Budo judo moves aplenty for Climb in autoimmune
Climb Bio Inc. outlined May 5 an enticing data spill ahead this year with Fc-enhanced monoclonal antibody budoprutug (budo) in autoimmune diseases. Mizuho analyst Joseph Catanzaro appreciated in his report Wellesley Hills, Mass.-based Climb’s “conviction that CD19 represents a best-in-class pan-B-cell depletion target across antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases – a relative white space for conventional mAbs.”

Budo judo moves aplenty for Climb in autoimmune
Climb Bio Inc. outlined May 5 an enticing data spill ahead this year with Fc-enhanced monoclonal antibody budoprutug (budo) in autoimmune diseases. Mizuho analyst Joseph Catanzaro appreciated in his report Wellesley Hills, Mass.-based Climb’s “conviction that CD19 represents a best-in-class pan-B-cell depletion target across antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases – a relative white space for conventional mAbs.”
Odyssey’s IPO, placement brings $304M to lead drugs in IBD, lupus
Raising $279 million in an IPO and another $25 million in a concurrent private placement, Odyssey Therapeutics Inc. is advancing its lead phase II asset, OD-001, in ulcerative colitis, with plans to bring its SLC15A4 program into the clinic for lupus.
Mobia debuts on Nasdaq to bring stroke therapy to more patients
Mobia Medical Inc. began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker MOBI on May 8. The company priced its IPO at the midpoint of its proposed $14 to $16 range, selling 10 million shares at $15 each and raising approximately $150 million. The stock closed at $11.75 its first day of trading, down 21.7%.
Scarlet raises $4M to take manufactured red blood cells into clinic
Scarlet Therapeutics Ltd. has demonstrated its manufactured red blood cells (RBCs) act in the same way as their natural counterparts in vivo, opening the way for the cells to be used as drug delivery vehicles and raising the possibility they could replace conventional blood transfusions. To build on this, Scarlet has closed a $4 million seed round to work on the first clinical application, in which RBCs loaded with therapeutic proteins will be used to treat rare metabolic diseases.
Today's news in brief
BioWorld briefs for May 8, 2026.
APAC monitors hantavirus as Singapore isolates 2 from cruise ship
Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency on May 7 said that it isolated two residents for hantavirus testing after the individuals disembarked from an Atlantic cruise ship on May 2 and May 6, respectively. The measure comes in response to the cluster of cases from the cruise ship, MV Hondius, that has resulted in three deaths so far.
In vivo mRNA gene therapy platform reprograms cytotoxic T cells
A new mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (mRNA-LNP) platform could selectively reprogram in vivo cytotoxic effector T cells (Teff), the cells responsible for eliminating infected or tumor cells. To achieve this, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania conjugated LNPs with fractalkine, a molecule that binds to the CX3CR1 receptor, which is a marker of Teff cells. Using this strategy, the researchers delivered an mRNA encoding new proteins such as IL‑2 or human CD62 L‑selectin, opening the door to temporarily reprogramming these cells within the body, both in the blood and in lymphoid tissue, where they reside and become activated.
Follow-ons hit 7-year high, lead med-tech's $10B start to 2026
Med-tech financing activity in the first four months of 2026 reached $10.05 billion, similar to 2025’s $10.31 billion and 2022’s $10.62 billion. While below the peak years of 2019-2021, when financings were above $15 billion in the time period, total value is still above the levels seen in 2023-2024. April saw $1.51 billion raised, compared to $2.44 billion in March, $4.55 billion in February and $1.52 billion in January.

BioWorld Insider podcast

The opioid crisis may not be front and center anymore, but it’s raging still. Elysium Therapeutics Inc. CEO Greg Sturmer talks about his firm’s candidate for a solution to the medical and societal problem.

