Today Stories
ICON and Advarra have formed a partnership to create a connected site network model designed to make clinical trials easier for research sites to run. The agreement links ICON’s trial technology and services with Advarra’s systems already used by many investigators and study teams worldwide.
The companies said this should reduce administrative burden, improve study startup, and help more sites take part in complex trials. They also plan to support emerging research sites with tools that simplify workflows and widen access to studies. For sponsors, the model is intended to provide better visibility into trial progress and improve planning, site selection, patient recruitment, and overall delivery.
Cambrex has announced significant progress in its US and European expansion strategy, reinforcing its position as a global contract development and manufacturing organisation. In the United States, the company has completed initial engineering studies for a new large scale active pharmaceutical ingredient facility in Iowa, part of a 120 million dollar investment. The expansion is expected to increase manufacturing capacity by around 20 percent and support complex chemistries, including highly potent compounds and peptide production.
In Europe, Cambrex is advancing a 30 million dollar upgrade at its Milan site in Italy. The project will enhance analytical development and research capabilities while modernising production infrastructure. The site will also benefit from additional land to su…
Alfasigma has agreed to acquire a gastrointestinal medicine from GSK, marking a strategic step to strengthen its global specialty portfolio. The deal centres on a well established product used in digestive health, reinforcing Alfasigma’s long standing focus in this therapeutic area.
The acquisition supports the Italian company’s ambition to grow internationally, particularly in markets where gastrointestinal disorders remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. By integrating the brand into its portfolio, Alfasigma aims to leverage its commercial infrastructure and scientific expertise to maximise the product’s potential.
For GSK, the transaction reflects its ongoing strategy to streamline its portfolio and focus on core therapeutic areas with higher growth potential. Divesting non core assets…
Strides Pharma Science has agreed to acquire and in license a portfolio of branded generic medicines from Sandoz, strengthening its presence across Sub Saharan Africa. The deal, valued at about 12 million dollars, will be executed through its subsidiary Strides Pharma International AG.
The portfolio includes established products across key therapeutic areas such as anti infectives, cardiovascular and dermatology, many of which already generate steady annual sales.
This strategic move is expected to expand Strides’ footprint in major African markets including Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, while opening new cross selling opportunities.
The company aims to leverage Sandoz’s established brands to deepen market access and improve availability of affordable medicines in the region. The acquisitio…
Panthera Biopartners, the UK’s largest independent Site Management Organisation (SMO), has joined the Association of Multisite Research Corporations (AMRC), a trade body focused on advancing the value of multisite clinical research organisations.
AMRC was founded to promote the benefits of the multisite model and to strengthen understanding of its role among sponsors, CROs, policymakers and regulators. The association acts as a link between multisite networks, pharmaceutical companies and regulatory stakeholders, helping ensure the capabilities of large multisite organisations are recognised and effectively used.
For Panthera, membership supports closer industry collaboration, broader advocacy and a stronger role in shaping the future of clinical research.
Panthera CEO Stuart Young said th…
Mestag Therapeutics has secured $40 million in new financing as it prepares to move its lead cancer program into the clinic. The funding brings total committed capital to more than $95 million and will support the Phase 1 STARLYS study of MST 0312 in solid tumors, alongside broader platform and pipeline work in inflammatory disease. The company has also appointed Lindsey Rolfe as Chief Medical Officer and Pascal Merchiers as Chief Development Officer, adding senior development expertise at a key stage of growth. Mestag said the new backing from existing investors reflects confidence in its fibroblast immunology approach and in the potential of its pipeline. With its lead program expected to enter patient testing in mid 2026, the company is positioning itself for an important transition fro…
IQVIA has unveiled IQVIA.ai, a unified agentic artificial intelligence platform designed to enhance decision making and efficiency across the life sciences sector. Announced at NVIDIA GTC, the platform brings together advanced analytics, automation and AI driven insights within a single environment tailored for healthcare applications.
Built using IQVIA’s extensive data assets and healthcare focused AI capabilities, alongside NVIDIA technologies, the platform is designed to integrate directly into existing workflows. It enables organisations to coordinate complex tasks, analyse large datasets and generate actionable insights more quickly and securely.
