August 4, 2026

GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--miRecule, Inc., a biotechnology company developing next-generation RNA therapeutics for rare genetic diseases, today announced a strategic research collaboration with Rio Biofarma Brasil Ltda. (RBBL), part of EMS S.A., Brazil’s largest pharmaceutical company. The partnership will focus on the co-development of peptide-mediated delivery technologies intended to improve targeted delivery of RNA therapeutics to extra-hepatic tissues across a broad range of disease areas.

RNA therapeutics have the potential to address unmet medical need by enabling precise intervention at the genetic level. While major progress has been achieved in liver- and muscle targeted applications, delivering RNA to additional tissue types remains a key challenge. This collaboration aims to advance next-generation delivery approaches designed to expand the tissues accessible to RNA medicines.

ROCKVILLE, Md. and RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUPN) and Indivior Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: INDV) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine in a tax-free all-stock merger of equals transaction to create a leading diversified, central nervous system (CNS) biopharmaceutical company with significant scale. The transaction is expected to generate significant value for stockholders of both companies, realizing $125 million in expected annual cost synergies. The combined entity will be named Supernus, Inc. and will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol “SUPN”. Upon completion of the transaction, Jack Khattar, Supernus Pharmaceuticals President and Chief Executive Officer, will serve as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of the combined company, and Tony Kingsley, a member of Indivior’s Board of Directors, will serve as Board Chair of the combined company.

Applications are now being accepted for the BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition, returning as part of the 12th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Week, taking place September 15, 16, and 17, 2026, at US Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland. Apply today at https://bit.ly/CrabTrap2026.

The Crab Trap Competition highlights promising early-stage biohealth companies developing new technologies, products, and solutions across therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, research tools, and other areas of life sciences innovation. Each year, the competition gives selected entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their companies in front of experienced investors, industry leaders, subject matter experts, and regional ecosystem partners. Prizes include $15,000 in cash and $20,000 in services with more being added before now and the competition.

SILVER SPRING, Md. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR), a public benefit corporation, today announced that The Lancet has published full results of its ADVANCE OUTCOMES study, available here. Ralinepag has not been approved for use in any indication by the FDA and remains investigational for PAH.

Ralinepag reduced the risk of a clinical worsening event by 55% compared with placebo in patients with PAH (hazard ratio 0.45, 95% CI [0.33-0.62]; p<0.0001), meeting the study’s primary endpoint with statistical significance. Ralinepag demonstrated durable efficacy in delaying disease progression during the study, in which 80% of patients were on dual background therapy and 70% of patients were considered World Health Organization (WHO) Functional Class (FC) II at baseline.

COLUMBIA, Md., (July 30, 2026) — TEDCO, Maryland's state-backed venture capital firm, whose portfolio companies have generated nearly $2.7 billion in total economic impact for the state, today announced that Tammi Thomas has been named one of The Daily Record's 2026 Influential Marylanders. As president, Thomas leads the strategic direction and execution of TEDCO's fundraising strategy, broadening awareness of the organization and expanding the philanthropic, corporate and investor resources available to its programs. She reports to CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall.

"This recognition is well deserved. Tammi's dedication to Maryland's ecosystem knows no bounds and has helped drive the state's recent ranking as number one for emerging venture capital investments," said LeMaile-Stovall.

The Federal Laboratory Consortium will host its next Member Connect session on August 5, 2026, from 2 to 2:30 p.m. ET, spotlighting AURP, the Association of University Research Parks. This free virtual event will introduce participants to AURP’s work supporting research parks, innovation districts, and the communities that connect discovery with practical application.

Featuring Brian Darmody, Chief Strategy Officer at AURP, the session will examine how these place-based innovation ecosystems help strengthen technology commercialization. Research parks create space for universities, federal laboratories, startups, established companies, and economic development partners to work in closer alignment.

The Maryland Department of Commerce is sponsoring delegations of medical technology and digital health companies to attend two premier fall 2026 industry events. The MedTech Conference, organized by AdvaMed, runs October 18–21 in Boston and focuses on medical devices, diagnostics, market access, and the evolving regulatory landscape. HLTH USA takes place November 15–18 in Las Vegas and brings together investors, providers, payers, and digital health innovators for networking and partnership building.

Selected companies receive real perks. MedTech delegates get one complimentary All-Access Pass plus promotion through Commerce's marketing channels, while HLTH USA delegates receive two All-Access Passes, branded kiosk space at the Maryland Pavilion, and the same promotional support. Note that travel costs and exhibition space are not covered, and applicants commit to sending their delegates and submitting a brief recap within 30 days of the event.



Applications are due by close of business on August 17, 2026, and require details like a company description, pitch deck, and proof of good standing with the state. Questions can be directed to the Office of Life Sciences at bradley.gillenwater1@maryland.gov before the deadline.

RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced a $2.4 million investment in Virginia’s life sciences ecosystem through Virginia Catalyst’s highly competitive grant program. Virginia Catalyst was founded in 2013 as Virginia’s research consortium through the efforts of the Virginia General Assembly and five of Virginia’s premiere research institutions.

These non-dilutive grants — funding that does not require the company to surrender equity — will go to three start-up companies that are at the forefront of biomedical innovation. The projects reflect collaborative life science and bioscience efforts focused on commercializing innovations from Virginia universities.

