Olympia – October 13, 2026 -- Fungi Perfecti, LLC has published the first complete genome of the endangered Agarikon fungus, a 28.76-megabase nuclear assembly estimated to be 99.4% complete, in the peer-reviewed journal G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics.

The study, led by mycologist Paul Stamets and company scientists, is titled "Genomic characterization of the endangered medicinal polypore agarikon (Laricifomes officinalis syn. Fomitopsis officinalis)." Until now, Agarikon lacked a comprehensive genomic reference for genetic investigation.

Santa Barbara – October 13, 2026 -- Rona Therapeutics will receive up to $100 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments from Roche under an exclusive worldwide license for its investigational RNAi candidate targeting activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7), with potential for a further $1.06 billion in milestones.

Uppsala – October 13, 2026 -- Akiram Therapeutics reported no dose-limiting toxicities among the eight patients treated so far with its lead radiopharmaceutical candidate 177Lu-AKIR001 in a Phase I trial, with treatment-related adverse events limited to grade 1-2.

The Swedish clinical-stage biotech will present the first clinical data at the EANM 2026 Congress in Vienna, October 17-21. The abstract was selected as a Top Rated Oral Presentation (TROP).

Shanghai – October 12, 2026 -- Shanghai Ark Biopharmaceutical (ArkBio) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of its investigational new drug application for AK0406, allowing a phase II trial of the long-acting antiviral drug-Fc conjugate for influenza prevention in the general U.S. population.

Dublin – October 12, 2026 -- Keenova Therapeutics plc will present an exploratory analysis of the CONFIRM trial on October 12 at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting (October 9-14, 2026). The analysis covers TERLIVAZ (terlipressin) in hepatorenal syndrome-acute kidney injury (HRS-AKI) patients who are ineligible for liver transplant.

Sydney – October 12, 2026 -- The Safety Review Committee (SRC) for Racura Oncology's HARNESS-1 trial has cleared lead drug RC220 to escalate to 100 mg/m2, after finding no dose-limiting toxicities in either Cohort 1 patient. The Phase 1a/b study combines RC220 with osimertinib in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Riyadh – October 12, 2026 -- Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) employees in Saudi Arabia assembled and personalized more than 70 'Small Wins' toolkits for people living with schizophrenia, in partnership with the Saudi Schizophrenia Association ('Ehtiwaa'). The project was part of the 12th edition of BMS's annual Global Patient Week.

Taipei – October 12, 2026 -- China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved CAMCEVI® 42 mg, a ready-to-use 6-month subcutaneous depot formulation of leuprolide mesylate, for adult patients with advanced prostate cancer, Foresee Pharmaceuticals (TPEx: 6576) said. Licensing partner Changchun GeneScience Pharmaceutical (GenSci) notified Foresee of the approval of the Marketing Authorization Application and will commercialize the product in China.

Calgary – October 12, 2026 -- XORTX Therapeutics (NASDAQ: XRTX | TSXV: XRTX) has appointed Mika Grasso, 28, as co-CEO responsible for finance and public markets, and says it aims to advance its lead gout program, XRx-026, toward marketing approval over the next 18 months.

Calgary – October 12, 2026 -- XORTX Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: XRTX | TSXV: XRTX | Frankfurt: ANU) has appointed Depesh Narotam, a financial services executive with more than 20 years of experience, to its board as an independent director effective July 27, 2026.

Board determines Narotam meets Nasdaq and Canadian independence standards

The board determined that Narotam, 43, is independent under applicable Nasdaq listing standards and Canadian securities laws. He also joins the board's Compensation, Governance and Nominating Committee.