Gene editing delivers first clinical proof of viral reservoir elimination, raising genuine prospects of cure for chronic hepatitis B. Obesity and metabolic liver disease pipelines continue to mature, with durable data supporting next-generation agents. Enterprise AI deployment accelerates across pharma. Vaccine development resurges as a strategic priority. Regulatory divergence between the FDA and EMA remains a recurring feature of the week.

In this week’s Pharma Phriday (May 15, 2026): A landmark week. The first tau-directed therapy to show cognitive benefit in Alzheimer's disease. A pivotal gene therapy milestone in DMD. The largest China-originated licensing deal ever announced. A new BCL2 inhibitor class approved a decade after the last. And AI attracting record funding and embedding itself at every layer of drug discovery.