Hansoh Pharma enters a collaboration and license agreement with Roche covering a broad portfolio of antibody-drug conjugate programs.
News|Articles|August 17, 2026
Your Questions Answered: Emerging Trends in Pharma Funding and M&A
Author(s)Pharmaceutical Executive
From a $1.32 billion rare epilepsy acquisition to AI drug discovery partnerships, biotech IPOs, and a rare disease investment rebound — here's what moved the market this week.
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Capital continues to flow toward clinical-stage and platform biotech companies, with a wave of new deals, partnerships, and public offerings reshaping the competitive landscape across oncology, rare disease, and AI-driven drug discovery. Here is a guide to the most significant activity of the past week.
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AstraZeneca will pay insitro $40 million upfront to apply AI to target discovery in MASH and cardiomyopathies, with no candidates named yet.
Gilead and Vir Biotechnology Enter a $1.87 billion collaboration to discover three PRO-XTEN dual-masked T-cell engagers aimed at solid tumors.
Roche licenses Rona Therapeutics’ ALK7-targeting RNAi candidate for obesity, while Pfizer partners with Enodia Therapeutics on Sec61 inhibitor discovery.
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.
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.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, agrees to acquire Silence Therapeutics for roughly $1.3 billion, gaining a siRNA asset, divesiran.
Foundayo’s EU backing, Enspryng for TED, Gilead’s masked TCE deal, FDA’s rare disease reset, and Bausch + Lomb’s new interim CEO — explained.
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