Listen now

Analysis and data insight

Hantavirus is ‘sentinel’ more than acute pandemic threat
Science
News of eight infections and three deaths so far due to an emerging zoonotic virus has brought back unhappy memories of the early days of SARS-CoV-2. At a press conference on Thursday, officials from the WHO did their best to calm the public’s fears that the MV Hondius, the ship currently heading...
Moderna, Vir among early 2026 top infectious disease gainers
Infection
Infectious disease-focused biopharma stocks, tracked on the BioWorld Infectious Disease Index (BIDI), saw their collective shares roughly follow the path of broader markets like the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (NBI) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) in early 2026. The BIDI ended April up...
Kailera's record IPO headlines strong April for biopharma financings
Financings
Biopharma financing activity is continuing its rebound in early 2026 compared to the past several years. Total funding reached $38.66 billion in the first four months of 2026, more than doubling 2025’s $15.85 billion in the same period and also exceeding 2022 and 2023. While still below the peak...
Swiss Biotech reports record private investment, employment in 2025
Financings
Privately-funded biotechs in Switzerland raised a record CHF1.15 billion (US$1.47 billion) in 2025, an increase of 38% over 2024, and 45% of the total capital raised by the sector. This was a significant advance on previous years, when private companies typically attracted about 30% of overall...

Financings

China med-tech raises: Star Sports’ $105M IPO; Cofoe nabs $133M
Medical technology
Star Sports Medicine Co. Ltd. debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with an HK$829.55 million (US$105.86 million) IPO May 5, with shares closing about 118% higher on the first day.

Medical technology

US FDA tries out 1-day inspections
Regulatory
Even before the U.S. FDA announced its one-day inspection pilot May 6, it already had test-flown 46 of the shorter inspections across several of its centers.

Multiple appearances on Priority Watch List leading to action?
Regulatory
It’s a sure bet when the U.S. Trade Representative releases its annual Special 301 Report that Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela will be on the Priority Watch List. The 2026 report was no exception.
MMI’s Symani system treats Alzheimer’s patient in IDE study
Clinical
Medical Microinstruments Inc.’s (MMI) Symani surgical system was used to treat a patient with Alzheimer’s disease as part of a study evaluating robotic-enabled microsurgery for the condition. The procedure investigated whether restoring lymphatic drainage pathways in the deep cervical lymph nodes...

Newco news

Eyes are first prize for newco Link Biologics
Science
The classic origin story for a biotech startup is that of a scientist who nurtures his work out of a university and to commercial success. For Link Biologics Ltd. and its TSG6-based pipeline, the story is the other way around; it began with now-CEO Reuben Dawkins meeting University of Manchester...
Pilatus PLT-012 takes immunometabolic approach to reprogram TME
Cancer
Pilatus Bio Inc. is working to address a major under-addressed target of current checkpoint inhibitors: metabolic stress within solid tumors. “Traditional immunotherapies release immune ‘brakes,’ but they do not address the underlying metabolic stress in tumors,” Pilatus CEO and cofounder Raven Lin...
Anaptysbio’s spinout First Tracks hits the slopes
Immune
Anaptysbio Inc. announced in September of 2025 that it planned to separate its drug development business from the royalties it receives on Jemperli (dostarlimab) from GSK plc and imsidolimab from Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. Just seven months later, on April 20, 2026, well ahead of its “year-end...
Tortugas launches with $106M for neurology, neuropsychiatric drugs
Financings
Tortugas Neuroscience Inc. came out of its shell to announce the raising of $106 million between its seed and series A financing rounds. “We like the symbolism of the sea turtle – long-lived, persistent, very determined,” Tortugas CEO Jeff Jonas said of the company’s name.
Remedy pushes ‘cell-free’ secretome therapy for IPF into phase I
Clinical
“Single drugs targeting single biological pathways are insufficient for complex diseases,” Remedy Cell Ltd. CEO Ayelet Dilion Mashiah told BioWorld. Remedy is taking a secretome-based approach to treat lung disorders, having moved its lead asset, RC-0315, into a first-in-human clinical trial for...

U.S.

Phase II Engene trouble: NMIBC detalimogene data throttle stock
Clinical
Hopes piqued last November for detalimogene voraplasmid in bladder cancer took a hit from the latest word from the study, as did shares of Engene Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ENGN), which closed May 7 at $1.72, down 80.6%, or $7.13.

