Last weekend, from August 28 to 31, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) held its annual congress in Munich. For the biotech industry, ESC 2026 delivered a mixed bag: a cardiac myosin inhibitor opening a patient population with no approved therapies, long-term validation for its main competitor, a gene silencer stumbling in ATTR-CM countered by an siRNA triumph in severe hypertriglyceridemia, and GLP-1 drugs quietly earning a place in the new heart failure guidelines. Here are the five stories that mattered most.
GSK bets $1.3B on KRAS-EGFR conjugate from HUTCHMED
Latest NewsGSK has licensed ex-China rights to HUTCHMED’s HMPL-A830, an experimental antibody conjugate that delivers a KRAS inhibitor to EGFR-expressing tumors, in a deal worth up to $1.295 billion (€1.12 billion). The preclinical asset is expected to enter the clinic this year.
NovaGo raises $30M to advance regenerative spinal cord therapy
Latest NewsSwiss biotech NovaGo Therapeutics has raised CHF 24 million ($30 million/€25.5 million) in a Series B round to advance its lead anti-Nogo-A antibody into a randomized proof-of-concept study in patients with acute spinal cord injury. The financing was co-led by Neurimmune and Pureos, with participation from existing and new investors. The round is complemented by non-dilutive funding from the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation and Wings for Life.
Novartis breaks BTK losing streak in multiple sclerosis
Latest NewsNovartis’ remibrutinib has beaten teriflunomide in two Phase 3 trials in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), adding another important clinical win for a class of BTK inhibitors that has endured several high-profile failures in autoimmune disease.
Roche reloads B-cell strategy with $1.53B Simcere deal
Latest NewsRoche has licensed Simcere Zaiming’s preclinical trispecific antibody SIM0660, paying $75 million (€65 million) upfront in a deal potentially worth $1.53 billion (€1.32 billion).
Amyl Tx raises €8.25M to develop universal neurodegeneration drug
Latest NewsBelgian biotech Amyl Therapeutics has completed an €8.25 million Series A extension to fund work on its universal treatment for neurodegenerative diseases.
Adaptyv raises $40M for AI-run wet labs
Latest NewsSwiss biotech Adaptyv has raised a $40 million (€34.5 million) Series A to expand its automated protein-testing labs, betting that wet-lab capacity will become a critical bottleneck as AI models generate ever more biological designs.
Novartis: Three deaths put CAR-T expansion into autoimmune diseases on hold
Latest NewsNovartis has paused eight clinical trials of its CD19 CAR-T therapy rap-cel after three patients died from a severe immune reaction. The studies are evaluating the therapy in autoimmune and neurological diseases including lupus, systemic sclerosis, myositis and multiple sclerosis. The move highlights the safety challenges of taking CAR-T beyond oncology into chronic immune-mediated diseases.
ESC 2026: Five stories that mattered in Munich
Latest NewsLast weekend, from August 28 to 31, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) held its annual congress in Munich. For the biotech industry, ESC 2026 delivered a mixed bag: a cardiac myosin inhibitor opening a patient population with no approved therapies, long-term validation for its main competitor, a gene silencer stumbling in ATTR-CM countered by an siRNA triumph in severe hypertriglyceridemia, and GLP-1 drugs quietly earning a place in the new heart failure guidelines. Here are the five stories that mattered most.
Molecular surgery: How Europe can lead the world
Latest News, OpinionKJ Muldoon’s survival was not just a medical breakthrough. It was a glimpse of a new category of medicine, in which a genetic error can be corrected with the precision of an operation rather than developed as a conventional drug. Can Europe build the system that turns one extraordinary rescue into a repeatable model?
BioNTech cancer vaccine trial halted after survival imbalance
Latest NewsBioNTech and Genentech have terminated a Phase 2 trial of their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine autogene cevumeran in colorectal cancer after more deaths occurred in the vaccine arm than among patients under observation. The setback comes just days after rival Moderna scored the first Phase 3 success for an individualized mRNA cancer therapy — albeit in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor.