Latest Headlines from Cafepharma

AbbVie lifts profit forecast as immunology drugs continue to fuel growth

Yahoo/Reuters — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:48:51 -0400

AbbVie raised its annual profit forecast after topping Wall Street expectations for the third quarter on Friday, as booming ‌sales of newer immunology drugs made up for the decline in ‌former top-selling treatment Humira.

Eli Lilly scraps phase 2 Alzheimer's program after drug falls short of expectations

Fierce Biotech — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:42:45 -0400

Eli Lilly has dropped its phase 2 Alzheimer's disease program for mevidalen, marking another setback for the experimental drug as the Big Pharma expands its neuroscience pipeline through multibillion-dollar acquisitions.

Lenz reports 75% workforce cut, CEO shakeup alongside Q3 earnings update

Fierce Pharma — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:39:00 -0400

Roughly one year into launch, Lenz Therapeutics, the maker of Vizz eye drops for aging-related nearsightedness, is making major cuts to its headcount.

The executive team announced a “strategic reorganization” on Wednesday when it reported its third-quarter earnings. A securities filing the same day clarified that the biotech will trim 75% of its workforce, leaving just a 40-person team behind.

‘We need to do better,’ Alnylam CEO admits, as uncertainty looms over transthyretin franchise

BioSpace — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:37:07 -0400

Alnylam shares dropped by a quarter on Thursday, with analysts suggesting the decline puts the RNAi specialist within range for a takeout.

Alnylam managed a 59% increase in revenue for its transthyretin franchise in the third quarter but a convergence of uncertainties has sent the big biotech “back to the penalty box,” according to analysts.

Tylenol maker Kenvue reported higher profit and a fourth straight quarter of sales growth

Quartz — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:35:19 -0400

Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, reported a fourth consecutive quarter of net and organic sales growth on Friday, with third-quarter net sales up 3.2% to $3.89 billion. Net income rose to $430 million, or 22 cents a share, from $398 million, or 21 cents a share, a year earlier.

Stryker lowers 2026 guidance after slowdown in hip, knee procedures

Medtech Dive — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:31:51 -0400

CEO Kevin Lobo said the slowdown in hip and knee procedures is tied to broader economic concerns. The outgoing CEO also detailed the company’s decision to partner with CMR Surgical.

Keytruda biosims are coming — but they face an uphill battle

Pharma Voice — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:24:28 -0400

The Keytruda biosimilars are coming.

In October, the FDA accepted the first publicly announced application for a Keytruda copycat dubbed FYB206, which it could approve as early as the third quarter of 2027. About a dozen other candidates are also in the works, as Keytruda approaches the dreaded patent cliff and key expirations begin in 2028.

Sanofi eyeing pipeline deals ahead of Dupixent patent loss

Pharmaphorum — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:22:38 -0400

Sanofi's chief executive has said that adding to the group's pipeline through M&A and licensing deals will be "critical" as it prepares for generic competition to top-selling drug Dupixent in the early 2030s.

Aspen, Bambusa close IPOs as Corxel takes SPAC route

Pharmaphorum — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:21:25 -0400

The appetite for Nasdaq listings shows no signs of letting up, with Aspen Neuroscience and Bambusa Therapeutics getting their IPOs over the line, while Corxel eyes a debut via a blank-cheque company merger.

AstraZeneca is launching a $1.5 billion cost-savings program to fund its drug pipeline

Quartz — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:16:56 -0400

AstraZeneca $AZN +6.18% is launching a cost-savings program with $1.5 billion in annualized benefits to free up money for its drug pipeline, according to The Wall Street Journal. The U.K. drugmaker unveiled the initiative Friday, when it reported third-quarter results.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) surprises with Q3 2026 sales, full-year outlook slightly exceeds expectations

Yahoo Finance — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:23:26 -0400

Biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) beat Wall Street's revenue expectations in Q3 2026, with revenue up 6.8% year on year to $8.3 billion.

Midweek AI Healthcare News 10.28.26

CP Wire — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:59:14 -0400

Anthropic sets out its biopharma ambitions in IPO doc

Maybe starting a biotech company isn’t as hard as you thought: Anthropic acquires a one-person biotech that used Claude to coordinate 11 labs

Merck tops quarterly estimates, hikes profit outlook as new Keytruda form shows strength

CNBC — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:54:17 -0400

Merck topped third-quarter estimates and hiked its adjusted profit outlook.
The company’s immunotherapy Keytruda, including a newer injectable form of the drug called Qlex, posted stronger-than-expected sales.
That new version of the drug raked in $830 million in sales for the period – the highest in a quarter since it launched in 2025.

BioMarin inks up to $475M deal to challenge Fabry ERT incumbents

Fierce Biotech — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:52:32 -0400

BioMarin is paying $70 million upfront to license a Fabry disease drug candidate, expanding the franchise it acquired through its $4.8 billion takeover of Amicus Therapeutics.

The Amicus acquisition gave BioMarin control of Galafold, an oral Fabry treatment that generated $521.7 million in net product sales in 2025. Now, BioMarin is adding a long-acting enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in phase 1/2 development through a licensing deal with South Korea's GC Biopharma and Hanmi Pharm.

Ascletis’ challenger to Lilly’s Foundayo hits goals in phase 2 diabetes trial

Fierce Biotech — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:50:20 -0400

A phase 2 trial of Ascletis’ oral GLP-1 drug candidate has hit its primary and secondary endpoints, positioning the Chinese biotech to mount a two-front attack on Eli Lilly’s Foundayo.

Investigators randomized 100 people with Type 2 diabetes to receive one of three doses of ASC30, Ascletis’ small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, or placebo. HbA1c, a measure of blood sugar, had fallen by 1.6% to 1.7% over 12 weeks across the three ASC30 doses when adjusted for placebo, from a baseline of 8.3%. This hit the study's primary endpoint, according to Ascletis.

