Labiotech's 15 biopharma companies to watch in 2026

January 16, 2026

41 min episode · 2 min read

Jules Adam,Rui Peter,Willow Sharnival

Episode

41 min

Read time

2 min

AI-Generated Summary

Published Mar 14, 2026

Key Takeaways

✓Abivax maintenance data as inflection point: Abivax's oral microRNA therapy for ulcerative colitis drove a roughly fivefold stock increase after positive phase three induction data in 2025. The critical 2026 catalyst is maintenance data confirming durability of remission. Separately, M&A speculation involving Eli Lilly adds a second layer of investor attention worth monitoring alongside the clinical readout.
✓Radiopharma maturation signal: Radiopharma is transitioning from niche to platform, evidenced by big pharma entering the space and growing attention to isotope supply chains and manufacturing logistics — historically overlooked infrastructure. ITM (Isotope Technologies Munich) serves as a sector barometer, combining its own pipeline with isotope supply capabilities and multi-cycle experience in the European market.
✓GLP-1 competitive pressure on Novo Nordisk: Novo Nordisk faces structural pressure in 2026 from a lapsed GLP-1 patent in Canada opening generic competition, Pfizer acquiring a GLP-1 asset Novo bid on, and internal pipeline diversification via next-generation candidate Amicretin. Tracking Novo reveals how dominant GLP-1 franchises respond when market exclusivity erodes and competition intensifies simultaneously.
✓Psychedelic trial design as competitive differentiator: MindMed's MM-120 holds FDA breakthrough therapy designation and is in phase three trials for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, with top-line anxiety results expected in the first half of 2026. Rigorous trial design — specifically addressing functional blinding issues that derailed Lykos Therapeutics' MDMA PTSD application — positions MindMed ahead of sector peers.
✓Chinese-licensed assets entering global trials: Both Kilera Therapeutics and Braveheart Bio licensed cardiovascular and metabolic candidates from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. Kilera's GLP-1/GIP dual agonist showed 22.8% mean weight loss at 36 weeks in phase two at higher doses, with a $600M series B funding a global phase three program launching in 2026 — a replicable pipeline-building model worth tracking.

What It Covers

Three Labiotech journalists — Jules Adam, Willow Sharnival, and Rui Peter — each identify five biopharma companies to watch in 2026, spanning radiopharma, gene therapy, psychedelics, GLP-1 obesity drugs, and cardiovascular medicine, totaling 15 companies with near-term clinical catalysts.

Key Questions Answered

•Abivax maintenance data as inflection point: Abivax's oral microRNA therapy for ulcerative colitis drove a roughly fivefold stock increase after positive phase three induction data in 2025. The critical 2026 catalyst is maintenance data confirming durability of remission. Separately, M&A speculation involving Eli Lilly adds a second layer of investor attention worth monitoring alongside the clinical readout.
•Radiopharma maturation signal: Radiopharma is transitioning from niche to platform, evidenced by big pharma entering the space and growing attention to isotope supply chains and manufacturing logistics — historically overlooked infrastructure. ITM (Isotope Technologies Munich) serves as a sector barometer, combining its own pipeline with isotope supply capabilities and multi-cycle experience in the European market.
•GLP-1 competitive pressure on Novo Nordisk: Novo Nordisk faces structural pressure in 2026 from a lapsed GLP-1 patent in Canada opening generic competition, Pfizer acquiring a GLP-1 asset Novo bid on, and internal pipeline diversification via next-generation candidate Amicretin. Tracking Novo reveals how dominant GLP-1 franchises respond when market exclusivity erodes and competition intensifies simultaneously.
•Psychedelic trial design as competitive differentiator: MindMed's MM-120 holds FDA breakthrough therapy designation and is in phase three trials for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, with top-line anxiety results expected in the first half of 2026. Rigorous trial design — specifically addressing functional blinding issues that derailed Lykos Therapeutics' MDMA PTSD application — positions MindMed ahead of sector peers.
•Chinese-licensed assets entering global trials: Both Kilera Therapeutics and Braveheart Bio licensed cardiovascular and metabolic candidates from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. Kilera's GLP-1/GIP dual agonist showed 22.8% mean weight loss at 36 weeks in phase two at higher doses, with a $600M series B funding a global phase three program launching in 2026 — a replicable pipeline-building model worth tracking.

Notable Moment

Kilera Therapeutics raised $400M at launch, then secured an additional $600M series B — totaling $1B — for a single GLP-1/GIP obesity asset licensed from a Chinese company. Investors committed this capital based largely on phase three data from Chinese trials, signaling a shift in how global biopharma evaluates non-Western clinical evidence.

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