A wave of high-profile drugs is set to lose patent protection in 2026. NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — For years, Johnson & Johnson's "Stelara Cliff" had loomed on the horizon like a terminal diagnosis for the firm’s immunology revenue. Stelara , the blockbuster psoriasis and Crohn’s treatment that once accounted for 20% of the company’s innovative medicine sales, officially saw its U.S. exclusivity dissolve on January 1, 2025. Yet, as the company reported its first-year results in the...

As we navigate the opening weeks of 2026, the biotech sector finds itself in a paradox: valuations are surging, M&A is rebounding toward a projected $200 billion year, and yet the very foundations of the industry’s scientific and capital models are being re-engineered by executive decree. For many discerning businesses, the mandate has shifted from managing risk to managing whim.

After a period of cautious, smaller-scale dealmaking in the biopharmaceutical sector, the stage is now set for a major surge of mergers and acquisitions in 2026 - a surge defined by urgency, high valuations, and highly strategic targets.