BOSTON, Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aktis Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKTS), a clinical-stage oncology company focused on expanding the breakthrough potential of targeted radiopharmaceuticals to large patient populations, including those not addressed by existing platform technologies, today announced that Matthew Roden, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Aktis Oncology, will present at the following investor conferences in March 2026. TD Cowen 46th Annual Health Care Conference Date & Time: T ...

Core Viewpoint - Aktis Oncology, Inc. has received Fast Track designation from the U.S. FDA for its drug AKY-1189, aimed at treating adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have progressed after prior systemic therapies [1][7] Group 1: Fast Track Designation - Fast Track designation is intended to expedite the development and review of drugs for serious conditions, allowing for more frequent interactions with the FDA and the possibility of rolling submissions for Biologics License Applications [2] - The designation provides Aktis Oncology a unique opportunity to collaborate closely with the FDA to expedite the development of AKY-1189, addressing an unmet medical need in urothelial cancer treatment [3] Group 2: Clinical Trials and Development - Aktis is conducting a multi-site Phase 1b clinical trial (NCT07020117) for AKY-1189, which includes patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer and other Nectin-4 expressing tumors [3] - Preliminary results from Part 1 of the trial are expected to be presented in the first quarter of 2027 [3] Group 3: Technology and Pipeline - Aktis has developed a proprietary miniprotein radioconjugate platform that selectively delivers radioisotopes to targeted tumors, maximizing anti-cancer activity while minimizing exposure to normal tissues [4] - The company’s pipeline includes AKY-1189 targeting Nectin-4 and AKY-2519 targeting B7-H3, with potential applications across various tumor types [5]

Core Insights - SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF (XPH) has returned 29.44% over the past year, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's 12% gain, but has only gained 10.49% over five years compared to the S&P 500's 74.77% [1] - The ETF's equal weighting structure amplifies the impact of clinical trial failures at smaller companies, leading to increased volatility [1] Performance Analysis - XPH's one-year performance reflects a strong rotation into pharmaceutical stocks driven by investor interest in drug development and pricing power narratives [1] - Over five years, XPH's return of 10.49% is dwarfed by the broader market's 74.77% gain, indicating that pharmaceutical stocks have not kept pace with technology and growth stocks [1] - The ten-year cumulative return for XPH is significantly lower than the S&P 500's 255.65% gain, highlighting that pharma-focused funds have historically acted as diversifiers rather than maximizing returns [1] Fund Structure and Strategy - XPH holds 57 positions with no single stock exceeding 2.12% of the portfolio, providing broad exposure to pharmaceutical companies without concentration risk [1] - The fund focuses 98.4% of its assets in healthcare, primarily in drug development and commercialization, avoiding exposure to device makers and insurers [1] - XPH has a lean cost structure with a 0.35% expense ratio and 45% annual turnover, but its 0.48% dividend yield makes it less attractive for income-focused investors [1] Market Context - Within the pharmaceutical ETF category, XPH's one-year return of 29.44% places it in the middle of the pack, with the iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) achieving a 32.25% return [1] - The broader healthcare sector, which includes non-pharma exposure, returned only 10.59% over the past year, indicating that pure-play pharma funds benefited from sector rotation [1]

Core Insights - Nxera Pharma reported a disciplined execution and strategic progress in 2025, focusing on building a resilient biopharmaceutical business with a growing commercial presence in Japan and a maturing pipeline [2][3] Operational Highlights - PIVLAZ® sales in Japan increased, establishing it as the standard of care for preventing cerebral vasospasm, with market share rising from 69% in 2024 to 74% in 2025 [6] - Q4 2025 net sales for PIVLAZ® reached JPY 4,545 million (US$30.4 million), while FY 2025 net sales totaled JPY 13,511 million (US$90.3 million), reflecting a 6.8% growth compared to FY 2024 [6][17] - QUVIVIQ™ achieved FY 2025 net sales of JPY 4,327 million (US$28.9 million), marking a significant 223.9% growth from FY 2024 [7][17] - The company regained full rights to its GPR52 agonist program and plans to explore strategic opportunities for this asset [9] Financial Performance - Total revenue for FY 2025 was JPY 29,615 million (US$197.9 million), an increase of JPY 780 million (US$5.2 million) from the previous year [17] - R&D expenses rose to JPY 14,466 million (US$96.7 million), reflecting increased investment in clinical-stage pipelines and the obesity and metabolic disease area [17] - Operating loss for FY 2025 was JPY 8,462 million (US$56.5 million), compared to a loss of JPY 5,423 million (US$35.9 million) in the prior year [17] - Net loss totaled JPY 12,530 million (US$83.7 million), up from a loss of JPY 4,838 million (US$32.0 million) in the previous year [23] Strategic Initiatives - Nxera implemented a focused restructuring to enhance its path to profitability, concentrating resources on high-potential programs and reducing operating expenses [8] - The establishment of a Metabolic Advisory Council aims to provide guidance as Nxera advances its pipeline targeting obesity and metabolic disorders [11] - The company plans to submit a marketing authorization application for daridorexant in South Korea in Q1 2026, with approval expected in Q1 2027 [10]

