On March 20, 2026 Abbott (NYSE: ABT) reported that it expects to close the acquisition of Exact Sciences on Monday, March 23, 2026. The announcement follows receipt of all regulatory clearances necessary for closing.

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The transaction enables Abbott to enter and lead in fast-growing cancer screening and diagnostics segments, serving millions of additional people. Together with Exact Sciences, Abbott will accelerate innovation, expand access to life-changing diagnostics, and help more people detect and manage cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages.

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"Proactively shaping the portfolio to anticipate future medical needs while building long-term shareholder value remains at the core of our strategic framework," said Robert B. Ford, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "The addition of Exact Sciences enhances Abbott’s growth profile and strengthens our leadership in diagnostics. This transaction brings a powerful new platform in cancer screening and diagnostics into Abbott, advancing our mission to make care more accessible and give people more control over their health."

Strategic fit
Exact Sciences is a leader in cancer screening, precision oncology and genetic testing, helping to detect cancer earlier, guide treatment decisions and monitor for recurrence.

This acquisition strengthens Abbott’s leadership position and capabilities in diagnostics, positioning the company to advance technologies that are more preventative, predictive and personalized. It expands Abbott’s presence in one of the fastest-growing areas of healthcare as cancer incidence continues to rise worldwide. It also adds a new growth vertical to Abbott’s already high-single-digit growth expectations, establishing leadership in the fast-growing $60 billion U.S. cancer screening and precision oncology diagnostics segments.

Industry-leading offerings and pipeline
Exact Sciences’ product offerings include the Cologuard test, a market-leading noninvasive colorectal cancer screening option; Oncotype DX, which informs personalized treatment decisions for patients with early-stage breast cancer; Oncodetect, a tumor informed molecular residual disease (MRD) test to help identify cancer recurrence and guide follow-up care; and Cancerguard, a multi-cancer early detection blood test.

Exact Sciences is also advancing a leading pipeline of next-generation cancer diagnostics designed to detect cancer even earlier, optimize treatment decisions and enable regular monitoring to help people stay healthy and better manage disease.

Financial
As previously communicated, this transaction is expected to add approximately $3 billion of incremental sales in 2026, accelerate Abbott’s 2026 sales growth by approximately 0.5% and dilute 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) by approximately $0.20.

(Press release, Abbott, MAR 20, 2026, View Source,-2026 [SID1234663787])

On March 20, 2026 Novartis reported that it has entered into an agreement with Synnovation Therapeutics, LLC to acquire SNV4818, a pan-mutant‑selective PI3Kα inhibitor, exploring a next-generation approach for the treatment of patients with HR+/HER2- breast cancer and potentially other solid tumor indications.

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SNV4818 is an oral drug currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 study for breast cancer and other advanced solid tumors. The biology of mutated PI3Kα in HR+/HER2- breast cancer is well-understood, with approximately 40% of HR+/HER2- breast cancer patients potentially facing worse disease prognosis due to the presence of PIK3CA mutations in their tumors. The program is aligned with the Novartis commitment to developing treatments that improve the lives of patients with breast cancer. It fits naturally alongside CDK inhibitors as well as endocrine (hormonal) therapies as part of a potential combination regimen.

"While mutated PI3Kα is a well‑established driver in HR+/HER2‑ breast cancer, there remains a challenge in achieving effective pathway inhibition with a tolerable therapeutic profile," said Shreeram Aradhye, M.D., President of Development at Novartis. "SNV4818 applies new mutant‑selective chemistry to more precisely target tumor biology while sparing normal cells. This approach has the potential to translate proven biology into improved tolerability and more durable benefit for patients through precision medicine."

