Ferring to buy fertility biotech Gameto for up to $1.38 billion
The maximum value includes development, regulatory and commercial milestones. The companies did not disclose the upfront payment or a closing date. Completion remains subject to closing conditions, and the companies will operate independently until then.
BASF reportedly lifts Evonik bid above €11 billion with job pledges
BASF has reportedly increased its bid to take over Evonik to over €11 billion (US$12.3 billion). The German chemical giant previously offered Evonik about €22.15 (US$25.16) per share, valuing Evonik’s equity at roughly €10.3 billion (US$11.7 billion). However, that was reportedly declined as too low.
Novartis drops Alzheimer’s program; Windward files for IPO; GSK wins hepatitis B approval
Novartis drops lifonebart in Alzheimer’s after biomarker review: The Swiss pharma group has discontinued its Phase 2 Alzheimer’s program for lifonebart (VHB937) following a preplanned data monitoring committee assessment of biomarker data. The decision appears in its third-quarter pipeline update, without numerical findings. The antibody targets TREM2, a receptor involved in regulating the brain’s immune cells. This is a separate setback from September’s ALS trial failure: at that time, the Alzheimer’s study remained underway. Novartis has not disclosed which biomarker findings drove the latest decision.
ESMO 2026: The biggest announcements from European biopharma
Immatics presented updates for two investigational treatments targeting PRAME, a cancer-associated protein that helps T cells identify tumors when targeted by treatment. IMA402 in particular showed an impressive 91% one-year survival rate in a subgroup of patients with advanced melanoma and high PRAME expression. We covered those announcements in more detail here.
Immatics shows off its PRAME bispecific data at ESMO 2026
This is an encouraging signal, but it does not yet prove that IMA402 extends patients’ lives. The data come from an ongoing Phase 1b study without a control group. Moreover, follow-up for overall survival was still relatively short, at a median of 8.8 months. The one-year rate is therefore an early estimate, rather than a comparison with an established therapy.
Spago Nanomedical seeks delisting to finance cancer drug development
Why it matters: Spago’s plan illustrates Europe’s biotech financing gap: the company believes it can raise more money for its next clinical trial by leaving the stock market than by remaining listed. Its shares fell almost 54% on October 23, the day after the announcement.
Genmab’s acquisition spree starts to pay off with new ovarian and colorectal cancer data
Why it matters: The results provide the first randomized Phase 3 evidence for Rina-S, the lead asset in Genmab’s $1.8 billion (€1.7 billion at the time) acquisition of ProfoundBio in 2024. They also suggest that a drug targeting folate receptor alpha (FRα) could benefit a broader population than the one eligible for AbbVie’s approved FRα-targeting treatment, Elahere.
Inmet prevê chuvas irregulares no Brasil em novembro
A previsão climática do Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (Inmet) para novembro de 2026 indica chuvas acima da média hi…
Inmet: previsão do tempo para quinta (29/10) e sexta-feira (30/10)
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Câmara aprova apoio financeiro a produtores de cana no Nordeste
Foto: Bruno Spada A Câmara dos Deputados aprovou a concessão de subvenção econômica aos produtores independentes d…
