Biopharma deal value through the first half (H1) of 2026 reached $170.11 billion, surpassing every prior year in BioWorld’s records, including 2025’s $139.35 billion, the previous high-water mark. June was the second-strongest month of H1 at $34.59 billion, trailing only May’s $41.95 billion.
Rumblings that psychedelic treatments would soon be ready for prime time gained credence aplenty, and shares of Ataibeckley Inc. (NASDAQ:ATAI) ended July 16 at $7.15, up $1.79, or 33%, as Wall Street learned that Eli Lilly and Co. is taking over the psychedelics firm for $6.75 per share in cash plus up to $2.50 per share in the form of a contingent value right related to milestones for two Ataibeckley compounds.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit revived Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.’s breach-of-contract suit against Eli Lilly and Co. July 13, as it chided the lower court for dismissing the complaint at the pleadings stage.
The U.K. is setting up a nationwide registry of people with dementia, who will be pre-screened and consented, to speed up recruitment to clinical trials and collect real-world evidence of effectiveness once therapies are approved.
The House Select Committee on China launched an investigation into clinical trials involving U.S. companies that are conducted at Chinese military hospitals and in Xinjiang, China.
The House Select Committee on China launched an investigation into clinical trials involving U.S. companies that are conducted at Chinese military hospitals and in Xinjiang, China.
Abbisko Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has entered a research collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. to discover and develop innovative medicines across multiple targets, with the aim of advancing novel drug candidates with global potential.
The U.S. FDA’s new Precheck Pilot Program is taking flight with seven biopharma companies on board. As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to encourage onshoring of biopharma manufacturing, the program is intended to increase regulatory predictability, facilitate the construction of U.S. manufacturing sites and streamline the FDA’s plant assessments in advance of a specific product application.
Following an initial rebuff in February 2026, the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) is recommending approval of Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Daybu (trofinetide) for treating neurobehavioral symptoms of Rett syndrome, after it took another look at the file.
For the second time this year, the U.S. CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) canceled a scheduled meeting due to a federal judge’s stay that keeps the panel from meeting with its current membership. Typically, ACIP meets three times a year – in February, June and October. The 2026 June meeting was slated for June 23-25. Whether the adcom meets in October will be up to the courts and how far Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy digs in his heels to maintain a hand-picked committee tilted toward his view of vaccines.