SNV4818 is designed to target the mutated PI3Kα enzyme found in cancer cells while sparing the wild-type (normal) PI3Kα in healthy cells. Available PI3Kα inhibitors block both mutant and wild-type PI3Kα, leading to tolerability challenges that make it difficult to keep patients on treatment. By focusing on the mutated form in tumors, SNV4818 aims to reduce unwanted side effects, support more consistent dosing, and make it easier to combine with hormonal therapy and other treatments earlier in care. Preclinical studies show strong activity against common PIK3CA mutations and clear selectivity over the normal enzyme, with clinical evaluation ongoing.

Transaction Details
Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will pay USD 2 billion upfront and up to USD 1 billion in milestone payments to Synnovation Therapeutics, LLC to acquire Pikavation Therapeutics, Inc., a wholly- owned subsidiary of Synnovation that holds a portfolio of pan-mutant selective PI3Kα inhibitor programs, including SNV4818. The transaction is expected to close in H1 2026, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

(Press release, Novartis, MAR 20, 2026, View Source [SID1234663761])

On March 19, 2026 Globant (NYSE: GLOB), a digitally native company that helps organizations thrive in a digital and AI-powered future, and PharmaMar, world leader in the discovery, development and commercialization of marine-derived anti-cancer drugs, reported a new collaboration designed to speed up cancer drug discovery through artificial intelligence.

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Through Globant Enterprise AI, the two organizations have created a multi-agent AI system that delivers more than 90% accuracy in complex data retrieval and reduces time to insights up to 15-fold, helping scientists select high-potential drug candidates for clinical development in a fraction of the time previously required.

The platform is capable of analyzing large volumes of scientific, regulatory, and clinical data sources to assist with decision-making across PharmaMar’s R&D ecosystem and enable continuous, self-improving workflows.

Over 20 specialized digital agents are working across preclinical, clinical, regulatory, commercial and strategy areas, uniting human creativity and machine precision in the fight against cancer. Each agent collaborates within GEAI’s secure architecture to process documents, simulate scenarios, and rank the most promising pharmaceutical assets.

The system enables reviews of over 4,500 research documents to prioritize the 10 most viable treatment-indication combinations out of over 8,000 possibilities – work that would have taken months for human researchers to complete.

This intelligent system integrates information from internal databases, scientific publications, and global regulatory sources such as the FDA and EMA, allowing PharmaMar’s teams to identify promising treatment combinations and make more informed, faster decisions.

"Drug discovery has always been a race against time, and in oncology, that time can mean everything," said Dr. Javier Jimenez, Chief Medical Officer at PharmaMar." By integrating Globant’s AI technologies, we can process data from thousands of documents in seconds, simulate scenarios, and focus our research efforts where they have the highest potential to make a difference for patients."

Beyond speed and efficiency, the collaboration strengthens PharmaMar’s ability to reuse institutional knowledge and fosters a new culture of digital innovation across its teams. In the next phase of the project, PharmaMar plans to extend these capabilities to enable hypothesis generation, real-time compliance checks, and automated content creation for scientific reporting.

"PharmaMar’s vision proves what’s possible when human intelligence and AI systems work side by side," said Ariel Capone, CEO of Globant’s Healthcare and Life Sciences AI Studio. "By leveraging agentic AI, we’re building a new model for drug discovery; one that brings precision and scalability to a field that directly impacts millions of lives."

(Press release, PharmaMar, MAR 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234663778])

On March 19, 2026 Kaida BioPharma, a biotechnology company developing targeted therapies for women with hard-to-treat gynecologic cancers, reported its executive leadership team and board. Each member brings decades of experience in biotechnology, clinical development, regulatory strategy, manufacturing, finance, and commercialization to help advance Kaida’s lead product candidate, KAD-101, toward first-in-human clinical evaluation. The company is developing KAD-101 for recurrent ovarian cancer, where treatment options narrow quickly and durable control remains limited.

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Kaida BioPharma is building KAD-101, a next-generation prolactin receptor antagonist for the ovarian cancer gap, the space where patients are too often left cycling through treatment with too few durable options.