Core Insights - Innovent Biologics has announced a strategic collaboration with Eli Lilly to advance novel medicines in oncology and immunology, marking their seventh partnership and enhancing their long-term relationship [1][2] Collaboration Details - The collaboration will leverage the complementary strengths of both companies to accelerate the global development of new medicines, with Innovent leading the development in China and Lilly obtaining exclusive rights outside Greater China [2] - Innovent will receive a $350 million upfront payment and could earn up to approximately $8.5 billion in milestone payments based on future achievements, along with tiered royalties on net sales outside Greater China [3] Company Overview - Innovent Biologics, founded in 2011, focuses on developing high-quality biopharmaceuticals for various diseases, having launched 16 products and currently having multiple assets in different stages of clinical trials [4] - The company partners with over 30 global healthcare firms, including Eli Lilly, to enhance its research and development capabilities [4]

Company Overview - Outfront Media is a leading North American out-of-home advertising company, specializing in billboard, transit, and mobile advertising assets. The company operates a real estate investment trust (REIT) model, generating revenue primarily through outdoor advertising services [9][10] - As of January 20, Outfront Media reported a revenue of $1.81 billion and a net income of $124.20 million, with a dividend yield of 4.8% [5] Recent Transaction - GraniteShares Advisors disclosed that it sold all 171,052 shares of Outfront Media, liquidating the position for an estimated $3.13 million. This transaction represented a 1.9% shift in the fund's reportable assets under management (AUM) [2][7] - The sale marks a full exit from Outfront Media, indicating a strategic reallocation of capital towards larger, faster-growing holdings [11] Stock Performance - As of January 20, shares of Outfront Media were priced at $24.61, reflecting a 40.1% increase over the past year, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's approximate 14% gain during the same period [4][12] - The stock's recent rally suggests that much of the recovery may already be priced in, leading to a potential shift in investment strategy for funds prioritizing liquidity and scale [13] Business Fundamentals - In the third quarter, Outfront Media reported revenue of $467.5 million, a 3.5% year-over-year increase, with adjusted OIBDA rising 17% to $137.2 million. The transit advertising segment saw a notable revenue increase of nearly 24%, driven by strong performance in New York City [12][14] - The recent sale by GraniteShares does not indicate a weakening of Outfront's business but rather a tactical rotation away from a cyclical, cash-generative REIT after a significant rebound [14]

Group 1 - Halper Sadeh LLC is investigating Ventyx Biosciences, Inc. for potential violations related to its sale to Eli Lilly and Company at $14.00 per share [1] - Sun Country Airlines Holdings, Inc. is being investigated for its sale to Allegiant Travel Company, which involves a transaction of 0.1557 shares of Allegiant common stock and $4.10 in cash for each Sun Country share [2] - The firm may seek increased consideration for shareholders and additional disclosures regarding the proposed transactions [3] Group 2 - Shareholders are encouraged to contact Halper Sadeh LLC to discuss their legal rights and options at no charge [4] - Halper Sadeh LLC represents investors globally who have experienced securities fraud and corporate misconduct, recovering millions for defrauded investors [4]