“Virginia is setting the standard for bioscience innovation in the United States with our committed investment, partnership, and focus on advancements in both the public and private sectors,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “The awardees selected for Virginia Catalyst’s highly competitive new round of funding exemplify the Commonwealth’s unwavering commitment to supporting groundbreaking ideas encouraging visionary solutions to continue flourishing here in Virginia.”

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 12th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Week, September 15–17, 2026, at US Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland.

Sponsors help keep BHCR Week free to attend while gaining visibility with biohealth leaders, investors, emerging companies, academic institutions, government partners, and regional collaborators across the BioHealth Capital Region Forum, Crab Trap Competition, and Investment Conference.

Sponsorship also provides access to one of the most valuable parts of the week: the VIP Leadership Dinner. This smaller, invite-only gathering brings together senior executives, investors, speakers, public-sector leaders, university partners, and key opinion leaders in a more focused setting than the daytime program. For sponsors, it is an opportunity to build relationships, have higher-value conversations, and connect directly with people who are helping shape the future of the BioHealth Capital Region.

BHCR Week sponsors are recognized across event materials, signage, the registration site, and BHI communications, providing visibility before and during the event. Sponsorship is a strong way to support regional collaboration while positioning your organization in front of the companies, investors, researchers, and partners driving biohealth growth.

To learn more, contact Rich Bendis at rbendis@biohealthinnovation.org and Andy Eckert at aeckert@biohealthinnovation.org.

NORTH BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) today announced the launch of the first phase of a long-term study that will collect data across a broad set of measures to identify biomarkers for depression and more clearly define depression subtypes. This effort will move neuropsychiatry beyond diagnoses by symptoms alone and pave the way for more individualized care.

The initiative is launching with the support of partners representing academia, patient advocacy groups, philanthropists and life sciences companies, with the National Institute of Mental Health and the Food and Drug Administration serving in advisory roles. The project, named Multi-Modal Assessment and Phenotyping in Depression (MAP-D), ultimately aims to commit more than $70 million to the effort and is currently focused on the first $22 million for the three-year pilot phase of the program.

ROCKVILLE, Md. and SHANGHAI, July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AbelZeta Pharma, Inc. ("AbelZeta" or the "Company"), a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative and proprietary cell-based therapeutic products, today announced that the Company received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance under its Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation regarding the multiple-center registrational Phase II clinical trial for C-CAR168, an anti-CD20/BCMA bispecific CAR-T, in the treatment of patients with Lupus Nephritis (LN) refractory to standard therapy. The Phase II trial will further evaluate the safety and efficacy of C-CAR168 in this patient population with significant unmet medical needs.

"The FDA clearance to proceed with this multiple-center registrational Phase II trial for C-CAR168 in LN represents an important step forward in the development of this promising new modality for patients with severe, treatment-refractory lupus. This is a population with severe unmet medical needs," said Tony (Bizuo) Liu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AbelZeta. "Together with the RMAT and PRIority MEdicines (PRIME) designations granted by the FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA), respectively, this regulatory progress underscores the tremendous potential of C-CAR168 to address a significant unmet need for autoimmune diseases. We look forward to effectively advancing the program globally. We hope that this drug can deliver deep and durable clinical benefits for LN patients. We are also actively and aggressively evaluating the potential of C-CAR168 in other major disease indications."

GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on serious liver diseases, today announced positive topline results from the RECLAIM Phase 2 trial evaluating pemvidutide, an investigational balanced glucagon/GLP-1 dual receptor agonist, in patients with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder (AUD). The trial met its primary endpoint with a highly statistically significant reduction in heavy drinking days (HDD) versus placebo, with consistent positive results across important secondary endpoints, including the World Health Organization (WHO) Risk Drinking Levels (RDL), zero HDD and phosphatidyl ethanol (PEth) levels. A generally favorable tolerability profile was observed in the trial. The Company plans to request an End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on the results of the trial.

“We are extremely encouraged by these compelling topline results, which showed a highly significant reduction in heavy drinking days and nearly two-thirds of patients treated with pemvidutide achieving a two-level reduction in their WHO-RDL, a clinically meaningful outcome for these patients,” said Christophe Arbet-Engels, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer at Altimmune. “These data reflect pemvidutide’s strong and consistent efficacy across important measures of drinking behavior, together with a generally favorable tolerability profile in this difficult-to-treat disorder. Given the known detrimental effects of alcohol on the liver, the liver-directed impact of glucagon in pemvidutide may provide further benefit in the treatment of AUD over GLP-1 alone, underscoring pemvidutide’s promising potential differentiation.”

IRVINE, Calif., July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Qnovia, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, today announced it has secured a worldwide exclusive license to an innovative antimicrobial peptide from the University of Virginia Licensing & Ventures Group. The license marks Qnovia's expansion into a second major therapeutic area, complementing its lead smoking cessation program as the company pursues breakthrough solutions to population-scale health challenges.

The peptide, called D8, works through a mechanism unlike that of conventional antibiotics and kills multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens and biodefense threat agents. Early laboratory and animal testing has demonstrated effectiveness against diverse human pathogens and shows promise for countering serious respiratory, bloodstream, skin, and soft-tissue infections.

"Drug-resistant bacteria represent one of the fastest-growing threats in global medicine, with antibiotic resistance already contributing to millions of deaths worldwide and impacting everything from routine surgeries to cancer treatment to intensive care," said Mario Danek, founder and CEO of Qnovia. "What separates this peptide from existing antibiotics is that it doesn't allow bacteria to evolve and adapt—it works through a mechanism that's fundamentally different. That's the kind of tool we need for a problem at this scale."