In addition to her role as Chairperson of the Board, Kaida founder Dr. Stella Vnook has been named Acting Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Vnook is an accomplished biotechnology founder, executive, and advisor with extensive experience guiding early-stage therapeutics from scientific foundation through capital formation. At Kaida, she leads corporate strategy, development planning, and investor engagement.

"The science brought me here, and the women out there still fighting are why I stay. At Kaida, we are building for the ovarian cancer gap, for patients whose options narrow too fast and whose disease still outpaces available therapies," said Dr. Vnook. "By targeting the survival signals that keep these tumors alive, we believe KAD-101 has the potential to help overcome treatment resistance and create a new path toward more durable control. More options mean more time, and more time means everything."

Craig Pierson, a founder alongside Dr. Vnook, has been appointed Director at Kaida BioPharma. Mr. Pierson is a life sciences investor and company builder with more than 25 years of experience in investment banking and private capital formation. He provides strategic oversight and financing expertise.

George E. Peoples, MD, FACS has been appointed fractional Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Peoples is a surgical oncologist with decades of experience in translational oncology and clinical development. He is also the founder of the Cancer Vaccine Development Program, Cancer Insight, and LumaBridge. At Kaida, he helps guide clinical strategy and IND planning.

John Langenheim, PhD has been appointed fractional Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Langenheim is a molecular biologist with more than 20 years of experience in therapeutic protein design and preclinical development. His scientific leadership has been instrumental in advancing KAD-101 toward clinical evaluation.

Pamela Swiggard has been appointed Head of Regulatory Affairs. She is a pharmaceutical executive with prior experience at companies including Pfizer and Endo Pharmaceuticals. She brings deep expertise across the product lifecycle, from development through regulatory approval and commercialization. At Kaida, she leads regulatory strategy and FDA engagement in support of IND readiness for KAD-101.

Eric Hacherl, PhD has been appointed Head of Manufacturing. Dr. Hacherl is a senior pharmaceutical operations leader with more than 25 years of experience in biologics manufacturing, cGMP compliance, and process development. At Kaida, he is responsible for helping ensure clinical supply readiness for KAD-101.

Mark Booth has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Booth is a seasoned pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive with more than 25 years of experience building commercial strategies for oncology and rare disease products. His background includes leadership across launch planning, brand strategy, access, and market development for important oncology products, including EMEND, EMEND IV, Zolinza, vintafolide, KEYTRUDA, and the avutometinib plus defactinib combination for low grade serous ovarian cancer. At Kaida, he is responsible for commercial strategy for KAD-101, including positioning, market development, and long-term access planning.

(Press release, Kaida BioPharma, MAR 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234663777])

On March 19, 2026 Context Therapeutics Inc. ("Context" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CNTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing T cell engaging ("TCE") bispecific antibodies for solid tumors, reported a poster presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026, taking place April 17-22, 2026 in San Diego, CA. The presentation will highlight preclinical data regarding the Company’s asset, CT-202, a Nectin-4 x CD3 TCE.

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Poster Presentation Details:
Title: Targeting solid tumors with pH-dependent dual-specific TCEs: First-in-human development of CT-202
Abstract Number: 5392
Date and Time: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT
Session Category: Clinical Research
Session: PO.CL05.12 – Redefining Targeted Therapy: Bispecific T-Cell Engagers and Antibody-Drug Conjugates
Location: Poster Section 48

For more information and to view the Company’s abstract, visit the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting website. The poster will be made available in the Publications section of the Company’s website at the beginning of the poster session.

About CT-202
CT-202 is a Nectin-4 x CD3 TCE bispecific antibody that targets Nectin-4, a cell surface protein that is highly and frequently overexpressed in a variety of solid tumors, including bladder, colorectal, lung and breast. Nectin-4 is a clinically validated target for cancer therapy using a traditional antibody-drug conjugate ("ADC"), but it is also associated with certain adverse events, including neuropathy and rash. CT-202 is a pH-dependent TCE that is designed to be preferentially active within the tumor microenvironment.

(Press release, Context Therapeutics, MAR 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234663776])