Olymvax Biopharmaceuticals released its 2026 interim report. First-half operating revenue was 361 million yuan, up 18.1% year on year, but the company recorded a loss of 32.87 million yuan, down 349.1% year on year. Second-quarter operating revenue was 204 million yuan, down 6.8% year on year, and net profit attributable to the parent company was a loss of 60.06 million yuan, down 396.3% year on year. The company made key progress in superbug vaccines and adult vaccines. Data unblinding for the Phase III clinical trial of its recombinant Staphylococcus aureus vaccine was completed in July 2026, and it has initiated clinical trials for a series of influenza vaccines based on cell culture technology. Sales revenue from its adsorbed tetanus vaccine grew steadily, and its nationwide sales network has established direct cooperation with numerous centers for disease control and prevention.
Vaxcyte has priced concurrent underwritten public offerings consisting of $500M in equity and $500M in 1.50% convertible senior notes due 2032, for total expected aggregate gross proceeds of $1B. The equity portion comprises 7.41M shares of common stock priced at $64.00 per share, along with pre-funded warrants to purchase 400K common shares at $63.999 per warrant, with an exercise price of $0.001 per share, and underwriters were granted a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1.17M common shares at the public offering price. The senior, unsecured notes carry an annual interest rate of 1.50%, payable semi-annually on April 15 and October 15 starting April 15, 2027, and mature on October 15, 2032, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed, or converted, with an initial conversion rate of 11.1607 shares per $1,000 principal amount, representing an initial conversion price of approximately $89.60 per share, a 40.0% premium over the public equity offering price. Underwriters hold a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $75M in aggregate principal amount of notes. Vaxcyte plans to deploy the proceeds toward clinical development of its VAX-31 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate in adult and pediatric populations, including the Phase 3 OPUS-2 influenza co-administration trial, the OPUS-3 prior pneumococcal vaccination trial, manufacturing consistency studies, and Phase 2 infant dose-finding studies, as well as manufacturing scale-up, inventory expansion, and global capacity buildout ahead of a potential U.S. adult commercial launch. Both offerings are scheduled to close on October 9, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, and neither offering is contingent upon the completion of the other.
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › Vaccines (Recombinant & Traditional) Capital
PCVX · Capital · Positive Vaxcyte priced $500M equity and $500M convertible notes, raising $1B to fund VAX-31 clinical development and manufacturing scale-up.
Vaxcyte Surges 32% on Positive Phase 3 Data for VAX-31 Pneumonia Vaccine
Vaxcyte shares jumped about 32% in Monday morning trading after the company reported positive phase 3 topline data for VAX-31, its 31-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate. The OPUS-1 trial tested non-inferiority and immunogenicity of VAX-31 against Merck's Capvaxive and Pfizer's Prevnar 20 in patients aged 50 and over. For the 11 serotypes shared by the three shots, VAX-31 met all primary noninferiority assessments, and three serotypes unique to VAX-31 plus cross-reactive serotype 20B met the OPA GMR superiority criterion. Vaxcyte plans to release results from two other phase 3 trials, OPUS-2 and OPUS-3, in the first half of 2027, with a BLA eyed for the first half of 2028. Approved vaccines cover significantly fewer pneumonia strains than VAX-31: Capvaxive covers 21 strains and Prevnar 20 covers 20.
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › Vaccines (Recombinant & Traditional) ▲Competition
PCVX · Technology · Positive Positive phase 3 topline data for VAX-31 met non-inferiority and superiority criteria, advancing its lead vaccine candidate.
MRK · Competition · Negative Vaxcyte's VAX-31 beat Merck's Capvaxive on shared serotypes and covers more strains, a competitive threat to Capvaxive.
PFE · Competition · Negative VAX-31 matched Pfizer's Prevnar 20 on shared serotypes while covering more strains, a competitive threat to Prevnar 20.
Lilly CEO Signals Bigger Deals in Hunt for Pharma's 'White Spaces'
Eli Lilly & Co. will pursue slightly larger acquisitions, along the lines of its $7.8 billion purchase of Centessa Pharmaceuticals Plc, as it searches for assets in the "white spaces" of science, Chief Executive Officer Dave Ricks said. Lilly, now the world's largest pharmaceutical company, has been on a record spending spree funded by its weight-loss and diabetes shots, and Ricks told Bloomberg that reinvesting in human health is more attractive than buying back shares or issuing dividends. He pointed to infectious disease, women's health and psychiatric conditions as areas of opportunity, noting the company acquired three vaccine-makers for as much as $3.8 billion earlier this year and recently agreed to buy psychedelics firm AtaiBeckley Inc. for about the same price. Lilly has completed about 40 deals so far this year, with a total value of more than $20 billion, the highest ever in a single year according to Bloomberg-compiled data. Ricks said the company favors more mature assets when they address brand new problems, a shift from its historical focus on earlier-stage, cheaper drugs.
