Biotech & Pharma · Week of Oct 26, 2026
Conference data and oncology launches: the week in biotech & pharma
Conference data dominated, with Biohaven at ASN Kidney Week and ArriVent at ESMO, alongside Oruka psoriasis results and an Abbott MRD test launch.
Clinical and scientific data made up most of the week's releases. ArriVent presented initial Phase 1 data for its CDH17-targeted ADC ARR-217 at the ESMO Congress 2026, and Biohaven gave an oral presentation at ASN Kidney Week 2026 on BHV-1420, its second TRAP degrader for kidney disease. Oruka Therapeutics reported Week 16 results from its Phase 2b EVERLAST-B trial of ORKA-001 in psoriasis and said it plans to start Phase 3 in the first half of next year. Neurocrine Biosciences published an analysis setting a threshold for clinically meaningful change in patient-reported health in tardive dyskinesia.
Oncology was the most common therapeutic area. Abbott launched a whole-genome sequencing version of its Oncodetect MRD test, Citius Oncology reported 120% growth in LYMPHIR shipments to U.S. wholesalers in its fiscal fourth quarter, and Northwest Biotherapeutics said it had expanded its U.S. technical team. Outside the clinic, Aurora Cannabis said the Alberta Securities Commission dismissed an application from Curaleaf concerning Aurora's at-the-market program.
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
Neurocrine Biosciences Presents New Analysis Establishing Benchmark for Clinically Meaningful Change in Overall Health Reported by Patients with Tardive Dyskinesia
Neurocrine Biosciences says a new analysis establishes a 6-point increase on the EQ Visual Analogue Scale as the threshold for clinically meaningful change in overall health ratings in tardive dyskinesia patients treated with INGREZZA (valbenazine). The company says the benchmark helps put patient-reported improvements in context.
Abbott
Abbott launches whole-genome sequencing Oncodetect® molecular residual disease (MRD) test to detect traces of cancer during and after treatment
Abbott has launched a whole-genome sequencing Oncodetect molecular residual disease test, which it says tracks up to 5,000 patient-specific variants with a limit of detection below one part per million under high-end inputs. The test is designed to detect traces of cancer during and after treatment.
Biohaven Ltd.
Biohaven Oral Presentation at ASN Kidney Week 2026 Spotlights BHV-1420, a Novel TRAP Degrader Designed to Selectively Remove the Autoantibodies that Drive Membranous Nephropathy
Biohaven presented BHV-1420, an investigational TRAP extracellular protein degrader designed to selectively remove the autoantibodies that drive membranous nephropathy, in an oral presentation at ASN Kidney Week 2026. The company says its second TRAP degrader for kidney disease expands its Yale-licensed platform into a nephrology franchise, one year after BHV-1400 was featured at the meeting's opening plenary.
Aurora Cannabis Inc.
Aurora Cannabis Announces the Alberta Securities Commission has dismissed Curaleaf's Application and ruled in favour of the Company's At-the-Market Program
Aurora Cannabis says the Alberta Securities Commission dismissed Curaleaf's application concerning Aurora's at-the-market program. Aurora says the ruling confirms the program complies with securities laws.
Oruka Therapeutics, Inc.
Oruka Therapeutics Announces Positive Week 16 Results for ORKA-001 from the Ongoing EVERLAST-B Trial in Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis
Oruka Therapeutics reported Week 16 results it describes as positive from the Phase 2b EVERLAST-B trial of ORKA-001, a half-life extended IL-23p19 monoclonal antibody, in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The company says it will engage with regulators and plans to initiate Phase 3 trials in the first half of next year, and says the drug has potential for dosing once to twice per year.
Citius Oncology, Inc.
Citius Oncology Reports Continued Institutional Demand and 120% Growth in Shipments of LYMPHIR® Units to U.S. Wholesalers During the Fiscal Fourth Quarter of 2026
Citius Oncology, a majority-owned subsidiary of Citius Pharmaceuticals, reported 120% growth in shipments of LYMPHIR units to U.S. wholesalers during its fiscal fourth quarter of 2026. The company attributes the growth to continued institutional demand.
ArriVent BioPharma, Inc.
ArriVent Announces Initial Phase 1 Data for CDH17-targeted ADC ARR-217 in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers at ESMO Congress 2026
ArriVent presented initial Phase 1 data for ARR-217 (MRG007), a CDH17-targeting antibody-drug conjugate developed with Lepu Biopharma, in heavily pretreated patients with gastrointestinal cancers at ESMO Congress 2026. The company says it observed responses and a manageable safety profile, and plans to advance the ADC into a Phase 1b dose optimization study.
Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc.
Northwest Biotherapeutics Announces Expansion of Its Technical Team
Northwest Biotherapeutics, which develops DCVax personalized immune therapies for solid tumors, says it has expanded its technical team in the US. The company says the hires cover key operational areas.
This roundup is written with AI assistance from the press releases listed above, using only what they state. The releases are the companies' own announcements, not Major Health News reporting.