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ATAI-dyed Lilly tees up in psychedelics, finds $3.8B fit
Rumblings that psychedelic treatments would soon be ready for prime time gained credence aplenty, and shares of Ataibeckley Inc. (NASDAQ:ATAI) ended July 16 at $7.15, up $1.79, or 33%, as Wall Street learned that Eli Lilly and Co. is taking over the psychedelics firm for $6.75 per share in cash plus up to $2.50 per share in the form of a contingent value right related to milestones for two Ataibeckley compounds.

ATAI-dyed Lilly tees up in psychedelics, finds $3.8B fit
Rumblings that psychedelic treatments would soon be ready for prime time gained credence aplenty, and shares of Ataibeckley Inc. (NASDAQ:ATAI) ended July 16 at $7.15, up $1.79, or 33%, as Wall Street learned that Eli Lilly and Co. is taking over the psychedelics firm for $6.75 per share in cash plus up to $2.50 per share in the form of a contingent value right related to milestones for two Ataibeckley compounds.
US FDA approves Merck's Lipfendra, first oral PCSK9 for LDL-C
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 hypercholesterolemia.
Advancell raises $315M to power global isotope strategy
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.
Industry hits back as rebate on drugs more than doubles in Germany
Rebates on sales of patented drugs in Germany are to increase from 7% to 15.5%, following passage of an act to reduce healthcare spending across the board. There also will be a 9% rebate on patented vaccines, whilst at the same time prices will be frozen until 2030 and price-volume controls will be introduced to restrict the amount spent overall.
Today's news in brief
BioWorld briefs for July 16, 2026.
Capital remains selective in ‘barbell’ biotech market
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.
Abbott raises FY2026 guidance, bullish on CGM, electrophysiology
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.
Labcorp, Tactile Systems resolve FCA allegations
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.
CLIA regs may be in for an update
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.

Analysis and data insight

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...
SEC reform good for life sciences startups, but getting pushback
Medical technology
Of all the U.S. SEC’s recent proposed rules to make going, and staying, public more attractive, perhaps the most beneficial for biopharma and med-tech startups is the amendment that would give public companies the flexibility to file semi-annual rather than quarterly reports, Ben Bradford, head of...

Financings

Women’s health investment climbs but funding challenges remain
Medical technology
There is no doubt that investment into women’s health is increasing. According to a new report by W Group, in 2025, $1.55 billion in disclosed equity was raised by 85 women’s health companies, across more than 30 countries. However, challenges remain.

Medical technology

Newronika gains CE mark for adaptive DBS system with Webbiobank
Regulatory
Newronika SpA received CE mark certification for its latest adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) system, which includes the integration of Webbiobank, its proprietary cloud-based neural data platform.

Zeta secures FDA clearance for TMS robotic system
Regulatory
Zeta Surgical Inc. received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for its transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) robotic system which is designed to support precise and repeatable TMS therapy for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
Science fiction realized: BCI tech is here
After decades of clinical research and false starts, have Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems finally arrived? With developments accelerating in the field, BioWorld's special series explores the advancements in the space, looking at the implanted technologies, their potential to transfer care,...

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.

New research identifies EBV antigen targets for MS therapies
Science
New research has teased out specific aspects of how Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) sparks the immune response that leads on to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), opening the way to the rational design of vaccines and antivirals that address the root cause of the disease.

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.
Ionis, AZ shares down on unexpected Wainua flop in cardiomyopathy
Clinical
News of the unexpected phase III failure of the gene silencing drug Wainua (eplontersen) in the treatment of transthyretin-mediated amyloid cardiomyopathy sent Astrazeneca plc’s shares (NYSE:AZN) down $10.88 to close July 9 at $178.40.

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)...
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...
With tardy Tvardi phase I win, skin in STAT3 game plus GI
Dermatologic
Tvardi Therapeutics Inc. rebounded from a phase II blowup last fall in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with oral STAT3 inhibitor TTI-101 by showing that a next-gen phosphate prodrug dubbed TTI-109 kept its potency in phase I without...

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