as Biomarin Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s acquisition of Amicus Therapeutics Inc., Sanofi SA taking over Dynavax Technologies Corp., GSK plc acquiring Rapt Therapeutics Inc., and Eli Lilly and Co.’s planned purchase of Ventyx Biosciences Inc.

Ninth Circuit agrees with Lilly in royalty dispute

Eli Lilly and Co. got a breather this week when the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the company didn’t owe Research Corporation Technologies Inc. (RCT) royalties on its diabetes drugs under a licensing agreement Lilly had made with Phillips Petroleum Co. in 1990 and that Phillips later sold to RCT. In so doing, the appeals court reversed a lower court’s summary judgment that had put Lilly on the hook for the royalties it said it didn’t owe.

Also in the news

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