Novo licensed Hengrui's once-weekly oral GLP-1/GIP dual agonist HRS-1596 in a deal worth up to $2.6 billion, while AstraZeneca invested $2 billion in Summit Therapeutics to pair ivonescimab with its antibody-drug conjugate portfolio.
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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Eli Lilly is set to pay InnoCare Pharma up to $3.35 billion to discover and develop compounds against upwards of five undisclosed targets.
Three platform-technology deals paired Nanexa, Earendil Labs, and Atavistik Bio with Novo Nordisk, Genentech, and Roche to advance next-generation metabolic and oncology medicines.
AbbVie partners with Iambic to deploy its AI molecular superintelligence platform, while Telix Pharmaceuticals agrees to acquire radioisotope leader ITM.
Lisata Therapeutics acquires Marea Therapeutics and secures $225 million in concurrent financing, while mAbxience and Sandoz partner to develop and globally commercialize an emicizumab biosimilar.
New U.S. guidance exempts orphan drugs, nuclear medicines, cell and gene therapies, and other specialty products from the 100% pharmaceutical tariff when imported from 19 named countries.
Merck licenses a preclinical KRAS G12D inhibitor from SciBrunch, FDA approves Olumiant, Juvmo, and Atebrioz across three separate indications, and Matthew Montes de Oca makes the case for compounding pharmacies to set their own safety standards.
Merck has acquired exclusive global rights to SciBrunch's preclinical KRAS G12D inhibitor SPR2015.
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