GSK plc is halting work with camlipixant, a P2X3 receptor antagonist, in adults with refractory chronic cough (RCC) after reporting mixed results from the Calm-1 and Calm-2 phase III trials. The first met its primary endpoint with camlipixant 50 mg twice daily showing statistically significant reductions in 24-hour cough frequency vs. placebo when measured at week 12. Calm-2, however, fell short when the drug was given according to the same regimen at week 24, and camlipixant at 25 mg twice daily did not make the grade in either study. Key secondary endpoints, including a chronic cough diary measure, did not achieve RCC thresholds in either study. Across both experiments, the overall incidence and severity of treatment-related adverse events were similar in patients given the active drug or placebo. GSK brought camlipixant aboard via the buyout in the spring of 2023 of Bellus Health Inc.

Open-label extension drives home benefits of Insmed’s PAH therapy

Insmed Inc. has delivered further evidence of the advantages of its once-daily pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) drug TPIP (treprostinil palmitil inhalation powder), with data from an open-label extension of the phase IIb trial showing patients in the treated arm maintained the benefits over 24 months. Meanwhile, the 31 patients previously on placebo who switched over to receive TPIP saw the same improvements after 12 months in the trial extension as seen in the active arm of the original study. Insmed stressed that the outcome measures were assessed 24 hours after the last administration of TPIP, a treprostinil prodrug. This is a demonstration that the once-per-day administration is effective and sets TPIP apart from two other DPIs, Liquidia Corp.’s Yutrepia which is administered three to five times per day, and United Therapeutics Corp.’s Tyvaso, dosed four times per day.

Danaher’s Leica to buy Statlab to expand pathology footprint

Leica Biosystems GmbH, agreed to buy Statlab Medical Products in a move that will strengthen parent company Danaher Corp.'s diagnostics and anatomical pathology portfolio with a broader range of consumables and instruments. Although the financial terms were not disclosed RBC Capital Markets analyst Dan Leonard reckoned that the deal could be valued at more than $1 billion.

June’s $25.7B M&A haul caps biopharma’s record-breaking first half

The value of M&As in the biopharma industry totaled $97.74 billion through the first half (H1) of 2026, the highest H1 total since 2020's $119.65 billion. June's largest acquisition was the closing of Eli Lilly and Co.'s purchase of Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc for $6.3 billion in up-front cash plus up to $1.5 billion in contingent value rights, securing a pipeline of orexin receptor 2 agonists for sleep disorders including narcolepsy.

New biomarker may improve RSV drug screening

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is responsible for 3.2 million hospital admissions and about 118,000 deaths in children under 5 years of age. The increased risk of RSV infection (and other infectious diseases) in young children is broadly attributed to their immature immune system. But researchers from University College London have published work suggesting that this is not the only reason.

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