Healthcare, Pharma & Life Sciences

Paris – October 15, 2026 -- The share of patients reporting sleep difficulties fell by 59%, 56% and 55% within 48 hours of starting Mucosolvan or Bisolvon, according to a new real-world study from Opella on acute chesty cough.

Sleep complaints drop across three categories within 48 hours

The percentage of patients reporting difficulty falling asleep fell by 59%. Those reporting difficulty staying asleep fell by 56%, and those reporting sleep-related tiredness by 55%. Opella describes sleep disruption as a primary patient concern.

Social impact of cough improves meaningfully within 72 hours

Patients achieved a clinically meaningful improvement in the social impact of cough within 72 hours. Data also showed improvements in daily functioning from the first day of treatment.

Las Vegas – October 15, 2026 -- SpectroChip Inc. has committed NT$3 million (about US$94,000) over five years to Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital under a collaboration with OTC-listed PurMinds Enterprises, Inc. (PFSF) to validate point-of-care (POC) diagnostic technologies.

The funding runs generally at NT$600,000 per year and is subject to the applicable agreement and institutional procedures. It is earmarked for approved teaching and research, which may include research consumables, testing, equipment maintenance, data analysis, research personnel, training and academic exchange. The framework preserves the hospital's independence in professional, clinical, research and procurement decisions.

Aurora – October 15, 2026 -- Adults with type 2 diabetes who do not take insulin spent about five more hours per day within their target blood sugar range when using continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) than patients receiving routine care, according to a randomized trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Nearly twice as many CGM users reached an A1c below 7%, a common treatment goal. The A1c gap between the two groups was 0.9 percentage points, which the researchers say greatly exceeds the threshold generally considered clinically meaningful.

Trial enrolled 283 adults across 22 primary care practices

Participants were followed for 26 weeks. The University of Colorado Anschutz team describes the study as the first large-scale, multicenter randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of CGM in adults with type 2 diabetes who do not take insulin.

Bend, Oregon – – October 15, 2026 -- Worldwide Fistula Fund and Terrewode Women's Fund have merged into Maternal Dignity Project, a U.S.-based nonprofit that will fund African-led organizations treating and preventing obstetric fistula in five countries.

Merged nonprofit backs partners in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger and Uganda

The combined organization supports partners across Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger and Uganda. The two predecessors had funded overlapping work for years and shared a commitment to backing leaders working in their own communities.

Named partners include ARENA Medical Center in Burkina Faso, founded by Dr. Itengre Ouedraogo as the country's first dedicated fistula center, and Let's End Fistula Initiative in Kenya, founded by survivor and advocate Sarah Omega. In Uganda, TERREWODE supports women after surgery and built the country's only dedicated fistula hospital.

Washington – October 15, 2026 -- Vanda Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VNDA) has put its VQW-765 program on hold after the Phase III Study 3201 in adults with social anxiety disorder missed its primary endpoint, and the company said the data did not confirm earlier Phase II findings.

Phase III trial misses primary and key secondary endpoints

Study 3201 (NCT07221578) tested VQW-765 as an on-demand treatment for acute anxiety. Female participants who received the drug showed no statistically significant difference in distress from those who received placebo during the performance phase of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The primary endpoint was measured on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS), a 0-to-100 self-rating of nervousness.

The study also missed its key secondary endpoint, SUDS during the TSST performance phase in the full male and female population.

Dallas – October 15, 2026 -- Colossal Biosciences has unveiled GenoMorph, an in-house AI platform that identified an estimated 2,300 candidate regulatory DNA elements linked to avian beak size and shape, giving its dodo de-extinction program a prioritized list of targets for experimental testing.

GenoMorph finds 653 beak-size and 1,698 beak-thickness candidates

The platform combines comparative genomics, developmental biology and high-resolution 3D morphology to predict which regulatory elements are active during development. It then ranks those most strongly associated with differences in physical form. Regulatory DNA controls when, where and how strongly genes are activated, and it helps shape traits such as skull and beak structure.

New York – October 15, 2026 -- The American Skin Association (ASA), which has awarded more than $50 million in research grants, has formed a seven-member Emerging Dermatology Leaders Advisory Committee to guide its research priorities, pipeline therapy focus and patient education programs.

Mount Sinai's Nicholas Brownstone chairs the new ASA committee

Nicholas Brownstone, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will chair the panel. His research covers psoriasis, phototherapy, eczema, hidradenitis suppurativa, psychodermatology and skin cancer. He has also hosted ASA's podcast series, The SKINsight Podcast: A Patient's Guide.

Edmonton – October 15, 2026 -- Aurora Cannabis' board unanimously recommended that shareholders reject Curaleaf Holdings' revised hostile offer, which remains open until October 15, 2026, and said its special committee is actively exploring alternatives, including a deal with one or more third parties.

The recommendation, made on the unanimous advice of a special committee of independent directors, responds to the Notice of Variation, Change and Extension that Curaleaf filed on October 15, 2026. Aurora's financial advisor delivered an updated opinion concluding that the revised consideration is inadequate, from a financial point of view, to Aurora shareholders.

Board says revised offer shifts risk and cost onto Aurora shareholders

Aurora argues that the increase in consideration consists principally of Curaleaf shares at an inflated valuation. Aurora shareholders would therefore stay fully exposed to any decline in the Curaleaf share price.

Richmond, Va. – October 15, 2026 -- Owens & Minor has launched ARMOR-FLEX* Sterilization Wrap, a heavyweight wrap developed in-house and made in Lexington, N.C., that the company says is stronger, more flexible and more bacteria-resistant than traditional heavyweight wraps without adding weight.

The product joins the Halyard® portfolio and targets sterility breaches that can compromise patient safety and cause delays in the operating room.

ASSURE-DRY technology targets slow-drying, hard-to-handle heavyweight wraps

Owens & Minor says many heavyweight wraps rely on bulk for protection. That added weight can make them harder to work with, slower to dry and more prone to incidents that may affect sterility. ARMOR-FLEX* instead combines patent-pending ASSURE-DRY* moisture management technology with proprietary manufacturing techniques.

NEW YORK – October 15, 2026 -- More than 100 specialty practices running ModMed EMA now use Medsender to manage incoming referrals, 16 months after the fax and referral management platform launched its EMA integration.

Referral leakage costs practices up to 10% of revenue

Specialists receive more than 100 million referral requests a year in the United States, yet only half are completed, according to Medsender. The company says mismanaged referrals can cost practices up to 10% of their revenue, and that most practices cannot measure the loss until a system tracks it.