Pharmaceuticals & Biopharmaceuticals

Richmond, Va. – September 30, 2026 -- Activation Capital, the operating name of the Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority, has elected Paul Nolde as chair of its Authority Board, succeeding Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao, Ph.D., who held the role since 2009. Rao will remain an active board member.

Nolde takes over after serving as vice chair since January 2025

Nolde is President and CEO of 757 Collab and Executive Director of 757 Angels, a venture platform funding high-growth startups in Hampton Roads and across Virginia from post-ideation through seed stage. He previously served as Executive Managing Director of Richmond-based accelerator Lighthouse Labs, Fund Manager and Managing Director of Riverflow Growth Fund, a healthcare-focused seed fund, and as a director at early-stage venture firm NRV.

Indianapolis – September 30, 2026 -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) reported that its investigational triple hormone receptor agonist retatrutide produced an average weight loss of 49.6 lbs (20.8%) over 80 weeks at the 12 mg dose in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, with more than half of participants no longer meeting BMI criteria for obesity. The Phase 3 TRIUMPH-2 results were presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Milan and simultaneously published in The Lancet.

Highest dose delivers weight loss up to 23.4% in heavier patients

Across the three tested doses, participants lost an average of 29.8 lbs (12.7%) at 4 mg, 45.4 lbs (19.1%) at 9 mg, and 49.6 lbs (20.8%) at 12 mg. Among patients with a baseline BMI of 35 or higher, the 12 mg dose produced an average loss of 60.8 lbs (23.4%), with 59.5% of all 12 mg participants no longer classified as having obesity by trial end.

Washington – September 29, 2026 -- The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has named former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor as its next president and chief executive officer, effective November 9. Cantor succeeds Stephen J. Ubl, who has led the trade group since 2015 and will remain as a strategic advisor through January 15, 2027.

Pittsburgh – September 29, 2026 -- Viatris Inc. (Nasdaq: VTRS) has been named to Forbes' World's Best Employers list for the sixth consecutive year, based on an independent survey of more than 300,000 employees across over 50 countries.

Forbes and Statista ranked 900 companies using employee trust and workplace culture data

The 2026 ranking, compiled by Forbes and Statista, drew on respondents who rated their willingness to recommend their employer on a 1-to-10 scale. Participants evaluated current and former employers across multiple workplace factors and could also weigh in on other companies within their country and industry.

Viatris cites the recognition as validation of its global workforce strategy

Lara Ramsburg, Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer at Viatris, said the sixth straight placement reflects the contributions of colleagues worldwide who help the company support patients while fostering a collaborative culture.

Columbia, Md. – September 29, 2026 -- The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission has awarded more than $4.8 million through the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) in the first funding cycle of fiscal year 2027, backing 15 investigators across the state's regenerative medicine sector.

Applications for MSCRF funding continue to exceed available resources

Requested funding significantly outstripped the capital available for this cycle, according to the Commission, reflecting both the depth of Maryland's research base and a rising number of technologies advancing past early discovery into validation, clinical development and manufacturing—stages that require substantially more capital.

Dallas – – September 29, 2026 -- MassChallenge, ranked the No. 2 accelerator in the U.S. by TIME and Statista, has named Dallas its second U.S. headquarters, backed by a renewed two-year grant from Lyda Hill Philanthropies. The investment extends a five-year partnership at Pegasus Park and will fund two ten-week accelerator tracks in Health & Life Sciences and Security & Resiliency, plus Founder Access Clinics connecting early-stage founders with academic, clinical and corporate stakeholders.

Texas applications to MassChallenge grew more than fivefold since 2022

Texas-based applications to MassChallenge's national programs have risen over five times since 2022, while annual innovation-event attendance approaches 1,000. The grant will also support INNOVATE '26, MassChallenge's flagship Dallas convening scheduled for November 17 at Pegasus Park.

Milwaukee – September 29, 2026 -- PBS Biotech has embedded Rockwell Automation technology into its MiniPRO multi-parallel bioreactor platform, a system with up to 24 independently controlled bioreactors designed to speed cell therapy process development and reduce risk during scale-up to commercial manufacturing.

Platform integrates FactoryTalk software with PlantPAx distributed control

The MiniPRO uses Rockwell's FactoryTalk software and Process Library to deliver real-time process control within an automation environment that can integrate directly into a larger PlantPAx distributed control system used to run an entire cell-therapy facility. Rockwell Automation, headquartered in Milwaukee and employing roughly 26,000 people across more than 100 countries as of fiscal year 2025, positions the collaboration as a way to standardize automation across development and GMP manufacturing stages.

New York City – – September 29, 2026 -- Demy-Colton has released the agenda for BioFuture 2026, a two-day conference set for October 27–28 at Cure, 345 Park Avenue South, drawing more than 100 speakers and over 50 presenting companies from biopharma, investment, technology and policy sectors.

Conference agenda spans AI, oncology, biotech financing and global drug development

Speakers include representatives from Johnson & Johnson, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Schrödinger, Piper Sandler and Mizuho Securities. Sponsors backing the event include Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Russo Partners, WuXi AppTec, Blue Matter, Cure, Evotec, Ipsen, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Big4Bio, HMA Consulting, Withum and Hogan Lovells Cadwalader.

Staten Island, N.Y. – September 29, 2026 -- Acurx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACXP) has enrolled the first patient in its PATHFINDER clinical trial evaluating ibezapolstat in patients with multiply-recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI), a condition affecting up to 40% of patients treated with vancomycin after multiple prior episodes.

Fully funded pilot trial targets approximately 20 patients with severe recurrence history

The Phase 2 PATHFINDER study is a multicenter, open-label, single-arm trial enrolling patients who have experienced at least three CDI episodes within the past 12 months. Participants receive ibezapolstat for 14 days, with assessments for Clinical Cure at Day 16, Sustained Clinical Cure at Day 42, and recurrence rates tracked through Week 24.

Indianapolis – September 29, 2026 -- Eli Lilly and Company said a new indirect treatment comparison shows Zepbound (tirzepatide) 15 mg produced 4.5% greater body-weight loss than Novo Nordisk's Wegovy HD (semaglutide 7.2 mg) in adults with obesity, intensifying the competitive battle in the obesity-drug market. The 10 mg dose of Zepbound delivered 3.2% greater weight reduction than Wegovy HD, according to data presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan.