PharmTech Weekly Roundup—September 4, 2026

This week on PharmTech.com, experts discussed how prediction is replacing guesswork across formulation, manufacturing, and safety monitoring. A CAR T-cell trial pause and a wave of major licensing deals also show how fast risk calculus and R&D strategy are shifting industry-wide.

News of the Week

In news this week, Novartis paused 8 trials of its rap-cel CAR T-cell therapy in autoimmune disease after 3 patient deaths from a severe immune reaction, and Bristol Myers Squibb's parallel pause on a competing program suggests regulators may treat the toxicity as a class effect rather than a single-product issue.

Novartis's up-to-$3.2 billion licensing deal for Alteogen's ALT-B4 hyaluronidase enzyme is the fourth subcutaneous-conversion agreement signed this year, underscoring how formulation teams are racing to move high-volume biologics from IV infusion to at-home injection.

Eli Lilly's deal to acquire Merida Biosciences for up to $2.875 billion, alongside Samsung Biologics' tender offer for PolyPeptide Group, points to accelerating consolidation around precision immunology platforms and peptide manufacturing capacity.

Autumn Conference Preview

The autumn conference season is starting up with CPHI Milan's 2026 Pharma Awards finalists announced ahead of the October event.

And in a preview of this year’s AAPS PharmSci 360 event in October, Bristol Myers Squibb's Swita Singh and AbbVie's Alfred Rumondor gave PharmTech a preview of their presentation on CMC strategies, pointing out that the FDA's shift toward risk-based flexibility demands companies build real "risk justification muscle" rather than treating loosened phase 1 CMC requirements as a shortcut.

Robert Holt also gave a preview of DigiM Solution's upcoming presentation and explained how X-ray microscopy caught a GMP spray-dried dispersion batch with 40% less surface area than lab-scale batches despite passing conventional characterization, a case for why microstructure data matters from feasibility through scale-up. In part one of his AAPS PharmSci 360 preview, Holt explained why knowing exactly where drug particles sit inside a tablet—not just how much is there—can explain why 2 batches with identical content perform differently.

Check out PharmTech’s Conference page for more coverage.

Expert Commentary

Expert commentary on PharmTech.com this week included contributor Cynthia Challener detailing how new research shows predictive modeling and simulation can now replace much of the traditional trial-and-error work in formulating amorphous solid dispersions, cutting both development risk and time to market for poorly soluble drugs.

Taken together, this week's stories indicate the industry may be betting on prediction over trial-and-error, in formulation, safety monitoring, and dealmaking alike. For the full stories, visit PharmTech.com.