Ipsen SA is expanding its cancer portfolio with the €1 billion (US$1.16 billion) acquisition of immuno-oncology specialist Imcheck SAS, and will pay €350 million up front with the balance to come in regulatory and sales-based milestones for the lead program ICT-01.

Moderna Inc. stopped its efforts to develop mRNA-1647 as a vaccine for preventing congenital cytomegalovirus infection, the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the U.S. The pivotal and placebo-controlled phase III CMVictory study of mRNA-1647 missed the primary efficacy endpoint, which was preventing the infection in seronegative females ages 16 to 40.

Interim results from the PRIMAVERA study published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that Science Corp.'s Prima retinal implant restored vision, enabling 80% of patients to read at 12 months. Participants had age-related macular degeneration-related geographic atrophy resulting in total loss of central vision.

The failure of Alector Inc.’s phase III study of latozinemab in treating dementia halved the company’s stock on Oct. 22. That is also about the same percentage of staff that Alector is letting go after the clinical trial stumble.

While positive results from the investigator-led phase II CHOPIN trial at ESMO 2025 failed to get investors dancing, they were no doubt music to management’s ears, particularly with Delcath Systems Inc.’s third quarter earnings report missing a beat.

Neuphoria Therapeutics Inc.’s phase III study of social anxiety disorder has missed its primary and secondary endpoints, prompting the company to stop the program’s development and hold a full strategic review of its operations and portfolio. It’s the second stumble for lead candidate BNC-210, a negative allosteric modulator of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, in the indication.

While positive results from the investigator-led phase II CHOPIN trial at the 2025 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Annual Congress being held in Berlin failed to get investors dancing, they were no doubt music to management’s ears, particularly with Delcath Systems Inc.’s third quarter earnings report missing a beat.

Despite a recent stock surge, Olema Oncology Inc. shares (NASDAQ:OLMA) slipped 17% on Oct. 20 to close at $7.77 each in the wake of updated and positive phase Ib/II results for palazestrant, the company’s metastatic breast cancer drug.

Much-awaited detailed data from Exelixis Inc.’s phase III Stellar-303 study of zanzalintinib, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting, showed the third-generation, oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor in combination with Tecentriq (atezolizumab, Roche AG) reduced the risk of death by 20% vs. Stivarga (regorafenib, Bayer AG) in patients with previously treated non-microsatellite instability (MSI)-high metastatic colorectal cancer and are expected to pave the way for an NDA filing later this year.