IQVIA.ai acts as a central hub where users can access a range of intelligent agents that support clinical development, commercial strategy…
A pilot clinical trial from the University of Pittsburgh suggests that low dose lithium could help slow verbal memory decline in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, a condition that can precede Alzheimer’s disease. Over two years, participants taking lithium showed a slower decline on a key verbal memory test than those given placebo. The study did not meet its main statistical goals, so the findings are not definitive. However, researchers said the results support a larger follow up trial, especially in people with biological signs linked to Alzheimer’s. The treatment was reported to be feasible, generally safe and well tolerated at low doses. The story adds to growing interest in whether an established psychiatric medicine could be repurposed as a lower cost option in early brai…
Sumitomo Pharma has received regulatory approval in Japan for a pioneering stem cell based treatment for Parkinson’s disease, marking a major step forward for regenerative medicine. The therapy, known as Amchepry, uses induced pluripotent stem cells that are transformed into dopamine producing nerve cells and transplanted into the patient’s brain.
Parkinson’s disease occurs when dopamine producing neurons deteriorate, leading to symptoms such as tremors, stiffness and impaired movement. The new therapy aims to replace these lost cells and restore dopamine production, potentially improving motor function in patients who no longer respond adequately to existing medicines.
The approval was granted under Japan’s conditional and time limited framework for regenerative therapies, designed to acc…
EnteroBiotix has announced the completion of patient enrolment in the Phase 2a MAST clinical trial evaluating its microbiome therapy EBX 102 02 in individuals preparing for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The investigator initiated study has recruited 50 adult patients with haematological malignancies who are scheduled to receive a transplant.
The trial is designed to assess whether restoring the gut microbiome before transplantation may improve clinical outcomes. Patients undergoing stem cell transplantation often experience major disruption to their intestinal microbiota due to chemotherapy, antibiotics and conditioning regimens. This imbalance has been associated with complications including infections and graft versus host disease.
EBX 102 02 is an orally delivered…
The UK government has unveiled what it describes as a world leading regulatory pathway designed to support the development of medicines manufactured in space. The initiative aims to provide clearer guidance for companies exploring how microgravity could transform pharmaceutical research and production.
Manufacturing drugs in orbit offers unique advantages because the microgravity environment can enable the formation of purer crystals and more stable biological structures than those produced on Earth. These properties may help scientists develop improved medicines, including treatments for complex diseases.
By establishing an early regulatory framework, the UK hopes to encourage collaboration between the space sector and life sciences industry. The pathway is intended to help companies unde…
A new report from Seventure Partners highlights the growing role of the gut microbiome in shaping future obesity treatments, positioning microbiome science as a powerful complement to current drug-based approaches.
In Microbiome & Obesity: A Seventure Perspective on the Next Healthcare Frontier, Isabelle de Cremoux, CEO of Seventure Partners, examines how microbiome research could support more sustainable and personalized obesity management. With more than one billion people worldwide living with obesity and global economic costs projected to reach $4.32 trillion annually by 2035, new strategies are urgently needed.
While GLP-1 agonists have transformed obesity care and are expected to generate a $105 billion market by 2030, the report notes several limitations, including treatment dis…
France is taking steps to accelerate the generation of clinical trial data through a new fast track authorisation pathway designed to speed up early stage studies. The initiative, led by the French medicines regulator ANSM, aims to reduce approval timelines for certain clinical trials while maintaining scientific and ethical oversight.
Under the scheme, selected mono national trials conducted in France may receive regulatory approval within as little as 14 days if no additional questions arise during the evaluation process. Trials that require further review may still be authorised within approximately 49 days.
The fast track pathway is expected to focus on early phase studies, first in class therapies, and research targeting serious or rare diseases where limited treatment options exist.…
Antiverse has secured $9.3 million in Series A funding to advance its artificial intelligence driven platform for designing antibodies against difficult disease targets. The Cardiff based techbio company focuses on creating antibody therapies for proteins that have historically been considered hard to drug, including complex membrane receptors.