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › Metabolic, Diabetes & Obesity ▲Capital
Psychedelic Medicine › Novel Psychedelic & Next-Gen Pipeline ▲Capital
Psychedelic Medicine › Psilocybin Therapeutics ▲Capital
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › Vaccines (Recombinant & Traditional) ▲Capital
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › Antiviral & Infectious-Disease Therapeutics ▲Capital
Psychedelic Medicine › MDMA-Assisted Therapy ▲Capital
LLY · Capital · Positive CEO Dave Ricks signaled Lilly will pursue larger acquisitions funded by its weight-loss/diabetes cash flow, with ~40 deals worth over $20 billion this year.
Centessa Pharmaceuticals · Capital · Positive Lilly's $7.8 billion purchase of Centessa Pharmaceuticals is cited as the template for its larger deal strategy.
ATAI · Capital · Positive Lilly agreed to acquire psychedelics firm AtaiBeckley (ATAI Life Sciences) for about $3.8 billion, a buyout premium for the company.
Merck's CAPVAXIVE Added to Ontario Publicly Funded Adult Pneumococcal Immunization Program
Merck's CAPVAXIVE has been included in Ontario's publicly funded adult pneumococcal immunization program, the company announced. The vaccine, approved by Health Canada for adults 18 and older, helps prevent invasive pneumococcal disease caused by 21 Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes, including serious infections such as sepsis, meningitis, and bacteremic pneumonia. Canadian surveillance data from 2019 to 2023 showed that the serotypes included in CAPVAXIVE accounted for approximately 65% of IPD cases in adults aged 18 to 49, approximately 74% of cases in adults aged 50 to 64, and approximately 80% of cases in adults aged 65 and older, based on data from the Public Health Agency of Canada. Matthew Thornhill, Executive Director of the Vaccines and HIV Business Unit at Merck Canada, said Ontario's decision reflects the importance of ensuring immunization programs continue to respond to changing public health needs and disease trends. In Canada, approximately 3,000 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease are reported each year.
Moderna and Merck's Melanoma Vaccine Meets Phase 3 Endpoint
Moderna and Merck reported that their Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial of personalized cancer vaccine intismeran autogene plus Keytruda met its primary endpoint in melanoma, with full data presented earlier this month at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2026. Moderna is also in talks with Middle East partners about potential investment and manufacturing cooperation, pairing its mRNA oncology push with efforts to extend its geographic footprint and industrial capabilities beyond its original COVID-19 franchise. The company recently won FDA approval of mFlusiva, its mRNA flu vaccine for adults 50 and older, underscoring its push to build a non-seasonal respiratory portfolio. Moderna's narrative projects $4.5 billion revenue and $782.2 million earnings by 2029, yielding a $119.56 fair value, a 40% downside to its current price, while some of the most optimistic analysts assume revenue could reach about US$8.5 billion and earnings turn positive by 2029.
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › mRNA Platforms ▲Technology
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › Immuno-Oncology / Checkpoint ▲Demand
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › Oncology Therapeutics ▲Technology
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › Vaccines (Recombinant & Traditional) ▲Regulation
MRNA · Technology · Positive Moderna's personalized cancer vaccine intismeran autogene met the Phase 3 primary endpoint in melanoma, validating its mRNA oncology platform.
MRNA · Regulation · Positive Moderna recently won FDA approval of mFlusiva, its mRNA flu vaccine for adults 50 and older, expanding its non-seasonal respiratory portfolio.
MRNA · Capital · Neutral Moderna is in talks with Middle East partners about potential investment and manufacturing cooperation.
MRK · Technology · Positive Merck's Keytruda combined with Moderna's intismeran autogene met the Phase 3 primary endpoint in melanoma, a positive clinical readout for its oncology franchise.
Pfizer Enforces Belgian Court Ruling by Freezing Poland and Romania Air Traffic Fees
Pfizer is enforcing a Belgian court judgment against Poland and Romania over unpaid COVID-19 vaccine orders by targeting an unusual source of leverage: air traffic control fees. Eurocontrol, the intergovernmental body that coordinates European air traffic management, has frozen transfers of airline route charges owed to Poland's and Romania's air navigation agencies after Pfizer moved to enforce an April court ruling requiring the two countries to pay a combined roughly $2.1 billion for vaccine doses they declined to accept under a 2021 European Union contract. The Brussels court rejected Poland's and Romania's arguments for abandoning their pandemic-era purchase commitments and ordered them to accept and pay for €1.9 billion, or about $2.2 billion, of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, with Poland accounting for €1.3 billion of that amount and Romania for €600 million. Eurocontrol has already withheld air-navigation fees from Poland and imposed a precautionary seizure tied to Romania, though Poland's air traffic agency says airline fees provide more than 80% of its income and Polish and Romanian aviation authorities have warned that freezing those funds could threaten essential operations and air safety. Both countries are challenging the rulings, and Romania's health minister said the ruling remains enforceable during an appeal.
Biotech & Genomic Medicine › Vaccines (Recombinant & Traditional) Demand
PFE · Regulation · Positive Pfizer is enforcing a Belgian court ruling to collect ~$2.1B in unpaid COVID-19 vaccine orders from Poland and Romania via frozen air traffic fees.