Biotech — July 2026

GSK expands AI drug discovery deal with Relation to $110M

GSK will pay Relation Therapeutics up to $110 million to build AI models trained on fresh human cell data, aimed at finding drug targets faster.

FDA panel rejects Capricor's Duchenne heart therapy

Independent advisers said Capricor hasn't proven its cell therapy protects the hearts of boys with the disease.

FDA staff say Replimune's melanoma trial fell short

Reviewers called the study "not interpretable" days before a make-or-break advisory vote.

Argenx pays $2.2B for a vitiligo drug still in trials

Argenx is buying Forte Biosciences in an all-cash deal for FB102, an antibody that showed early promise treating vitiligo and celiac disease.

Clinuvel is moving to the US, cutting a fifth of staff

The Australian biopharma is relocating its headquarters and trimming up to 20% of its global workforce to refocus on the American market.

Buck Institute finds why 'longevity gene' guards the brain

A Buck Institute study finds the rare APOE2 gene helps neurons repair their own DNA, offering a real explanation for why carriers resist Alzheimer's.

Xinhua Hospital hid a 6-year-old's gene-editing death

A Shanghai hospital's 2025 gene-editing trial killed a 6-year-old, and the death stayed secret until an investigation surfaced it.

Eli Lilly's retatrutide wins two more obesity trials

Retatrutide delivered major weight loss in two new Phase 3 trials, but Lilly pushed its FDA filing from this year back to 2027.

Trump's generic drug tariffs start at 0%, jump to 200%

Imports are tariff-free for two years, then face a 100% tariff, then 200%, meant to push generic drugmakers to build factories in the US.

Agios drops a sickle cell drug as another nears approval

Tebapivat's Phase 2 trial came back neutral, and Agios is walking away — even as its other sickle cell drug heads toward approval.

Bristol Myers touts pharma's biggest AI. It's the third.

BMS is the third pharma company in nine months to claim it has the industry's most powerful AI machine — a race that's suddenly very crowded.

Australia and Taiwan build a faster path for new drugs

The two countries met in Taipei to link Taiwan's biotech ideas with Australia's clinical trial system, aiming to get treatments to patients faster.

Celcuity's cancer drug approved — its stock fell instead

The FDA approved Celcuity's Revtorpyk on 14 July, but the company said the launch may slip to late September, and investors marked the stock down.