Each week, our Regional Roundup delivers the most important and timely life sciences news from around the region. From groundbreaking research to fundraising, new development projects, and who’s hiring — we bring you the top stories that matter most. Stay informed with a curated selection of the latest news, delivered directly to your inbox weekly.
Greater Philadelphia life sciences didn’t write one big check this week, it kept its options open instead. Across financial, clinical, and workforce headlines, the same instinct kept surfacing: bank the upside, spread the risk, and don’t commit fully until something’s already proven itself.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals paid $820 million for an epilepsy drug the FDA had already de-risked with Fast Track and Orphan Drug status, then kept a minority stake in the rest of Actio instead of walking away clean. Orchestra BioMed ran the same play in miniature, holding onto its strategic stake in Vivasure and still collecting milestone payments as Haemonetics builds the business out. Two different deal sizes, one shared instinct to bank the win without closing the door.
The science followed the same logic. Elvinix licensed its way into Zealand Pharma’s diabetes platform rather than building one from scratch, betting on beta-cell regeneration without carrying the cost of originating it, proof that even scientific conviction is being bought in stages this year.
That same caution reached all the way into workforce development. Pennsylvania is spreading $4 million across apprenticeship programs that can already prove a sustainability plan rather than betting big on any single one, funding the pipeline the same way the region’s dealmakers are funding everything else: a little at a time, and only once the case is made.
And still, the region isn’t short on conviction. Legend Biotech just named a Novartis Chief Commercial Officer with two decades of global pharma experience as its new CEO, and Insmed is hiring across more than 60 roles regionally.
Financial
Tracking the capital moving through Greater Philadelphia— funding rounds, M&A activity, and investment trends shaping Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, and Delaware’s life sciences companies.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Completes $820 Million Acquisition of Actio Biosciences, Betting on a First-in-Class Epilepsy Drug
Jazz Pharmaceuticals completed its $820 million acquisition of Actio Biosciences on September 15, 2026, gaining ABS-1230, an oral, first-in-class small molecule designed to treat KCNT1-related epilepsy, a rare and severe pediatric seizure disorder. The FDA has already granted ABS-1230 Fast Track, Rare Pediatric Disease, and Orphan Drug designations, and early clinical data showed meaningful seizure reductions in patients. The deal deepens Jazz’s rare disease and epilepsy pipeline, while Actio’s remaining programs were spun off into a new independent company in which Jazz holds only a minority stake. Read More >
New Hope’s Orchestra BioMed Receives $6.1 Million Milestone Payment from Vivasure-Haemonetics Deal
Orchestra BioMed Holdings (Nasdaq: OBIO) has received a $6.1 million milestone payment tied to Haemonetics Corporation’s (NYSE: HAE) January 2026 acquisition of Vivasure Medical, maker of the PerQseal® Elite bioabsorbable vascular closure system. The payment brings Orchestra BioMed’s total proceeds from its strategic stake in Vivasure to roughly $11 million, with up to $10 million more available through future revenue-based milestones for a potential $21 million total. Orchestra BioMed plans to funnel the proceeds into its two pivotal-stage programs, AVIM Therapy (with Medtronic) and the Virtue® Sirolimus AngioInfusion Balloon, underscoring how strategic biotech stakes can generate non-dilutive funding for late-stage development. Read More >
PA Biotech Center and Doylestown Hospital Among Winners in $2.9 Million State Grant Package
State Senator Steve Santarsiero and Representative Tim Brennan announced $2.9 million in Pennsylvania Local Share Account funding for 13 projects across the Doylestown and New Hope area, with two grants directly supporting life science and healthcare infrastructure. The Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center will use $433,092 to renovate 3,000 square feet into a flexible community meeting hub, while Doylestown Hospital receives $35,000 for a replacement courier van transporting medications and medical specimens. Read More >
People
Who we’re buzzing about this week — the leadership moves, board appointments, and rising names shaping the region’s life sciences community.
