Roche Holding AG is looking to take a share of Illumina Inc.’s dominance in the gene sequencing market with the launch of Axelios 1, its next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform designed for accuracy, speed, flexibility, scalability and cost efficiency. The move signals a potential shift in the sequencing landscape as the technology aims to address critical bottlenecks in genomics.

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.

One company was looking to add to its royalty stream and R&D portfolio. The other was seeking strategic alternatives in the wake of clinical misfires over the last few years. In an agreement aimed at satisfying both goals, Zymeworks Inc. will acquire Theravance Biopharma Inc., paying $17 per share, or about $929 million, though the transaction is structured in a way that minimizes the former’s current capital position.

Ready or not, the future has arrived. Novel AI and brain-computer interface (BCI) systems are no longer confined to the realm of science fiction. As an increasingly intertwined human-machine model moves closer to adoption in real-world clinical and military practice, technological advances are sparking concerns over public health, ethics and national security.

The gut microbiota may be altered in people with depression as a result of treatment. These microorganisms reorganize differently in individuals who respond to therapy. In a multiomics study of antidepressant-naive patients presented at the 2026 World Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology (CINP), scientists from National Taiwan University found that patients who improved after antidepressant treatment maintained a more balanced and functional microbial ecosystem, recovered beneficial metabolites, and displayed blood-based biological signals that aligned with these changes.

Viridian Therapeutics Inc.’s U.S. FDA clearance of Lumvoa (veligrotug-vvze) to treat thyroid eye disease (TED) includes labeling for chronic as well as active forms, and fewer infusions – plus fast, durable effects – should give the IGF-1R antagonist leverage in competing with similarly targeted TED drug Tepezza (teprotumumab-trbw), owned by Amgen Inc. and approved in January 2020.