At the busy annual congress of the American College of Surgeons in Chicago, attendees heard about a study that found rectal bleeding in younger adults – those under 50 years of age – increased their odds of a colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis by a shocking 850%. Already, the demographic has turned up sharply higher cases of the disease in recent years. The ACS meeting was held Oct. 4-7.

Drug developer stocks strengthened further through September and October, with the BioWorld Drug Developers Index (BDDI) rising from a 7.69% gain at the end of August, to 24.91% through the third quarter and 28.96% at October’s close. The BDDI outperformed both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which finished October up 24.49% and 11.8%, respectively.

Biopharma financings from January through October 2025 totaled $61.45 billion, roughly in line with the $61.04 billion raised during the same period in 2023 but down sharply from last year’s $93.83 billion.

In 2025, the biopharma industry has undergone a wave of workforce reductions that surpasses previous years’ trends. Multiple major pharma companies have announced sizeable job cuts, driven by a convergence of shifting regulatory terrain, vaccine slowdowns and cost-structure rationalization.

Just as investors were looking ahead to news by year-end on Prelude Therapeutics Inc.’s SMARCA2-targeted degraders, the firm said work in the space will be halted, with efforts shifting toward the mutant selective JAK2V617F JH2 inhibitor program by way of a new deal with Incyte Corp.