Feature|Articles|October 1, 2026

MRD Testing Is Becoming the Most Important Tool in Oncology Drug Development: Q&A with Eric Matthews

MRD testing is transforming oncology trials — compressing timelines, enriching populations, and generating earlier answers.

A major challenge for the pharma and biotech industries is the timelines for drug development. As efficient as clinical trials and testing have become, it still takes a significant amount of time to analyze the data and ensure that the reported trial results are accurate. During this window, patients awaiting new treatments are left waiting.

Related to this article

October 16th, 2026

EMA Steps Up Push for Greater Clinical Trial Transparency

European regulators are increasing pressure on clinical trial sponsors to report study results on time, rolling out new monitoring, reminders and guidance as patient advocates welcome the progress but question whether stronger oversight and enforcement will follow.

October 14th, 2026

FDA Launches Rare Disease Framework Initiative

FDA is launching the Rare Disease Framework Initiative, aiming to tailor drug development and review requirements to the realities of small patient populations.

The FDA cleared GSK’s bepirovirsen as add-on therapy for chronic hepatitis B, based on phase 3 trials in which 19% of patients reached functional cure. Credit: Stock.Adobe.com/Destina

October 21st, 2026

FDA Approves Hibsago (Bepirovirsen) for Chronic Hepatitis B

The FDA approved GSK's bepirovirsen for adults with chronic hepatitis B on nucleoside therapy, based on phase 3 trials showing 19% functional cure.

October 21st, 2026

The Therapeutic Areas or Deals That Might Be Negatively Impacted by MFN Deals

Incubate’s John Stanford on why MFN’s first casualty is the moonshot — and why cancer, Alzheimer’s, and rare disease bear the cost.

October 20th, 2026

METiS Enters Collaboration with Eli Lilly for Next-Generation Tissue-Specific LNP Delivery Technologies

METiS TechBio enters a collaboration with Eli Lilly to develop next-generation, tissue-specific lipid nanoparticle delivery technologies using METiS’s AI-driven lipid discovery platform.

October 20th, 2026

How MFN Deals May Impact Future Decisions

Incubate’s John Stanford on why MFN reduces pharma’s appetite for biotech acquisitions — and why that cedes ground to China.

Accelerated approval puts biomarker testing at diagnosis in focus as GSK’s PD-1 inhibitor enters rectal cancer. Credit: Stock.Adobe.com/Sebastian Kaulitzki

October 19th, 2026

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Jemperli for MSI-H/dMMR Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

FDA’s conditional approval of Jemperli (dostarlimab-gxly) rests on a single-arm phase 2 trial, with independent-review data still maturing.

October 19th, 2026

Pharmaceutical Executive Daily: Hansoh Pharma Enters Collaboration and License Agreement with Roche for Broad Portfolio of ADCs

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, acquires Silence Therapeutics for $1.3 billion, Hansoh Pharma and Roche expand their ADC partnership in a deal worth over $15 billion, and an EMA panel backs Lilly’s Foundayo for obesity and type 2 diabetes in Europe.