Core Insights - Illumina has launched the world's largest genome-wide genetic perturbation dataset, the Illumina Billion Cell Atlas, aimed at accelerating drug discovery through AI across the pharmaceutical ecosystem [1][2] - The Atlas is part of a larger initiative to create a 5 billion cell atlas over three years, representing the most comprehensive map of human disease biology to date [1][11] Group 1: Collaboration and Partnerships - The Atlas is being developed in collaboration with founding partners AstraZeneca, Merck, and Eli Lilly, focusing on drug target validation and training advanced AI models [2][3] - Merck plans to utilize the Atlas to enhance precision medicine approaches in their drug discovery pipelines, leveraging AI/ML models to improve disease prediction [3][4] Group 2: Technological Advancements - The Atlas will capture responses of 1 billion individual cells to genetic changes via CRISPR across over 200 disease-relevant cell lines, including those related to immune disorders, cancer, and rare genetic diseases [5] - The Illumina Single Cell 3' RNA prep platform enables the capture of millions of individual cells in a single experiment, generating 20 petabytes of single-cell transcriptomic data annually [9] Group 3: Research and Development Impact - The Atlas will facilitate the characterization of drug and disease mechanisms, exploration of new indications, and validation of candidate targets from human genetics [6] - The initiative aims to translate genetic information into a clearer understanding of disease mechanisms, thereby enhancing drug development decisions [7] Group 4: Future Prospects - Illumina's BioInsight business is set to provide foundational technologies and datasets for the next generation of drug discovery and AI in pharmaceuticals [10] - The company is actively expanding multi-billion cell atlases over time, building on previous initiatives to create a comprehensive single-cell resource [11]

Core Insights - NVIDIA and Eli Lilly have launched a pioneering AI co-innovation lab aimed at addressing significant challenges in the pharmaceutical industry [2][3] - The collaboration will involve an investment of up to $1 billion over five years to enhance talent, infrastructure, and computing capabilities [3] Group 1: Collaboration Details - The lab will combine Lilly's expertise in medicine with NVIDIA's AI and computing leadership, co-locating experts from both companies to foster innovation [4][5] - The initiative will focus on creating a continuous learning system that integrates wet labs and dry labs, enabling AI-assisted experimentation around the clock [6] Group 2: Technological Advancements - The collaboration will leverage NVIDIA BioNeMo as a platform to accelerate drug discovery and develop next-generation models for biology and chemistry [7][11] - Lilly's AI factory, the most powerful in the pharmaceutical sector, will train large biomedical models for rapid identification and validation of new molecules [8] Group 3: Broader Applications - Beyond drug discovery, the partnership will explore AI applications in clinical development, manufacturing, and commercial operations, integrating various advanced technologies [9][10] - The use of robotics and digital twins will enhance Lilly's manufacturing capabilities and supply chain reliability [10][11] Group 4: Supporting Ecosystems - The co-innovation lab will provide access to NVIDIA's resources and expertise, benefiting both companies' startup ecosystems and researchers [13] - Lilly TuneLab will offer biotech companies access to proprietary models for drug discovery, further enhancing collaboration in the life sciences [12][13]

Core Viewpoint - Vanda Pharmaceuticals has received FDA approval for NEREUS™ (tradipitant), marking the first new pharmacologic treatment for motion sickness in over 40 years, which is a significant advancement in managing this condition that affects a large portion of the population [1][2] Company Overview - Vanda Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies to address unmet medical needs and improve patient lives [9] - The company is advancing tradipitant for additional indications, including gastroparesis and nausea/vomiting induced by GLP-1 receptor agonists [6][10] Product Details - NEREUS™ is an oral neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist approved for the prevention of vomiting induced by motion in adults [11] - The drug's mechanism of action involves potent and selective antagonism of NK-1 receptors, addressing the sensory conflict that triggers nausea and vomiting [5] Clinical Evidence - The efficacy of NEREUS™ is supported by data from three pivotal clinical trials, showing significant reductions in vomiting incidence: - In Motion Syros (n=365), vomiting incidence was 18.3–19.5% with NEREUS™ compared to 44.3% with placebo (p<0.0001) - In Motion Serifos (n=316), vomiting rates were 10.4–18.3% with NEREUS™ versus 37.7% with placebo (p=0.0014), indicating risk reductions of over 50–70% [3] Market Context - Motion sickness affects approximately 25–30% of adults in the U.S., equating to roughly 65–78 million people, with up to one-third of individuals globally being highly susceptible [5] - A significant segment of the population experiences severe symptoms that can greatly impact quality of life, with tens of millions seeking pharmacologic treatment annually [5] Future Prospects - Vanda anticipates launching NEREUS™ in the coming months and is committed to expanding its therapeutic potential across indications driven by substance P-mediated pathways [7]