Can’t hack it? Bellus tolls for GSK phase III cough drug
GSK plc’s walk-away from refractory chronic cough prospect camlipixant because of dicey phase III results opened the door wider for Trevi Therapeutics Inc. with Haduvio (oral nalbuphine ER), which yielded positive phase II data in June. Shares of Trevi (NASDAQ:TRVI) closed July 17 at $19.07, up $1.71, or 9.9%. London-based GSK reported findings with camlipixant, a P2X3 receptor antagonist, from the Calm-1 and Calm-2 trials. The first met its primary endpoint, with camlipixant 50 mg twice daily showing statistically significant reductions in 24-hour cough frequency vs. placebo when measured at week 12.

Can’t hack it? Bellus tolls for GSK phase III cough drug
GSK plc’s walk-away from refractory chronic cough prospect camlipixant because of dicey phase III results opened the door wider for Trevi Therapeutics Inc. with Haduvio (oral nalbuphine ER), which yielded positive phase II data in June. Shares of Trevi (NASDAQ:TRVI) closed July 17 at $19.07, up $1.71, or 9.9%. London-based GSK reported findings with camlipixant, a P2X3 receptor antagonist, from the Calm-1 and Calm-2 trials. The first met its primary endpoint, with camlipixant 50 mg twice daily showing statistically significant reductions in 24-hour cough frequency vs. placebo when measured at week 12.
Open-label extension drives home benefits of Insmed’s PAH therapy
Insmed Inc. has delivered further evidence of the advantages of its once-daily pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) drug TPIP (treprostinil palmitil inhalation powder), with data from an open-label extension of the phase IIb trial showing patients in the treated arm maintained the benefits over 24 months.
Today's news in brief
BioWorld briefs for July 17, 2026.
Danaher’s Leica to buy Statlab to expand pathology footprint
Leica Biosystems GmbH, agreed to buy Statlab Medical Products in a move that will strengthen parent company Danaher Corp.'s diagnostics and anatomical pathology portfolio with a broader range of consumables and instruments. Although the financial terms were not disclosed, RBC Capital Markets analyst Dan Leonard reckoned that the deal could be valued at more than $1 billion.
June’s $25.7B M&A haul caps biopharma’s record-breaking first half
Biopharma deal value through the first half (H1) of 2026 reached $170.11 billion, surpassing every prior year in BioWorld’s records, including 2025’s $139.35 billion, the previous high-water mark. June was the second-strongest month of H1 at $34.59 billion, trailing only May’s $41.95 billion.
New biomarker may improve RSV drug screening
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is responsible for 3.2 million hospital admissions and about 118,000 deaths in children under 5 years of age. The increased risk of RSV infection (and other infectious diseases) in young children is broadly attributed to their immature immune system. But researchers from University College London have published work suggesting that this is not the only reason.

Analysis and data insight

Capital remains selective in ‘barbell’ biotech market
Conferences
Signs of recovery are emerging in the biotechnology investment sector, although investors across Asia say that capital is flowing selectively to companies that can demonstrate clinical differentiation, strong management teams and a clear path to commercialization.
Asia deal flurry draws AZ, Spero to $1B+ Dizal, Innovent assets
Deals and M&A
Another day, another two multibillion-dollar deals with Asian companies, this time involving Dizal Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and its EGFR inhibitor for lung cancer, as well as Innovent Biologics Inc. and its anti-CD40L antibody for a chronic fibroinflammatory condition.
Danaher-Masimo close caps med tech’s strongest first-half since 2022
Deals and M&A
Med-tech M&As through the first half (H1) of 2026 reached $75.73 billion in collective value, the highest H1 total since 2022’s $120.4 billion and well above every other year in BioWorld’s records. June contributed $12.21 billion, a rebound from May’s relatively quiet $1.51 billion.
Combination locked out in ATTR-CM? ‘Dead,’ expert says
Clinical
The synergy – or lack of it – between knockdown drugs and stabilizers in treating transthyretin (TTR)-mediated amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) became one of the topics for debate in the aftermath of the phase III fizzle with gene silencer Wainua (eplontersen), advanced by Astrazeneca plc and Ionis...

Financings

Advancell raises $315M to power global isotope strategy
Cancer
Advancell Co. Ltd. has raised an oversubscribed $315 million series D round to accelerate its push to become a fully integrated global radiopharma developer, funding late-stage clinical development alongside isotope supply and manufacturing infrastructure.

Medical technology

Abbott raises FY2026 guidance, bullish on CGM, electrophysiology
Medical devices
Abbott Laboratories raised its full-year 2026 adjusted diluted adjusted earnings per share guidance to $5.45 to $5.60, from previous range of $5.38 to $5.58, after a strong performance in the second quarter. Growth was driven by its medical devices business and cancer diagnostic unit.

