Funding

With capital being recycled, tariffs settling and interest rates softening, 2026 could provide more investment and growth opportunities in pharma and medtech, with AI giving a tailwind, say Taylor Wessing’s Ross McNaughton and Sarah Cole.

Strides Pharma aims for higher revenues from Canada and other ex-US markets while waiting for controlled substances to ramp up gradually under the leadership of ex-Apotex CEO Peter Hardwick. However, a cut in US funding for the Global Fund is hurting the company and its competitors.

Cardiovascular disease is moving to the top of the EU’s health agenda with the release of the Safe Hearts Plan, European Parliament scrutiny of which is expected at the end of Q1. Medical device companies applaud the initiative but will seek more input as the plan evolves.

Seven new healthcare laws will be started in Germany 2026, and seven already underway – including the revamped KHAG hospital and DRGs reform law – will be completed. So goes the ministerial promise early in the new year. Medtechs signal further references to the so-far useful government dialog.

With capital being recycled, tariffs settling and interest rates softening, 2026 could provide more investment and growth opportunities in pharma and medtech, with AI giving a tailwind, say Taylor Wessing’s Ross McNaughton and Sarah Cole.

EY's Arda Ural joins In Vivo to discuss the long-awaited recovery in biotech IPOs, the evolving capital markets landscape and how tariffs and TrumpRx are reshaping biopharma supply chains.

Adcytherix and Step Pharma join Tubulis in raising funds for their cancer drug projects.

India rolls out amended R&D financial assistance plan targeting certain ‘priority areas’ and calls for proposals from industry and startups. While the corpus is modest, the scheme hopes to enable the ‘Innovate in India’ ecosystem and includes a co-funding provision.

India rolls out amended R&D financial assistance plan targeting certain ‘priority areas’ and calls for proposals from industry and startups. While the corpus is modest, the scheme hopes to enable the ‘Innovate in India’ ecosystem and includes a co-funding provision.

EU4Health, the main funding instrument for EU health initiatives, has put renewed emphasis on orphan devices in its 2025 work program, published in July.

Aurigene Oncology CEO talks in this audio interview about the tough biotech funding environment, pipeline assets including a CAR-T therapy in Phase II, "hybrid" manufacturing, outcome-based reimbursement and the promise of bispecifics and multispecifics, including Akeso's PD-1/VEGF bispecific.

IMMA’s transvaginal at-home ovarian stimulation monitoring system using ultrasound and AI image analysis increases the chances of early IVF success. It won the Biomed Israel 2025 IVD start-up showcase award. Further potential applications could follow, cofounder/CEO Beatrice Chemla said.