GE HealthCare reports ‘better than expected’ Q3 results, shares jump 7%

Mass Device — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:48:23 -0400

GE HealthCare (NASDAQ: GEHC) reported third-quarter earnings above analysts’ expectations and raised its full-year guidance.

The medical device manufacturer reported earnings per share of $1.34, above Wall Street’s $1.20 expectations.

Eli Lilly hikes sales outlook, as CEO says there’s room for ‘dramatic’ obesity market expansion

CNBC — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:45:46 -0400

Eli Lilly reported third-quarter earnings and revenue that blew past estimates and hiked its full-year sales outlook.
Demand for its obesity drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro surged again and topped estimates for the quarter.
Despite that strength, sales of its new GLP-1 obesity pill Foundayo, which launched in the U.S. in April, were under Wall Street’s expectations for the quarter.

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) Q3 earnings and revenues beat estimates

Yahoo/Zacks — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:44:16 -0400

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.35 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.21 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.63 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

Abbott grows cardiac portfolio with Amplatzer approval for valve leaks

Medtech Dive — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:36:22 -0400

Abbott said Wednesday it received Food and Drug Administration approval for a transcatheter device designed to close a small gap that can develop between the heart tissue and a new valve after replacement surgery, causing blood to leak.

Pharma has friends in both parties this midterm season. Neither is offering a free pass.

Pharma Voice — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:34:49 -0400

America’s leading pharma trade group is suing the Trump administration over drug pricing policies. On Oct. 7, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, challenged a new Medicare policy tying some U.S. drug payments to prices abroad.

Eight days earlier, the trade group had named Eric Cantor, a former GOP House leader, as its next president and CEO. He takes over Nov. 9, six days after the midterm elections.

Lilly combines global markets under new leadership role as 36-year veteran retires

Fierce Pharma — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:32:11 -0400

Eli Lilly is consolidating its U.S. and international commercial divisions into a unified department, tapping current U.S. head Ilya Yuffa in a newly created role as president of Lilly Global Markets.

The new executive vice president role oversees customer strategy and execution worldwide, and the combination will take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

GSK vows not to ‘park crap on Page 41’ in transparency push

Fierce Pharma — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:30:05 -0400

GSK's chief executive Luke Miels has committed to a transparent communication strategy after telling analysts during its Q3 financial call that “we are not going to park crap on Page 41 of a press release and hope none of you notice it.”

Biopharma cuts at manufacturing plants expected to affect 4,000+

BioSpace — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:25:01 -0400

As companies invest billions of dollars to reshore manufacturing, 10 biotech and pharma businesses are reportedly trimming staff at manufacturing locations in 2026 or the coming years, with BioNTech having the deepest cuts.

Anthropic acquires a one-person biotech that used Claude to coordinate 11 labs

R&D World — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 22:18:36 -0400

Two cofounders and fewer than 10 employees made up Coefficient Bio, the biology-focused AI startup Anthropic acquired in a deal R&D World covered in April. Another acquisition brings an even smaller company into Anthropic’s drug-development effort: Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Mithril Medicine had one full-time employee.

Genmab's $8B Merus bet delivers as bispecific combo halves risk of death in phase 3

Fierce Biotech — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 22:13:26 -0400

Capping off a busy few days in Spain, Genmab reported results from the first interim analysis of a phase 3 trial showing that adding its bispecific antibody petosemtamab to Merck & Co.'s Keytruda cut the risk of death by 50% compared with Keytruda alone in patients with PD-L1-positive recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Lilly’s retatrutide trounces Novo’s Ozempic in diabetes, weight loss

BioSpace — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:30:20 -0400

Eli Lilly’s next-gen weight loss drug retatrutide soundly beat Novo’s approved medicine Ozempic in weight loss and blood sugar reduction, padding the case for a regulatory application that’s expected in the first quarter of 2027.

Big Pharma is ready to strike, with J&J most likely to buy: Leerink

BioSpace — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:22:19 -0400

Big Pharmas are reaching into their wallets as M&A returns to the sector, with four major companies having the deepest pockets for transactions, according to a recent analysis from Leerink Partners.

Johnson & Johnson leads the pack with $21 billion in cash on hand and is the most likely to buy when market cap and executive commentary are also factored in, according to Leerink’s October 18 report on the biopharma industry’s M&A activity. Behind the healthcare behemoth are BioNTech, Amgen and Roche in terms of gross cash balance, the firm determined.

Eli Lilly surges up diabetes reputation rankings to close in on Novo

Fierce Pharma — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:03:10 -0400

Eli Lilly has jumped up a ranking of the corporate reputations of diabetes drugmakers, putting it hot on the heels of Novo.

PatientView compiled the ranking by gathering the views of 71 diabetes patient groups in 30 countries. Asked to rank companies they work with, the patient groups put Novo in first place, followed by Lilly and Sanofi. Lilly and Sanofi swapped places in the ranking of companies that the diabetes groups are familiar with. Novo came top of both league tables.

New FDA draft guidance doubles down on expediting approvals of personalized gene therapies

BioSpace — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:01:31 -0400

The FDA has outlined a process for allowing a single application to cover multiple variants of a gene therapy. At the same time, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has revealed plans to expand the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model to increase patient access to these products.

Geron stock tumbles after halting Phase 3 blood cancer trial

Yahoo/Investing.com — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:57:58 -0400

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) shares fell 12% Wednesday after the company announced it would discontinue its Phase 3 IMpactMF trial evaluating imetelstat in JAK inhibitor relapsed/refractory myelofibrosis.