Healthcare, Pharma & Life Sciences

WASHINGTON – November 03, 2026 -- The President has signed the ACT for ALS reauthorization bill into law, extending the program for five years and committing up to an additional $500 million to ALS research infrastructure and investigational treatment access, according to patient advocacy group I AM ALS.

Senate passes bill by unanimous consent hours before the law expires

The Senate approved the reauthorization by unanimous consent with only hours left before the existing law lapsed. The House had already gone home early. The original ACT for ALS Act was co-authored by I AM ALS in 2021 to close a gap in access to investigational treatments.

Sponsors of the reauthorization are Senators Coons (D-DE) and Murkowski (R-AK) and Representatives Quigley (D-IL-05) and Calvert (R-CA-41). Calvert co-chairs the bipartisan ALS Caucus.

TORONTO – November 03, 2026 -- Cardiol Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CRDL; TSX: CRDL) has entered into an at-the-market program that lets it sell up to US$75 million of common shares through Jefferies LLC to fund late-stage cardiac drug development.

Cardiol restricts ATM share sales to U.S. trading venues

Shares will be sold in ordinary brokers' transactions on the Nasdaq Capital Market or other U.S. trading markets at prevailing market prices. No shares will be sold through the Toronto Stock Exchange or elsewhere in Canada.

Sales will proceed under a prospectus supplement dated November 3, 2026. The supplement attaches to Cardiol's Canadian and U.S. base shelf prospectuses, both dated September 15, 2026. The U.S. base prospectus forms part of a Form F-10 registration statement that became effective on September 16, 2026.

Philadelphia – November 03, 2026 -- Verismo Therapeutics' SynKIR-110 achieved the fastest tumor control among three CAR T designs in preclinical mesothelioma models while producing roughly 10-fold less IFNγ and 30-fold less TNFα and IL-2 than a CD28-based single-chain CAR T.

The company will present the data at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 41st Annual Meeting in Phoenix (Abstract 253). The study compared SynKIR-110 with CD28- and 4-1BB-based single-chain CAR T cells in mesothelioma xenograft models.

SynKIR-110 shows lower exhaustion markers than both single-chain comparators

Tumor-infiltrating SynKIR-110 CD8 T cells expressed fewer of the exhaustion markers TIM3, LAG3 and PD1 than cells from either single-chain design. In vitro data also showed reductions in T cell exhaustion, off-target proliferation and toxicity.

TOKYO – November 03, 2026 -- Japan's market for EMR-derived healthcare data is projected to grow from about ¥3.9 billion in 2025 to about ¥25 billion in 2035, according to a whitepaper from TXP Medical Co., Ltd. The report, "The State of Japanese Real-World Evidence," targets pharmaceutical Medical Affairs departments. It is the first publication from the company's relaunched "Medical Data Lab" media unit.

EMR data share to rise from 11% to 29% of Japan's secondary-use market

The overall market for secondary use of healthcare data is forecast to grow from about ¥35 billion in 2025 to about ¥85 billion in 2035. EMR-derived data is expected to climb from 11% of that market to 29% over the period.

MINNEAPOLIS – – November 03, 2026 -- Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH) will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share only if its pending transaction with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has not closed by the close of business on November 13, 2026.

Dividend payable November 23 to holders of record on November 13

The Board of Directors declared the payout for the quarter ended September 30, 2026. Payment is due November 23, 2026, to all common shareholders of record at the close of business on November 13, 2026. The record date doubles as the deadline for the deal condition. If the Merck KGaA transaction closes on or before that date, the dividend will not be paid.

Board will review future dividends quarterly

The board said it will consider future cash dividends on a quarterly basis, as applicable. The company gave no commitment on payouts beyond the current declaration.

Shanghai – November 03, 2026 -- IASO Bio's FUCASO, the first BCMA-targeted CAR-T therapy approved in Singapore, will be covered under the country's Cancer Drug List (CDL) from December 1, 2026. The coverage follows the product's commercial launch in Singapore on November 3 with local partner Pills and Pokes.

Singapore's HSA approved FUCASO in June 2026 for late-line multiple myeloma

The Health Sciences Authority cleared FUCASO for adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM) who have progressed after at least three prior lines of therapy. Those lines must include at least one proteasome inhibitor and one immunomodulatory agent. IASO Bio describes the product as the world's first fully human BCMA-targeted CAR-T therapy.

HONG KONG – November 03, 2026 -- WuXi Biologics (2269.HK) won two Grand Awards at the ninth Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards (HERA), the only pharmaceutical company to do so among 120 entries.

The contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) took Best ESG Report (Large-Cap) and Excellence in Environmental Positive Impact. HERA categories span ESG governance, environmental and social impact, carbon neutrality and workplace well-being. A panel drawn from academia, finance, sustainability advisory and regulatory backgrounds judges the program independently.

SBTi validated WuXi Biologics' emissions targets across Scope 1, 2 and 3 in 2025

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validated the company's near-term, long-term and net-zero greenhouse gas reduction targets in 2025. The targets cover Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and align with a 1.5°C pathway.

SEOUL – November 04, 2026 -- Hugel Inc. reported third-quarter net sales of KRW97.5 billion, with operating profit of KRW18.1 billion and net profit of KRW4.7 billion, as the South Korean aesthetics group absorbed a short-term hit from restructuring its U.S. sales model. Consolidated net sales for the first three quarters of 2026 totaled KRW352.1 billion, up 15% year-on-year.

Botulinum toxin sales fall 21% while fillers and cosmetics grow

Botulinum toxin net sales, domestic and international combined, came in at KRW47.2 billion in the third quarter, down 21% year-on-year. Hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal fillers and skinboosters rose 2% to KRW30.9 billion. Cosmetics and other businesses reached KRW19.4 billion, growing more than 25%.

HANGZHOU – November 04, 2026 -- Minghui Pharmaceutical will receive an upfront payment of USD 110 million from ASKA Pharmaceutical under an exclusive license for MHB018A in Japan, with up to USD 330 million in further milestone payments on offer.

MHB018A is a subcutaneously administered antibody targeting insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) for thyroid eye disease (TED). ASKA gains exclusive rights to develop, seek regulatory approval for and commercialize the drug in Japan. Minghui keeps all rights outside Japan and continues to lead global development.

Deal combines USD 440 million in headline value with royalties up to mid-30%

Minghui is eligible for development, regulatory and commercial milestones totaling up to USD 330 million, on top of the USD 110 million upfront. It will also receive tiered royalties of up to mid-30% on net sales in Japan.

BEIJING – November 04, 2026 -- China invested approximately 1.4 trillion yuan in health-related poverty alleviation between 2015 and 2020, according to a Lancet Commission report launched at Tsinghua University on October 29.

The Commission, led by Tsinghua University and chaired by Margaret Chan, Dean of the Vanke School of Public Health and WHO Director-General Emeritus, analyzed four years of data on China's health poverty alleviation policies and their implementation.

Out-of-pocket inpatient costs for the poor fell ten percentage points

The share of inpatient expenses paid out of pocket by people living in poverty declined from 41.0% in 2013 to 31.0% in 2018. A national monitoring system now tracks more than 80 million low-income rural residents to identify risks of health-related poverty.