Ingrid Zhang Named Chief Executive Officer of Legend Biotech
Legend Biotech, the world’s largest independent cell therapy company and maker of CAR-T treatment CARVYKTI® for multiple myeloma, has named Ingrid Zhang as its new CEO effective September 15, 2026, succeeding interim leader Alan Bash. Zhang brings over 20 years of global pharma leadership, most recently as Chief Commercial Officer of Novartis International after 13 years there, including running Novartis’s China operations, plus prior roles at AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and McKinsey. The Board pointed to her strategic vision and operational discipline as key to guiding Legend through its next phase of growth in the competitive cell therapy space. Read More >
Alyssa Knox-Wilson Joins Orchestra Life Sciences as Project Manager
Alyssa Knox-Wilson, a chemical engineer with over a decade of cGMP project delivery experience, has joined Orchestra Life Sciences as Project Manager, bringing six years at Project Farma (acquired by PerkinElmer) leading international commercialization timelines, ERP implementations, and facility readiness programs. At Orchestra, a Chesterfield, Missouri-based consultancy focused on cancer and rare disease therapies and No. 203 on Inc. 5000’s 2026 fastest-growing companies list, she’ll help clients keep complex facility, launch, and system implementation programs on schedule and audit-ready. Read More >
Julia Puchtler named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of UPHS
Penn Medicine has named Julia Puchtler executive vice president and CFO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, effective September 10, 2026, promoting her from CFO of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. A CPA who joined Penn Medicine in 2015 after senior finance roles at Trinity Health and Ernst & Young, she now oversees revenue cycle, corporate finance, budgeting, and supply chain across UPHS, amid Moody’s and S&P’s affirmation of the system’s top-tier credit ratings. Read More >
Workforce
The hiring activity, team expansions, and talent trends driving growth across Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware life sciences and biotech employers.
13 Life Sciences & Healthcare Companies From Greater Philadelphia Made Newsweek’s “America’s Greatest Companies 2026” List
Thirteen life sciences and healthcare companies from Greater Philadelphia earned spots on Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Companies 2026 list, underscoring the region’s strength as a biopharma and medtech hub. The ranking, compiled by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group across 582 U.S. companies, evaluates financial strength, workforce sentiment, innovation, and sustainability. The regional showing spans pharma giants, medical device makers, and diagnostics leaders, reflecting Greater Philadelphia’s depth across the life sciences value chain. Read More >
Apprenticeships on the Move: Advancing Pennsylvania’s Workforce
Pennsylvania’s Apprenticeships on the Move grant puts roughly $4 million behind organizations building new registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships, or expanding existing ones, to close skills gaps across the state’s workforce. Sponsors and intermediaries can apply for competitive funding by submitting a project narrative, budget, and sustainability plan showing how their program meets real industry demand and supports Pennsylvania’s broader economic development goals. Applications are due October 2, 2026 at 4 PM ET. Read More >
Philadelphia’s Fire Awards 2026: 5 Life Sciences Honorees Lighting Up the Region’s Innovation Scene
PHL Inno’s 2026 Fire Awards named nine honorees across four tiers spanning the Philadelphia region’s startups, companies, and leaders, and life sciences claimed more than half the list. From a gene therapy CRO up 99% in revenue to a Huntington’s disease biotech fresh off a $97M raise to an outgoing hospital CEO who doubled revenue to over $5 billion, the honorees offer a snapshot of what’s actually driving Greater Philadelphia’s innovation economy. Read More >
Who’s hiring?!
Top Employer
A biopharmaceutical company built around four innovation platforms (gene therapy with targeted delivery, protein deimmunization, RNA end-joining, and synthetic rescue), Insmed is focused on developing first and best in class therapies for serious and rare diseases, with a concentration in respiratory and pulmonary conditions. Its approved therapies include ARIKAYCE® for nontuberculous mycobacterial (MAC) lung disease and the newly approved BRINSUPRI® (brensocatib), the first treatment ever approved for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, alongside an active pipeline that includes work in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, within the Greater Philadelphia region, Insmed brings global scale to the area’s life sciences ecosystem, operating nine corporate offices and four global research sites worldwide, including additional U.S. sites in New Hampshire and San Diego.
They are currently hiring across 60+ roles in the Greater Philadelphia region. Apply Now >
Other employers and available roles we’re paying attention to this week:
- Jazz Pharmaceuticals (Philadelphia, PA) is hiring an Associate Director, Clinical Trial Start-up | Apply Now >
- ICON plc (Blue Bell, PA) is hiring an Outsourcing Manager | Apply Now >
- CRB (Philadelphia, PA) is hiring a Process Engineer I | Apply Now >
- Centinel Spine (West Chester, PA) is hiring a Medical Education Manager| Apply Now >
- AbbVie (Branchburg, NJ) is hiring a Quality Control Technician | Apply Now >
Clinical + Commercial
The latest clinical trial progress, regulatory milestones, and commercial launches from companies advancing science from the lab to the market across Greater Philadelphia.
