Global CRO Catalyst Clinical Research is continuing its growth mindset by bringing on board its first-ever chief commercial officer, Kristin Judge.

Late last month, CEO Kevin Lobo said Stryker had plans to pursue multiple M&A deals over the latter half of this year. It hasn’t taken long for the company to start making good on that promise.

The initial stages of oncology R&D aren’t short of intriguing new modalities, and Halda Therapeutics is planning to join them by using $126 million in fresh funding to bring its RIPTAC program into the clinic.

Zimmer Biomet plans to acquire AI surgical guidance company OrthoGrid Systems to expand its market share in hip replacement procedures.

With Gilead Sciences on the verge of an FDA decision for its liver disease drug seladelpar, the company has paid Johnson & Johnson $320 million to exit an 18-year-old licensing agreement on the compound.

Merck & Co. is paying $700 million upfront to challenge Amgen in a blood cancer market. The deal will give Merck global rights to Curon Biopharmaceutical’s CD3xCD19 bispecific, positioning the Big Pharma as a rival to Amgen and AstraZeneca in oncology and Cullinan Therapeutics in autoimmune disease.

AN2 Therapeutics is rethinking its business in response to lackluster midphase data, vowing to lay off half its employees and stop a phase 3 study as part of a pivot to early-stage projects.

French preclinical CRO NovAliX has found a new partner across the pond. Massachusetts-based manufacturer Bruker Corporation has announced a minority investment in the CRO.

The FDA is alerting healthcare providers to a medical device recall from Medtronic for its nerve monitoring system that has been linked to 10 injuries.

Cullinan Therapeutics was impressed enough with Harbour BioMed’s bispecific immune activator that it handed over $25 million last year for the drug’s U.S. rights. But, having taken a peek at phase 1 data, Cullinan has had second thoughts.