Trends & Insights: March 2026 – A pharmaphorum industry report

From chip giant NVIDIA agreeing a $2 billion partnership with AI cloud provider Nebius, to Roche ramping up its investment in NVIDIA's AI chips, and a hacking group claiming to have broken into AstraZeneca's IT systems; from a patient advocacy group in the UK calling for changes to the decade-old meningitis vaccination programme, after an outbreak in Kent and the brilliant announcement that, almost four months ahead of schedule, Corcept Therapeutics' selective glucocorticoid receptor antagonist (SGRA) relacorilant had been cleared for sale in the US as a treatment for ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer – March 2026 had a lot of news to offer when it comes to the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare sector.

While pharmaphorum reported on Ipsen's Ojemda, on course to become the first targeted medicine in the EU for some children with a form of brain cancer known as low-grade glioma, while we tracked Novo Nordisk and telehealth company Hims & Hers mending bridges and working together once again on the sale of GLP-1 agonists for weight loss – and on Novo attempting to claw back market share in the weight-loss category with a subscription-based service for cash payers for Wegovy – and while we wrote on Eli Lilly adding another channel to its selling options for obesity therapy Zepbound in the US, launching a programme directed at employers – a lot (no, really; a lot) was going on behind the headlines.

March 2026 was rich in announcements, but the most consequential developments were not always the most visible. Beyond headline approvals and marquee conference data, the broader press releases from last month reveal an industry quietly continuing to reshape itself around earlier intervention, longer treatment horizons, operational readiness, and governance maturity.

Pharmaceutical innovation is increasingly colliding with real world constraints – hospital pathways, manufacturing complexity, workforce capability, and regulatory scrutiny. At the same time, digital tools and AI are moving from promise to infrastructure, exposing new organisational blind spots. This month’s report explores those less obvious, but strategically significant trends.

1.Immuno oncology – Earlier treatment brings hidden system consequences

The NICE recommendation of MSD’s KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) for perioperative use in resectable, locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA HNSCC) marked a long awaited clinical breakthrough. Based on the KEYNOTE 689 Phase III trial, the decision rested on robust outcomes: a 30% reduction in the risk of recurrence, progression or death in patients with PD L1 CPS ≥ 1, and a doubling of median event free survival from 29.6 months to 59.7 months.

Yet, the wider significance lies not just in efficacy, but in what this shift implies operationally. Moving immunotherapy into the perioperative setting means longer treatment pathways, coordination across surgery, oncology, and radiotherapy, and sustained monitoring at earlier disease stages. Importantly, trial data showed stable health related quality of life, but real world delivery will depend on system capacity as much as clinical benefit.

Some smaller innovators are responding to these pressures by exploring alternative approaches to immunotherapy delivery. Accession Therapeutics, for example, secured €7.5m in Horizon Europe funding to expand the Phase I ATTEST trial of TROCEPT 01, a tumour activated viral therapy designed to generate an anti PD L1 checkpoint inhibitor locally within epithelial tumours. By minimising systemic exposure, the platform aims to preserve efficacy while reducing treatment burden and toxicity.

Together, these developments reflect a broader recalibration, with immuno oncology increasingly evaluated not only on survival outcomes, but also on its fit within complex, real world care pathways.

2.Advanced therapies – Speed now depends on regulatory strategy

March offered further evidence that regulatory acceleration has become an expected component of advanced therapy development, particularly in rare and high need indications.

Argo Biopharma received FDA Fast Track Designation for BW 20805, an siRNA therapy targeting prekallikrein for the prevention of hereditary angioedema attacks. A global Phase II open label trial is underway, with primary completion anticipated in the second half of 2026, followed by plans for a global Phase III programme. The rationale for Fast Track was explicit: existing prophylactic HAE treatments require frequent dosing, leaving room for longer acting RNA based options.

In neurotechnology, ReVision Implant achieved FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for its Occular visual cortex prosthesis, a system that bypasses damaged eyes and optic nerves by directly stimulating the brain’s visual cortex. With first short term clinical trials planned for October 2026, the designation reflects growing regulatory confidence in neural interface technologies – provided preclinical durability and safety data are robust. In ReVision’s case, this included more than two years of long term animal studies.

What links these examples is not therapeutic area, but approach. Regulators are signalling greater openness to first in class platforms – so long as companies present clear clinical rationale, focused patient populations, and early manufacturing discipline.

3.Dermatology – From clearance scores to lived experience

The dermatology announcements clustered around AAD 2026 revealed a field quietly redefining success. Clinical ambition remains high, but the emphasis has shifted decisively toward long term disease control, patient wellbeing, and real world evidence.

Almirall presented more than 15 scientific posters, including nine focused on lebrikizumab in atopic dermatitis. Data extended out to four years, incorporating real world cohorts such as the ADLIFE study, which examined outcomes in systemically pretreated patients. In psoriasis, two posters reported two year results from the POSITIVE study for tildrakizumab, explicitly incorporating validated wellbeing measures alongside skin outcomes.

Similarly, Galderma reinforced its full spectrum dermatology strategy with 22 presentations, including late breaking paediatric data for nemolizumab. In children aged 2–11 years with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, 41–47% achieved clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks, with sustained itch reduction reported out to 104 weeks.

These scientific messages were echoed in clinical discourse at Almirall’s 17th Skin Academy, where speakers focused on patient reported outcomes, psycho dermatology, and previously under addressed areas such as face and neck involvement.

4.AI in healthcare – Scale reveals cracks in governance

March’s announcements confirmed that AI is now operating at system scale, particularly in diagnostics and clinical decision support. However, they also exposed a growing mismatch between technological progress and organisational readiness.

Brainomix deployed its Brainomix 360 Stroke platform across all 25 sites in the West Virginia University Health System, marking one of the largest unified AI imaging implementations to date. The platform standardises CT, CTA, and perfusion analysis to support faster and more consistent stroke decision making across urban and rural settings.

In parallel, Accenture launched “Dr Rebecca”, an emotionally intelligent AI digital human designed to support patient interaction, signalling demand for AI systems that address emotional as well as operational needs.

Yet, alongside these deployments, governance challenges surfaced. Research from the Corporate Governance Institute found that 86% of Board Directors in the UK and Ireland believe their organisations have unaddressed governance blind spots, particularly around AI oversight, cyber risk, and emerging regulation. In hospital operations, Digi International reported that 82% of US hospital CFOs had experienced financial impact from previously hidden operational risks, with 94% citing unexpected costs linked to monitoring failures.

Taken together, these findings suggest that governance maturity, risk visibility, and board level oversight may become increasingly important constraints on large scale AI adoption.

5.Manufacturing and CDMOs – Capital follows complexity

Manufacturing announcements in March reinforced a clear message: investment is flowing towards complexity, not volume.

Abzena was recognised by Frost & Sullivan as a market leading CDMO in the antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) space, supported by its ThioBridge site specific conjugation technology and integrated facilities spanning San Diego, Bristol (PA), and Cambridge (UK). The report highlighted Abzena’s ability to reduce tech transfer risk by offering end to end services from antibody discovery through GMP bioconjugation.

Meanwhile, Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc reported record 2025 revenues of £228.9m, representing 29% year on year growth, alongside £49.9m in adjusted EBITDA. Performance was underpinned by the successful integration of Peters Surgical and growing demand across surgical adhesive and biosurgical categories.

Across the wider document, multiple CDMO and API manufacturers referenced substantial capital investment focused on high potency, peptide, and biologics capabilities, reflecting where pharmaceutical sponsors continue to face the greatest capacity constraints.