Healthcare, Pharma & Life Sciences

NEW YORK – October 29, 2026 -- Zocdoc said AI agent traffic on its platform has grown nearly 30x since July, and it is opening its healthcare access infrastructure to agents that find providers, verify insurance and book confirmed appointments on patients' behalf.

Agent traffic has doubled roughly every 10 days since early September, according to the company. Zocdoc is also adding the AI agent Instinct as a partner, giving it direct access to Zocdoc's MCP (Model Context Protocol) server.

Zocdoc welcomes agents while much of the web restricts them

Zocdoc is registering agents rather than blocking, restricting or charging them, as much of the internet does. CEO Oliver Kharraz said "most of the internet is treating AI agents like intruders." He argued that errors in healthcare, such as referrals to nonexistent doctors, unavailable slots or out-of-network providers, fall on patients.

WASHINGTON – October 29, 2026 -- LUNGevity Foundation and the Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research (RTFCCR) have awarded $620,000 to an early-phase clinical trial at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. The trial will test whether pairing two FDA-approved drugs can stop resistance to osimertinib in EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Resistance to EGFR inhibitors affects a sizable share of NSCLC patients

About 15% of NSCLC patients in the US and 35% in East Asia have tumors with an EGFR gene mutation that drives cancer growth. Multiple generations of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) stop growth in these tumors. Over time, however, tumors develop resistance and resume growing. The cause is drug-tolerant persister (DTP) cells, which adapt and evolve to evade treatment.

WASHINGTON – October 29, 2026 -- LUNGevity Foundation and patient advocacy group RETpositive have awarded a combined $340,000 to two research projects targeting drug resistance in RET-positive cancers, where tumors eventually outlast the two FDA-approved RET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

RET fusions drive 1% to 2% of non-small cell lung cancers

RET fusions occur when part of the RET gene joins with another gene. Beyond lung cancer, RET alterations appear in thyroid, colon and breast cancers. Both approved TKIs can be effective, but tumors evolve resistance and resume growth, which the organizations name as the critical priority for patients.

WIESBADEN – October 29, 2026 -- German hospitals treated 17.7 million inpatients in 2025, up 1.2% or 203,000 cases on 2024, while bed capacity shrank 0.9% and average occupancy climbed to 72.6%, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

Case numbers remain well below pre-pandemic levels. In every year from 2014 to 2019, more than 19 million people received inpatient treatment. Against 2019, when 19.4 million patients were treated, the 2025 total is 9.4% lower.

Internal medicine and general surgery account for 43% of cases

Internal medicine recorded 5.0 million cases, or 28.1% of all treatments. General surgery followed with 2.7 million cases, a 15.3% share.

SEOUL – October 29, 2026 -- Korean biotechnology company CELSET INC. has launched SOLTOX, a botulinum toxin type A brand, in 100 Unit and 200 Unit formulations for international medical aesthetics markets.

SOLTOX combines a 900 kDa complex with a freeze-dried dosage form

The product is built on three technical characteristics: a 900 kDa toxin complex, a lyophilized powder format and an advanced purification process. The powder is reconstituted before administration by qualified medical professionals, in line with product labeling and local requirements.

CELSET states that the 900 kDa figure describes the molecular size of the toxin protein complex, including associated proteins. The company says it does not establish a claim of superior clinical duration or efficacy.

OSLO – – October 29, 2026 -- Photocure ASA raised its 2026 product revenue growth guidance to 10% to 12% on a constant currency basis, up from 8% to 11%, after Hexvix/Cysview revenues of NOK 134.2 million in the third quarter matched the prior-year level of NOK 134.1 million.

Reported earnings fall despite flat core sales

Adjusted EBITDA came in at NOK 18.5 million, against NOK 18.9 million in Q3 2025. Total revenues rose to NOK 140.9 million from NOK 135.0 million. Reported EBITDA dropped to NOK 4.0 million from NOK 10.2 million, and EBIT swung to NOK -3.4 million from NOK 2.9 million. Cash and cash equivalents stood at NOK 162.4 million at quarter-end.

The company also expects continued expansion of its adjusted EBITDA margin in 2026.

SHANGHAI – October 29, 2026 -- Jiahui International Hospital has launched the Jiahui International Cell Therapy Center to treat CAR-T patients from China and abroad, citing rising international demand. The hospital handles nearly 500,000 patient visits a year from 180 countries and regions.

Center unveiled at inaugural summit with viewers from 14 countries

The center was introduced on October 23 at the first Jiahui International Cell Therapy Summit. Jiahui International Hospital hosted the event, and Jiahui Medical Research & Education Group (J-Med) co-organized it. Livestream viewing registrations came from 14 countries and regions.

Prof. HAO Siguo, Chief of Hematology at Jiahui International Cancer Center (JICC), and Prof. XUAN Linli, Chief of Medical Oncology at JICC, joined experts discussing cellular therapies for blood cancers, solid tumors and autoimmune diseases.

MADRID – October 29, 2026 -- Hengrui Pharma presented a record 64 oncology studies at the ESMO Congress 2026 in Madrid. Innovative oncology medicines generated 81.02% of the company's innovative medicine sales revenue in 2025.

Hengrui lists 64 accepted studies across 21 drugs

The accepted work comprises three Proffered Papers, three Rapid Oral presentations, 32 Posters and 26 e-Posters. The studies span more than ten cancer areas, including gastrointestinal, lung, breast, gynecological and genitourinary cancers, plus supportive care. They involve 21 innovative drugs in China: nine approved products and 12 investigational candidates.

Hengrui has attended ESMO for 11 consecutive years since 2016. It has presented nearly 200 research findings at the congress since 2023.

Wilmington – October 29, 2026 -- LabWare and Phizzle have made LabWare Loop available by request to LabWare customers, with commercial availability planned for early 2027. The vendor-agnostic tool moves results from legacy and modern instruments directly into LabWare sample result records, replacing manual data handling with a verified chain of custody.

The workflow follows each GxP sample from sampling plan to result in a single auditable digital process. It supports 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11 and ALCOA+ data integrity principles.

Hangzhou – October 29, 2026 -- Lynk Pharmaceuticals reported that its oral JAK1 inhibitor zemprocitinib sustained a 91.8% ACR20 response rate at Week 76 in rheumatoid arthritis patients who had failed or could not tolerate biologic therapy, with no new safety signals in the pivotal Phase III trial.

Trial met primary endpoint at Week 24 before long-term extension

The double-blind, placebo-controlled study randomized 430 patients with moderate-to-severe active RA and prior bDMARD inadequate response or intolerance; 429 received at least one dose. Patients received zemprocitinib 12 mg twice daily or placebo for 24 weeks. The trial met its primary ACR20 endpoint and key secondary endpoints versus placebo (p<0.0001). Patients then continued or switched to active treatment, with efficacy and safety tracked through Week 76 and a 4-week safety follow-up.