Scientists at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London have reported a new advance for tissue engineered grafts in a lab-grown esophagus that has sufficient muscle regeneration to coordinate peristalsis, enabling the recipient to swallow. The aim is to generate grafts that can be used to treat babies born with the rare congenital condition esophageal atresia, in which the esophagus fails to connect to the stomach, usually forming a close pouch instead.

Facing increasing competition to PI3Kα inhibitor Piqray (alpelisib) in breast cancer, Novartis AG looks to bolster its pipeline with next-generation programs, including phase I/II-stage candidate SNV-4818, by way of a potential $3 billion deal with Synnovation Therapeutics LLC.

Embecta Corp. agreed to acquire Owen Mumford Holdings Ltd. for up to £150 million (US$200 million) in a bid to boost its drug-delivery platforms and medical device technologies. Specifically, the deal will bring to Embecta’s portfolio Owen Mumford’s Aidaptus autoinjector, a two-step, single use platform designed to accommodate both 1-mL and 2.25-mL prefilled glass syringes in the same base device.

In a sea of uncertainty, a large-scale, long-term Swedish study is the first to show that people using GLP-1 receptor agonists are less likely to have worsening mental illness. The study involved a national cohort of 95,490 people diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorder, who also were treated with any diabetes drug (apart from insulin).

Atrogi AB is making a bid for a slice of the obesity market and has dosed the first overweight subjects with ATR-258, an oral therapy it says mimics the effects of exercise, driving loss of fat whilst sparing muscle.

Roche Holding AG received CE Mark approval for its Elecsys Apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) biomarker test, an in vitro diagnostic immunoassay to identify the ApoE4 gene variant from a blood sample. With APOE4 considered as the strongest genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease, the test provides a fast, reliable way to determine whether an individual carries the genetic variant without the need for DNA‑based genotyping.

Mestag Therapeutics Ltd. has raised a $40 million round from existing investors as it completes final preparations for its lead program MST-0312 to enter clinical development in mid-2026. MST-0312 is a bispecific antibody aimed at the lymphotoxin-β receptor (LTBR), which is essential for the development of lymphoid tissues.

Amplifon SpA signed a definitive agreement with GN Store Nord A/S to acquire its entire hearing business for €2.3 billion (US$2.64 billion) on a cash-free and debt-free basis. The move by Amplifon will see it become a fully vertically integrated global player poised to transform the hearing care industry.

Boston Scientific Corp.’s Rezūm Water Vapor Therapy is superior at providing symptom relief for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) than combination drug therapy, according to 12-month data from the Vapeur clinical trial. Patients treated with Rezūm, a minimally invasive therapy, also saw a better preservation of their sexual function.

Enodia Therapeutics Inc. was spun out of The Institut Pasteur by Argobio Studio based on the work of Caroline Demangel, co-founder of Enodia and head of the immunobiology and therapy unit at The Institut Pasteur. Demangel’s lab discovered the mechanism of action of mycolactone, a natural Sec61 inhibitor that causes Buruli ulcers.