US FDA’s marquee expedited review program added 15 new breakthrough therapy designations between June and August.

Inclusion into China's national reimbursement drug list alone does not guarantee revenue growth but in some cases higher volumes seem to be offsetting the requisite big price cuts, reveal second-quarter results from some leading publicly-traded biotechs in the country.

ARM counts $14.1bn in fundraising in the first half of 2021, up 35% from mid-year 2020. Also, Chinese mRNA players Abogen raises a $700m series C venture capital round, Pfizer prices a $1bn sustainability bond and while IPOs slow in the US, China and South Korea see new first-time offerings.

Lilly partners with Kumquat to discover small molecule IO drug. Kite, Appia Bio collaborate on allogeneic cell therapies. AstraZeneca and Regeneron pursue novel metabolic therapies targeting GPR75. Lexeo and Stelios merge to focus on gene therapies for rare cardiovascular indications.