Editor’s Briefing: October 6, 2026

In Short. Adding Genmab and AbbVie’s antibody epcoritamab to standard chemotherapy cut the risk of cancer growth or death by 51% in a phase 3 trial in people newly diagnosed with the most common lymphoma, a blood cancer. Viking began testing pills and less frequent shots to hold weight loss from its obesity drug, GE HealthCare agreed to buy scan-drug maker Sofie Biosciences for $945 million, and Shionogi agreed to buy IntraBio for $2 billion.

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Genmab and AbbVie’s epcoritamab improves first-line lymphoma treatment

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a fast-growing cancer of B cells, a kind of white blood cell. It makes up 25 to 30 percent of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases. The usual first treatment is R-CHOP, the antibody rituximab plus four chemotherapy drugs. Epcoritamab is a bispecific antibody, one molecule that binds both a B cell and a T cell, the immune cell that kills it, and it is injected under the skin. The EPCORE DLBCL-2 trial randomized patients two to one to a fixed course of epcoritamab plus R-CHOP or R-CHOP alone. In patients scoring 3 to 5 on the International Prognostic Index, a standard risk score, the combination cut the risk of progression or death by 51%. The figure held across all enrolled patients, and an independent data committee recommended unblinding the study. Survival data have not been released. (Genmab and AbbVie; OncLive)

Viking tests pills to hold weight loss from its obesity shot

GLP-1 and GIP are gut hormones released after meals, and drugs that copy them cause weight loss. Viking’s VK2735 activates the receptors for both and comes as a weekly injection and as a tablet. On Tuesday Viking started part 2 of a maintenance study in about 195 adults with obesity, defined as a body mass index of 30 or more. Everyone gets weekly VK2735 shots or placebo for 21 weeks. They then switch to daily or weekly tablets, monthly or every-other-week shots, or placebo. The study’s goals are safety, tolerability and how the body handles the drug. Weight change from week 21 to week 33 is an exploratory measure. Part 1, which tested shot schedules, recently reported positive results. Part 2 results are due in 2027. Two phase 3 trials of the injection, VANQUISH-1 and VANQUISH-2, are underway. (Viking)

GE HealthCare buys Sofie Biosciences for $945 million

Positron emission tomography (PET) scans use radiopharmaceuticals, mildly radioactive drugs that show metabolic and molecular activity inside the body. Many carry fluorine-18, half of which decays every 110 minutes, so they must be made near where they are used and delivered quickly. GE HealthCare agreed on Monday to buy Sofie Biosciences, a contract maker of PET drugs, from the private equity firm Trilantic North America for $945 million in cash. Sofie runs 15 U.S. sites with 21 cyclotrons, the machines that make the radioactive atoms, plus a site for theranostics, radioactive drugs built to both find and treat cancer. GE gains U.S. rights to FAPI-74, an experimental scan agent for several cancers. Sofie will keep supplying other companies. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027. (GE HealthCare; BioPharma Dive)

Shionogi buys rare-disease drugmaker IntraBio for $2 billion

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare inherited disease that damages the nervous system and shortens life. Late last month IntraBio’s Aqneursa became the first approved treatment for it. The drug was first approved in 2024 for Niemann-Pick disease type C, another rare inherited disease. Shionogi, a Japanese drugmaker best known for infection medicines, agreed on Monday to pay $2 billion for the privately held Austin, Texas company. Aqneursa is also in phase 3 for disorders caused by mutations in the CACNA1A gene, which have no approved treatment and affect an estimated 30,000 people in the U.S. Figures from Shionogi suggest the drug had about $68 million in 2025 sales. The deal follows Shionogi’s $2.5 billion purchase in April of Radicava, a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal disease of the nerves that control muscles. (Fierce Pharma)

What to watch

pdufa.bio lists FDA decisions on Roche’s Tecentriq for stage III colon cancer after surgery on October 9 and Roche’s Enspryng in thyroid eye disease on October 15. Vir Biotechnology will present 96-week phase 2 results in hepatitis delta, a severe liver infection, at the Liver Meeting on November 8. (Vir)