Healthcare, Pharma & Life Sciences

Lansing – October 27, 2026 -- IntelePeer and Michigan Orthopedic Center have built an agentic AI triage workflow that sorts inbound post-surgical calls into emergent, urgent or routine tiers. It replaces a queue in which 50 simultaneous calls were returned in the order received.

The catalyst was Dr. Clay Dorenkamp, an orthopedic spine surgeon at the Lansing practice. An elderly patient who valued his clinical care told him he was impossible to reach. Dorenkamp argues the problem is structural: post-op call volume scales with every case, and missed calls can mean a complication caught late or an avoidable emergency department visit.

United States – October 27, 2026 -- A two-second pause in an AI voice call feels like system confusion, while a 200-millisecond gap feels natural, according to IntelePeer's four-layer framework for judging healthcare voice AI. The company argues that polished vendor demos hide the gaps that stall pilots before production.

Test scenario exposes all four layers in one call

IntelePeer advises buyers to ask vendors to handle a reschedule request for a specific location, provider and insurance plan, where the patient mentions worrying symptoms midway through the call. The scenario tests reliability, real-time performance, integration, and analytics and governance together.

Mark Langanki, Chief AI Officer at IntelePeer, said demos stop being representative once agents connect to backend systems, apply business rules and talk to real people.

United States – October 27, 2026 -- IntelePeer reports a 38% reduction in no-show rates when AI-driven multi-step outreach replaces manual reminders (IntelePeer, 2026). The company is pitching its agentic AI platform, SmartAgent and SmartEngage, to healthcare practices that cannot staff their way out of missed appointments, aging receivables and unanswered calls.

No-shows cost U.S. healthcare $150 billion a year, and SmartAgent targets the communication failures behind them

Curogram (2024) puts the annual cost of no-shows to U.S. healthcare at $150 billion. IntelePeer attributes most preventable no-shows to communication breakdowns: reminders that arrive late, closed offices when patients try to reschedule, and voicemail.

TAMPA – October 27, 2026 -- Akari Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKTX) is planning preclinical studies that pair its PH1 spliceosome-modulating payload with Whitehawk Therapeutics' topoisomerase I inhibitor (TOP1i) ADC platform, CEO Abizer Gaslightwala said in a Virtual Investor "What This Means" interview.

Whitehawk studies target dual-payload synergy

The preclinical work is designed to assess synergy between the two payload classes and to generate data that could support future development of next-generation ADCs. The announcement does not disclose financial terms for the collaboration.

Gaslightwala said recent strategic transactions show the market placing growing value on novel payload innovation. Akari argues PH1 extends beyond conventional payload approaches, and management believes the Whitehawk tie-up supports the platform's broad applicability across future oncology programs.

TAMPA, FL – October 27, 2026 -- Akari Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKTX) is pairing its proprietary PH1 spliceosome-modulating payload with WhiteHawk Therapeutics' TOP1 inhibitor antibody drug conjugate (ADC) platform to test a dual-payload approach in oncology. President and CEO Abizer Gaslightwala laid out the rationale in a new CEO Corner segment released today. The release does not disclose financial terms.

Akari combines two payload mechanisms in one research program

The strategic research collaboration joins PH1, which targets RNA splicing, with WhiteHawk's TOP1 inhibitor technology. Gaslightwala said the ADC field is moving beyond single-payload development toward combinations of complementary mechanisms. Akari expects the pairing to broaden therapeutic activity and to demonstrate the applicability of PH1 across multiple uses.

Tampa – October 27, 2026 -- Akari Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKTX) reported a second-quarter 2026 net loss of $4.8 million, up from $1.9 million a year earlier, as research and development spending tripled to $2.1 million ahead of a planned Phase 1 start for its lead antibody drug conjugate (ADC), AKTX-101, in mid-2027.

Akari raised $8.6 million gross in the quarter, lifting cash to $7.7 million

The company closed a private placement with $5.5 million in gross proceeds and booked $3.1 million in gross proceeds from warrant exercises. Total gross financing was approximately $8.6 million, with approximately $8.0 million in net proceeds. Cash stood at $7.7 million on June 30, 2026, up from $5.2 million at December 31, 2025. Akari said long-term strategic investors led the financing.

TAMPA – – October 27, 2026 -- Akari Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKTX) reported that its TROP2-targeted ADC AKTX-101 slowed tumor growth in urothelial cancer models with limited response to Padcev or acquired resistance to Trodelvy. The company is targeting a Phase 1 start in mid-2027.

AKTX-101 inhibits tumor growth where Padcev shows limited response

In the UM-UC-14 advanced urothelial carcinoma model, which represents metastatic urothelial cancer, AKTX-101 achieved statistically significant tumor growth inhibition versus vehicle. Padcev (enfortumab vedotin), approved as first-line therapy in this setting, had limited responsiveness on the tumor in the same model, according to Akari.

Trodelvy-resistant tumors slow again after switch to PH1 payload

Tumors first treated with Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan) developed resistance and resumed growth. When they were switched to AKTX-101, growth slowed again.

TAMPA – October 27, 2026 -- Akari Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKTX) is targeting a First-In-Human trial of its lead antibody drug conjugate (ADC), AKTX-101, by mid-2027, after starting IND-enabling studies. The company laid out its investment case in the Virtual Investor "Why Now" on-demand conference.

CEO Abizer Gaslightwala argued that now is a pivotal time for Akari. He cited a fast-changing ADC landscape and rising industry demand for differentiated payload technologies.

Akari pitches PH1 splicing payload as alternative to conventional ADC toxins

Akari's proprietary PH1 platform is a spliceosome modulator designed to disrupt RNA splicing inside cancer cells. Current ADCs rely on microtubule inhibitors and DNA-damaging agents. According to the company, PH1 is meant to address limitations of those conventional payloads.

TAMPA – October 27, 2026 -- Akari Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKTX) plans to begin Phase 1 clinical development of its lead antibody drug conjugate, AKTX-101, in mid-2027, with the compound now moving through IND-enabling toxicology and safety studies and large-scale GMP manufacturing.

CEO Abizer Gaslightwala laid out the strategy in a new CEO Corner segment. He argues that payload differentiation will matter more as ADCs move into front-line therapy and patients develop resistance to current payload classes, leaving few follow-on options.

Canada – October 27, 2026 -- WaitWell scored 9.4 out of 10 in its own evaluation of 10 medical practice management platforms, ahead of athenaOne (8.2), Tebra (7.8), SimplePractice (7.6) and RXNT (7.4). WaitWell publishes the guide and discloses a commercial interest in its conclusions.

Seven weighted criteria favor platforms that handle walk-ins and bookings

The evaluation covered scheduling and self-booking, check-in and queue capability, EHR and billing integration, compliance posture (HIPAA, SOC 2), analytics quality, billing depth and pricing transparency. The team tested tools directly where possible, analyzed reviews from G2, Capterra and Software Advice, and reviewed published pricing.

Platforms that manage both scheduled appointments and walk-in flow scored higher than billing-only suites. The guide's rationale is that more practices need a modern scheduling and check-in layer than another billing migration.