Specific targets were not disclosed, but Merck KGaA is betting the artificial intelligence technologies of Exscientia and BenevolentAI will discover into new drugs for cancer, neurology, and immunology.

BeiGene welcomes the return of the immunotherapy’s rights as an opportunity to make it the backbone of its solid tumors strategy. But Novartis cedes an opportunity to gain a competitor to established cancer immunotherapies from Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb.

Magnet Biomedicine builds on decades of molecular glue research from its scientific co-founder, Harvard University Professor Stuart Schreiber. The startup is developing drugs that take these glues beyond the biotech industry’s current focus on targeted protein degradation.

FDA approval of GSK’s Ojjaara in myelofibrosis introduces a new competitor to blockbuster Incyte drug Jakafi. Ojjaara was part of GSK’s $1.9 billion acquisition of Sierra Oncology last year.

RayzeBio’s IPO will support pivotal testing of a targeted radiopharmaceutical for cancer patients who progress after treatment with Novartis’s Lutathera. Neumora will apply its IPO cash toward Phase 3 testing of a depression drug with a novel mechanism of action.

Moderna and Immatics aim to see if the combination of their respective technologies can lead to better cancer treatments spanning multiple therapeutic modalities. Milestone payments to immunotherapy developer Immatics could top $1.7 billion.

Seagen and Nurix are bringing their respective technologies together to develop a new class of cancer drugs called degrader antibody conjugates. Nurix CEO Arthur Sands says the multi-year, multi-target collaboration expands the reach of each company’s technology.

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with a cancer diagnosis spend $3,996 on out-of-pocket costs and premiums annually, versus $6,091 for traditional Medicare beneficiaries with cancer, a new report found.

By revealing how tumors interact with immune cells, Noetik aims to identify new targets for new cancer drugs. The startup and its artificial intelligence-driven platform are supported by $14 million in seed financing.

Bristol Myers Squibb drug Reblozyl is now approved as a first-line therapy for anemia caused by myelodysplastic syndromes, a group of blood cancers. It’s the third indication for the drug, which analysts project could top $4 billion in peak sales.

A new Business Group on Health survey revealed several key trends for large, self-insured employers. These trends show a rising prevalence of mental health challenges and a decreasing emphasis on virtual health.

Imugene gains global rights to Precision BioSciences’ most advanced program, an allogeneic cell therapy for advanced cases of blood cancer. Precision will now focus on in vivo gene editing therapies, some of which is partnered with Novartis and Eli Lilly.

Gilead Sciences is partnering with Tentarix Biotherapeutics, a startup developing multifunctional antibody drugs that it calls “Tentacles.” Tentarix’s technology offers the potential to selectively address targets in cancer and inflammation.

Oncology is already a big piece of Pfizer’s drug lineup. The portfolio is expanding to multiple myeloma with FDA approval of Elrexfio, a bispecific antibody that targets the cancer protein BCMA.

Johnson & Johnson’s stable of multiple myeloma drugs has grown to five products with the FDA approval of Talvey. The bispecific antibody is the first in a new class of new drugs designed to go after the novel multiple myeloma target GPRC5D.

Flagship Pioneering-founded Alltrna is developing tRNA therapies to address genetic diseases driven by truncated versions of proteins. By addressing an aberrant genetic instruction underpinning many diseases, the startup is developing what it describes as a potential “universal solution.”

Revolution Medicines is acquiring EQRx in an all-stock deal bringing that company’s more than $1 billion in cash. It marks the end for EQRx, a company that aimed to develop and commercialize lower-cost drugs for cancer and other diseases.

The FDA approved RiVive, an over-the-counter version of naloxone nasal spray from Harm Reduction Therapeutics. It’s the second such approval from the FDA this year, following an affirmative decision in March for OTC Narcan.

Nexo Therapeutics is developing cancer drugs that expand the scope of amino acids addressable by covalent chemistry. Versant Ventures founded the startup and led its Series A financing.

Astellas Pharma has identified targeted protein degradation as one of the key areas for growth. The PeptiDream alliance is the latest one Astellas has struck in this particular area of drug research as it aims to find new ways to go after difficult cancer targets.

AppliedVR teamed up with the National Cancer Institute to study the feasibility of VR to alleviate anxiety in brain tumor patients undergoing imaging scans. The research partners recently announced interim analysis results from their clinical study — they said that not only would VR intervention be a feasible option to reduce patients’ anxiety, but that patients would report high satisfaction levels as well.

Turnstone Biologics isn’t the only cell therapy biotech focused on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. With $80 million in IPO cash, it can continue clinical trials that could show whether its approach to TILs has advantages.

Illumina must pay a €432 million fine for closing its Grail acquisition before the European Commission finished its inquiry into the tie-up. The penalty is the maximum amount the regulator can impose on a company for breaching European merger rules.

Novartis and BeiGene ended their partnership on a cancer immunotherapy for a target called TIGIT. Though BeiGene describes the termination as mutual, it comes before Novartis would need to pump more money into the alliance even as questions linger about TIGIT as a cancer target.

Johnson & Johnson is committing up to $60 million for global rights to a Nanobiotix therapy that enhances radiation treatment for head and neck cancer. A Phase 3 test of the nanoparticle-based therapy is expected to yield preliminary data in 2024.

A partial clinical trial hold has been lifted from cancer drug emavusertib and Curis has selected a dose to use in Phase 2 testing. The small molecule is being developed as a potential treatment for blood cancers.

Arcellx attributes the death to limitations of the treatments that patients receive while their cell therapies are being manufactured. The company is working to expand these so-called bridging therapy options for patients.

2seventy Bio reported that an acute myeloid leukemia patient treated with its experimental cell therapy has died, prompting research partner Seattle Children’s Research Institute to pause the Phase 1 study. The FDA has been notified and an investigation is underway.

During the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a cell therapy posted clinical data that could broaden its use in multiple myeloma. In other developments, the class of drugs called ADCs continue to make progress and a novel brain cancer drug has Phase 3 data that support its use as a new treatment option.

Through American Cancer Society and Color Health’s new partnership, employers and unions will have better access to cancer screenings, cancer education and clinical support.