CLIA regs may be in for an update
Regulatory
Citing the significant advancements made in lab testing technologies since the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) were enacted nearly 40 years ago, the U.S. CDC and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services are considering updating the regulations to reflect today’s technology.
Labcorp, Tactile Systems resolve FCA allegations
Regulatory
Two med-tech companies agreed to settlements with the U.S. government to resolve False Claims Act (FCA) allegations that they submitted Medicare claims for medically unnecessary testing and devices.

Newco news

Oblenio’s $62M series B for trispecific antibody in autoimmune diseases
Financings
A year and a half from its formation, Oblenio Bio has generated positive nonhuman primate data for LBL-051 in chronic autoimmune diseases and closed a $62 million series B to move the trispecific T-cell engager into the clinic.
Bionyra closes $165M series A to develop antibodies for inflammation
Financings
Bionyra Pharma has emerged with a $165 million oversubscribed series A and a portfolio of three antibodies with extended half-lives that are designed to offer improvements over existing classes of monoclonal antibodies for treating chronic inflammatory diseases.
Ethyreal launches to treat the underlying cause of Graves’, TED
Conferences
Ethyreal Bio Inc. has come out of stealth mode in order to disclose preclinical data for ETHY-001, its monoclonal antibody targeting thyroid stimulating hormone receptor, at the Endocrine Society’s 2026 annual meeting on June 15.
Skape Bio unlocks GPCR targets with de novo-designed miniproteins
Science
Modulating G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is one of the major challenges in biomedicine. These are flexible proteins with small, deep binding pockets. The scientific community has explored small molecules, antibodies and nanobodies to develop ligands. Skape Bio Inc. is betting on creating...
Newco news: Oorja energizes with $30M for IPF
Respiratory
Oorja Bio Inc., named after the phonetic spelling of “energy” in Sanskrit, secured $30 million from founding investor Westlake Biopartners in a series A financing round to advance its in-licensing approach to develop drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other fibrotic and...

U.S.

US FDA approves Merck's Lipfendra, first oral PCSK9 for LDL-C
Cardiovascular
Branded Lipfendra, Merck & Co. Inc.’s oral PCSK9 inhibitor enlicitide, part of the FDA Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher pilot program, won U.S. approval to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in adults with hypercholesterolemia, including heterozygous familial...

Europe

First purpose-designed Ebola Bundibugyo vaccine ready for phase I
Clinical
The Oxford Vaccine Group has delivered on its promise, and after starting work in mid-May has completed preclinical testing and is ready to begin a phase I trial of a vaccine against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus that is causing the current serious disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

UK to launch Alzheimer patient database to speed up trials
Clinical
The U.K. is setting up a nationwide registry of people with dementia, who will be pre-screened and consented, to speed up recruitment to clinical trials and collect real-world evidence of effectiveness once therapies are approved.
MHRA adds economic growth to its drug and device regulation remit
Regulatory
Alongside its duties in evaluating safety and effectiveness of drugs and their postmarketing monitoring, the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) has now been handed a further brief to support economic growth.

Clinical

Takeda's mezagitamab adds quality-of-life gains to ITP responses
Hematologic
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s anti-CD38 antibody mezagitamab (TAK-079) is showing benefits beyond platelet restoration, with new data suggesting the candidate may improve quality of life for patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)...
JAKs or better: Q32 ups ante in AA with IL-7 antibody phase II
Dermatologic
The clinically proven promise of an alopecia drug, without the risks of black box-bearing JAK inhibitors yet with powerful efficacy, led shares of Q32 Bio Inc. (NASDAQ:QTTB) to close July 13 at $21.38, up $10.17, or 90.7%.
Forte, First Tracks soar on CD122 success in vitiligo; celiac next
Immune
Encouraging phase I data this week of new treatments for vitiligo, a chronic autoimmune disorder that destroys melanocytes, drove investor excitement, with Forte Biosciences Inc. the latest company to disclose a statistically significant benefit.
Seres’ SER-155 takes on immune checkpoint inhibitor-related enterocolitis
Cancer
While the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in recent years has significantly improved cancer outcomes, some patients have been unable to experience the full therapeutic benefits of ICIs due to significant gastrointestinal...
Island Pharma targets Ebola species lacking approved treatments
Infection
Island Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has secured government and ethics approvals to deploy its investigational antiviral galidesivir in patients infected during the escalating Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in Africa, giving the small Australian biotech a rare...
Phase II DMD Trailhead data hike Satellos’ stock
Musculoskeletal
Pending talks with regulators, Satellos Bioscience Inc. may seek accelerated approval in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) for SAT-3247, which yielded positive results in the adult phase II Trailhead study. Shares of Toronto-based Satellos...

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