Biopharma and med-tech happenings, including deals and partnerships, and other news in brief: Humacyte, Karo, Lakewood-Amedex, Ligand, Moberg, Pridcor, Royal Philips, Senseonics, Xoma.
Eli Lilly and Co. is acquiring Ajax Therapeutics Inc. for up to $2.3 billion in cash, gaining access to next-generation JAK inhibitors for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Now that the FDA is on board with doing away with the U.S.’ unique two-tier biosimilar pathway, the biosimilar industry is urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act, which would recognize that biosimilars and interchangeables are one and the same.
The funding momentum that was building at the end of 2025 was maintained in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, with a rebound in venture capital (VC) investment in U.K. biotech. Overall investment in the sector during Q1 was £552 million (US$748 million), of which £516 million was in VC.
Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. will pay $11.75 billion cash to acquire Organon & Co. The transaction is expected to close in early 2027. The addition of Organon’s women’s health products, legacy drug brands and biosimilars are expected to boost Mumbai, India-based Sun’s global reach. The all-cash buy is also expected to relieve Jersey City, N.J.-based Organon of an $8.6 billion debt pile, accumulated after its debt-laden 2021 spinout from Merck & Co. Inc.
New data on pulsed field ablation (PFA) presented at Heart Rhythm 2026 in Chicago over the weekend continue to show the benefits and superiority of the technologies in treating patients with atrial fibrillation. The PFA landscape is fast-evolving and med-tech players are jostling for market share with ever-differentiated platforms looking to attract electrophysiologists.
Having already hit the primary endpoint of overall response rate in the phase II/III Companion-002 study testing the bispecific antibody tovecimig in biliary tract cancer, Compass Therapeutics Inc. rolled out new data from the same experiment and plans to meet with the U.S. FDA to discuss a BLA. Shares of the Boston-based firm (NASDAQ:CMPX) closed April 27 at $1.79, down about 64%, or $3.23, as Wall Street sifted the results.