Biotech Business Developments: Mar 19 - 26

📊 Analyzed 71 biotech business articles from 9 sources

Subscribe to Genomely for the latest discoveries and in-depth analyses in your inbox

Thank you for subscribing and for your continued support and passion for science!

---

About This Curation

These top 10 stories were automatically selected from 71 biotech business articles analyzed this week using our scoring algorithm. Each story is scored based on deal size, event significance, company prominence, innovation factor, and source credibility.

---

⭐ Exciting Stories This Week

#1 STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about a Merck acquisition, the rise of former Loxo execs at Lilly, and more

Stat News

March 25, 2026

[Read Full Story] Merck is acquiring Terns Pharmaceuticals for $6.7 billion to gain access to a leukemia treatment candidate. The deal represents Merck’s push to expand its oncology pipeline beyond Keytruda, its blockbuster cancer drug facing patent expiration. The acquisition marks another major consolidation in biotech as large pharma companies hunt for late-stage assets to replace declining revenue streams.

#2 Merck to buy Terns for $6.7B, taking a leukemia drug that could challenge Novartis’ Scemblix

Endpoints News

March 25, 2026

[Read Full Story] Merck is acquiring Terns Pharmaceuticals for $6.7 billion in cash to gain its experimental chronic myeloid leukemia treatment, which could compete with Novartis’ Scemblix. The acquisition strengthens Merck’s oncology pipeline as it seeks to expand beyond its Keytruda franchise, which faces patent expiration pressures in the coming years.

#3 Gilead, with Ouro deal, wagers $1.7B on bispecifics for autoimmune diseases

BioPharma Dive

March 24, 2026

[Read Full Story] Gilead Sciences is acquiring year-old biotech Ouro Medicines for $1.7 billion to gain access to a bispecific antibody targeting BCMA and CD3 proteins for autoimmune disease treatment. The deal marks Gilead’s significant bet on bispecific antibodies, a therapeutic approach that redirects immune cells to attack disease targets and has gained traction across the industry. The acquisition gives Gilead an early-stage asset in the competitive autoimmune space where BCMA and CD3 have emerged as validated targets for drug development.

#4 Mistral AI just released a text-to-speech model it says beats ElevenLabs — and it’s giving away the weights for free

VentureBeat

March 26, 2026

[Read Full Story] Mistral AI released a free, open-source text-to-speech model that it claims outperforms ElevenLabs, intensifying competition in the $22 billion voice AI market that’s projected to reach $47.5 billion for AI agents alone. The release follows ElevenLabs’ partnership with IBM and Google Cloud’s voice expansion, marking a period of rapid consolidation as major tech companies race to dominate enterprise voice capabilities. While significant for AI development, this voice technology competition has limited direct relevance to biotech beyond potential applications in patient communication or lab automation interfaces.

#5 Takeda targets $1.3B in cost savings in further restructuring

FierceBiotech

[Read Full Story] Takeda announced a restructuring program targeting $1.3 billion in cost savings to fund upcoming drug launches and late-stage pipeline development. The Japanese pharma giant is streamlining operations as it prepares to commercialize new products and advance clinical programs. The move signals Takeda’s shift from post-acquisition integration to growth mode, reallocating resources from operations to revenue-generating assets.

#6 UCB banks on Georgia for $2bn biologics manufacturing facility

Pharmaceutical Technology

March 25, 2026

[Read Full Story] UCB is investing $2 billion to build a biologics manufacturing facility in Georgia, near its US headquarters in Smyrna. The plant will produce biologics from UCB’s current portfolio and pipeline, representing one of the largest recent manufacturing investments in the sector. The move signals UCB’s commitment to in-house production capacity as biologics demand grows.

#7 MSD spends $6.7bn to buy Terns Pharmaceuticals in cancer pipeline reinforcement

Pharmaceutical Technology

March 25, 2026

[Read Full Story] MSD (Merck & Co.) is acquiring Terns Pharmaceuticals for $6.7 billion to strengthen its oncology pipeline, centered on Terns’ lead drug candidate showing exceptional results in chronic myeloid leukemia. The deal demonstrates major pharma’s willingness to pay premium prices for promising cancer therapies with strong clinical data. Analysts called Terns’ lead asset’s performance “unprecedented,” signaling potential breakthrough status in a competitive leukemia market.

#8 Karyopharm’s mixed myelofibrosis data; Rezolute to seek FDA approval despite trial failure

Endpoints News

March 24, 2026

[Read Full Story] Karyopharm’s late-stage myelofibrosis drug selinexor hit one co-primary endpoint but failed the other, creating uncertainty about its regulatory path forward. Meanwhile, Rezolute plans to pursue FDA approval despite its trial missing its primary goal, an unusual move that signals confidence in secondary data or unmet need arguments. Both developments highlight the industry’s current tension between rigorous trial design and aggressive regulatory strategies for rare disease treatments.

#9 Innovent sees path to China approval after eye disease drug matches Eylea in phase 3

FierceBiotech

[Read Full Story] Innovent Biologics’ experimental eye disease drug matched Regeneron and Bayer’s Eylea in phase 3 trials, clearing the way for regulatory filings in China. The drug could reduce how often patients need maintenance doses, a meaningful improvement in treatment burden. Success would give Innovent a competitive position in China’s ophthalmology market against an established blockbuster.

#10 Immutrin raises $87M to advance drug for progressive heart disease

BioPharma Dive

March 24, 2026

[Read Full Story] Immutrin secured $87 million in financing to advance its drug candidate targeting ATTR-CM, a progressive genetic heart disorder. The funding positions the startup to compete in a contested market already dominated by established players including Pfizer, Alnylam, and BridgeBio. The disease represents a significant commercial opportunity as multiple major biotechs race to develop treatments for this previously underserved patient population.