Elvinix Licenses Zealand Pharma’s Dual-Agonist Peptide Portfolio to Chase a Disease-Modifying Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes
Elvinix has licensed Zealand Pharma’s GLP-1/gastrin dual-agonist peptide portfolio to develop a disease-modifying treatment for type 1 diabetes (T1D) , one aimed at regenerating and protecting insulin-producing beta cells rather than just managing blood sugar. The deal pairs Zealand’s clinically validated peptide platform (10+ candidates advanced, two marketed) with Elvinix’s focus on a potentially first-in-class T1D therapy, currently in preclinical development with clinical trials planned next. Read More >
King of Prussia’s Phio Pharmaceuticals Submits FDA Briefing Package to Advance Its Skin Cancer Gene-Silencing Therapy
Phio Pharmaceuticals has submitted a comprehensive FDA briefing package for PH-762, an INTASYL gene-silencing therapy that turns off the PD-1 gene to boost immune cells’ ability to kill cancer, aiming to advance into a Phase 2b study in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. The submission follows a completed Phase 1b trial and positions PH-762 as a potential non-surgical alternative to today’s standard surgical treatment for this common skin cancer. Clinical supplies and remaining nonclinical activities are on track for readiness by Q1 2027. Read More >
OpenEvidence and Penn Medicine Partner to Extend AI Clinical Decision Support to Botswana
OpenEvidence, the AI clinical decision-support platform widely used by U.S. physicians, is partnering with Penn Medicine to deploy its evidence-based AI tools across Penn’s 10,000+ clinicians and extend the technology internationally through the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, a 25-year academic collaboration. Rather than simply exporting U.S. tools abroad, the initiative aims to customize AI-driven clinical support for local contexts in resource-limited healthcare settings. The move signals a broader push to bring evidence-based medical AI to clinicians beyond the world’s best-resourced hospitals. Read More >
Ecosystem
The partnerships, programs, and policy moves building Greater Philadelphia’s life sciences infrastructure — and the organizations driving it forward.
Wayne’s PurpleLab Partners with Chalice AI to Turn Healthcare Data into Predictive Ad Targeting
PurpleLab and Chalice AI have partnered to turn real-world healthcare data, covering 330+ million U.S. patient lives and 3 million healthcare professionals into predictive models for pharma and healthcare advertisers. The models identify target audiences, surface prescriber opportunities, and forecast drug adoption or attrition, deployable across Meta, YouTube, connected TV, and programmatic platforms. The move signals a shift in healthcare marketing from static audience segments toward outcome-based, privacy-compliant predictive targeting Read More >
Freedom Mortgage’s Stanley Middleman Gives Penn Medicine a New Engine for Turning Research Into Treatments
Freedom Mortgage founder and CEO Stanley Middleman has made his first major gift to Penn Medicine, funding the new 217,000-square-foot Middleman Center, a research hub consolidating labs focused on autoimmunity, high-throughput discovery, and infectious disease, plus the Middleman Fund for early-stage cancer and autoimmune research. Announced September 10, 2026, the gift follows a funding model similar to the one that helped drive Penn’s CAR T-cell therapy and mRNA breakthroughs. Read More >
Hovione Doubles U.S. Spray Drying Capacity with New East Windsor, New Jersey Facility
Hovione has opened its new “89 Twin Rivers” facility in East Windsor, New Jersey, doubling its U.S. spray drying capacity with two GMP-ready, commercial-scale dryers designed to improve bioavailability for poorly soluble drugs, a challenge affecting roughly 70% of small-molecule candidates. The expansion, part of a $100 million investment cycle adding about 80 jobs, reinforces Hovione’s position as a global leader in pharmaceutical spray drying technology. Read More >
Other [Good] Reads
Editor’s picks from across the web — the stories, videos, and podcasts shaping the conversation in PHL biotech and life sciences this week.
The Physician Layer: Why Medical Oversight in PV Is Non-Negotiable
Dr. Alexis Pinçon of Blue Bell, PA-based UBC breaks down why AI can process pharmacovigilance case volume but can’t exercise the clinical judgment needed to defend a causality assessment to a health authority inspector, arguing physician oversight is exactly the layer that shouldn’t get cut when budget pressure hits. The piece lays out concrete questions sponsors should ask any PV vendor about how AI and physician review are actually structured together, not just claimed to coexist. Read More >
Perspectives in Aseptic Manufacturing: Protecting Your Drug Product
Eric Kurtz, Manager of Technical Product Development at Exton, PA-based West Pharmaceutical Services, breaks down the engineering decisions behind drug product protection in fill/finish, from inert gas purge systems for oxygen-sensitive formulations to how plunger placement and dosing verification strategy affect final product quality. The piece makes the case that packaging components, equipment capability, and contamination control strategy all have to move together, not be decided in isolation. Read More >
On the Calendar
A few of the upcoming events, conferences, and networking opportunities across Greater Philadelphia’s life sciences ecosystem that you don’t want to miss.
Education Event: ASME BPE 2026: What Changed, Why It Matters & What’s Next
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 • 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM • King of Prussia, PA
ISPE Delaware Valley Chapter | Register Now >
Life Sciences Future- It’s Here!
Wednesday, September 30- 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Thursday, October 1 – 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM • King of Prussia, PA
Life Sciences PA | Register Now >
Biotech Alchemy Life Science Summit
Saturday, September 26, 2026 • 8:00 AM- 6:00 PM • Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) | Register Now >
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