Europe

UCB onboards more autoimmune TCEs with $2.2B Candid buy
Cancer
UCB SA agreed to pay $2 billion up front to acquire bispecific T-cell engager (TCE)-maker Candid Therapeutics Inc. and lead BCMA/CD3 TCE asset cizutamig (CND-106), continuing big pharma’s spree for China-made autoimmune assets in 2026.

Enterobiotix raises $25.7M for phase IIb of microbiome pill in IBS
Clinical
Microbiome specialist Enterobiotix Ltd. has raised £19 million (US$25.7 million) to fund phase IIb development of its lead program EBX-102-02 in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C).
Chiesi snags on-demand HAE drug in $1.9B Kalvista buy
Deals and M&A
In its largest acquisition to date, Chiesi Group is buying Kalvista Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $27 per share, a roughly 40% premium to the previous day’s closing price, putting the total deal value at about $1.9 billion. In return, the Italian pharma firm adds to its rare disease franchise Kalvista’s...

Clinical

Abdakibart phase II graded, puts Avalo in HS upper class
Dermatologic
Avalo Therapeutics Inc. may have designed in lead asset abdakibart, a drug for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) that offers a novel mechanism of action, wide dosing interval, and more-than-satisfying outcomes on the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinical...
Celcuity rises on gedatolisib on top-line data in breast cancer
Cancer
As Celcuity Inc. awaits a U.S. FDA approval decision for gedatolisib in HER-positive, HER2-negative, PIK3CA wild-type advanced breast cancer, the company already is setting its sights on a supplemental NDA filing, based on a top-line readout of...
Up to BAT in PSC, Mirum base case proven with phase IIb
Endocrine/metabolic
Entering what Mirum Pharmaceuticals Inc. CEO Chris Peetz called “a new phase of growth and value creation,” the company plans to submit an NDA to the U.S. FDA in the second half of this year, based on phase IIb data from the Vistas trial with oral...
How to Summit up? Dis-Harmoni on ivonescimab NSCLC phase III
Cancer
Wall Street pundits were divided about the likely fate of ivonescimab, Summit Therapeutics Inc.’s bispecific antibody partnered with Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Hong Kong, and undergoing phase III testing in first-line squamous non-small-cell...
Bio Korea 2026 kicks off with spotlight on oligonucleotides
Analysis and data insight
Three decades of trial-and-error, and the resulting safety data, in the oligonucleotide-based therapeutic space have paved way for the present-day innovations and the promise of “programmable,” precision medicine for patients, speakers at Bio...
AA meeting of minds as PTC, Novartis push votoplam in HD
Neurology/psychiatric
What PTC Therapeutics Inc.’s latest data with votoplam might mean in the Huntington’s disease (HD) landscape became grist for Wall Street after the firm unveiled top-line results from the phase II Pivot-HD study, sharing data from the 24-month...

BioWorld Insider Podcast

One-on-one with medical innovators

podcast microphone, sound waves on purple background Breakthrough medicines, billion-dollar deals, spectacular clinical successes and crushing failures all play a part in biopharma’s dynamic story. Developers make scientific advancements with the potential to change everything, only to face regulatory conundrums and ever-fluctuating markets. BioWorld tracks key events in the fast-moving sector every business day. Now, the BioWorld Insider podcast lets you hear directly from the movers and shakers whose collective work is changing how we all live. Join us each week for a new conversation.

Recent episodes:

View all

BioWorld

The news source of record covering the development of innovative human therapies for 25+ years

BioWorld Asia

A weekly monitor of biopharmaceutical news from the industry’s fastest-growing region

BioWorld Science

Essential discovery and preclinical research news to support crucial drug R&D decisions at the earliest stages

BioWorld Premium

Enjoy extended coverage for the most complete market view with BioWorld, BioWorld Science and BioWorld Asia in a single, easy to access subscription

Today's news in brief

BioWorld

BioWorld Asia

BioWorld Science

BioWorld Premium