June 2026 Rakuten Medical secured USD 100 million in Series F financing to advance the global Phase III development and commercialization of its Alluminox™ photoimmunotherapy platform for head and neck cancers. The funding supports regulatory activities and expansion of a therapy platform relevant to advanced ear cancers requiring head and neck oncology treatment.
January 2026 Johnson & Johnson completed the acquisition of Halda Therapeutics, strengthening its oncology pipeline with targeted protein degrader technology for next-generation cancer therapies. The acquisition expands J&J's precision oncology capabilities applicable across solid tumors, including head and neck cancers.
September 2025 Genmab announced the acquisition of Merus in an approximately USD 8 billion transaction. The acquisition adds petosemtamab, a late-stage bispecific antibody for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), strengthening Genmab's oncology portfolio in cancers closely related to advanced ear malignancies.
July 2025 Glenmark Life Sciences' innovation arm (IGI Therapeutics) entered into an exclusive global licensing agreement with AbbVie for ISB 2001, expanding its oncology collaboration portfolio and reinforcing investment in innovative biologics for solid tumors.