The funding round was led by Soulmates Ventures with participation from Innovation Investment Capital and other international investors. The new capital will support expansion of the company’s computational antibody design platform, growth of its research team, and development of internal therapeutic programmes.
Alongside the financing, Antiverse announced a research agreement with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The collaboration aims to apply th…
The NHS Confederation and NHS Providers have confirmed that their newly merged organisation will be called The NHS Alliance. Launching in April 2026, the national membership body will represent and support NHS leadership across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The merger, first confirmed in January, brings together two established organisations to strengthen collective influence and provide enhanced support to NHS trusts, primary care, integrated care boards, and independent and voluntary sector providers. The NHS Alliance aims to offer a unified voice to government while helping members navigate a period of intense pressure and transformation.
Lord Victor Adebowale, who will serve as inaugural chair, said the move is about being more influential and delivering greater value for member…
Uniphar has announced a strategic merger between its clinical trial services division, Uniphar | Clinical, and BMclinical, creating a unified global partner for clinical trial supply. The merger strengthens Uniphar | Clinical’s integrated supply platform and brings BMclinical’s deep expertise in comparator sourcing into a single comprehensive offering.
This combined service is designed to support every stage of clinical trial logistics, including sourcing, packaging, labeling, storage and distribution of clinical materials, while improving continuity and reducing risk from study initiation to completion. The expanded capabilities aim to streamline global supply chains and help sponsors bring therapies to patients more efficiently as trials grow in complexity. With strategically located fac…
4th March 2026 is World Obesity Day - convened by the World Obesity Federation with its global members, it unites stakeholders worldwide to drive awareness and action on obesity. The campaign highlights the urgent need for improved understanding, prevention and treatment, bringing together individuals, organisations and alliances under a shared call to act.
This year’s theme underscores that obesity affects all eight billion people, with a particular focus on protecting children and vulnerable communities. Projections indicate that by 2035, four billion people – half the world’s population – could be living with overweight or obesity. At this scale, the impact extends beyond individuals, contributing significantly to non-communicable diseases and placing pressure on health systems globally…
GSK has agreed to acquire Canadian biopharmaceutical company 35Pharma for approximately $950 million in cash. The deal secures 35Pharma’s clinical-stage drug candidate HS235, which is being developed to treat pulmonary hypertension, a serious condition characterised by high blood pressure in the lungs that can lead to heart failure. HS235 has completed early trials and is expected to enter patient studies soon. GSK believes the medicine could offer safety and metabolic advantages over current treatments, such as reduced bleeding risk and improved insulin sensitivity.
This transaction reflects a strategic focus by GSK’s leadership on adding science-validated mid-stage assets that address areas of high unmet need and promise strong long-term value. It is one of the first major deals under CE…
Belgian venture capital firm HERAN Partners has successfully closed a €90 million fundraising round for its second healthtech investment vehicle, HERAN HealthTech Fund II, with plans to grow the fund closer to €110 million or €120 million in the coming period. The firm focuses on supporting early-stage medtech and healthtech companies across Europe that aim to make healthcare and life sciences research and development more efficient, data-driven, and scalable.Key contributors to the fund include the European Investment Fund with a €20 million commitment and the Flemish investment company PMV, which has increased its participation to €10 million compared with the first fund. Other backers include entrepreneurs and management teams from HERAN’s first fund, as well as institutional partners s…
PharmaMar has partnered with Globant to accelerate cancer drug discovery through a new multi-agent artificial intelligence framework. Developed using Globant Enterprise AI, the system delivers over 90% accuracy in complex data retrieval and generates insights up to 15 times faster, enabling researchers to identify high-potential drug candidates more efficiently.
The platform analyses vast volumes of scientific, clinical and regulatory data, supporting decision-making across PharmaMar’s R&D ecosystem. More than 20 specialised digital agents operate across preclinical, clinical, regulatory, commercial and strategic functions, working within a secure architecture to process documents, simulate scenarios and rank promising pharmaceutical assets.
The system can review over 4,500 research do…
