2026 catalysts: First-half scorecard

The first half of 2026 brought encouraging clinical data and positive regulatory decisions across new modalities and cardiorenal programs. Most of the major catalysts flagged by BioCentury met expectations, although antisense performance was mixed and the period’s most anticipated RNA readout was delayed.

BioCentury identified 2026 as a pivotal year for RNA modalities, and the first half largely lived up to that billing — although progress was far from uniform. Antisense programs produced modest or mixed data in several neuromuscular indications, while Phase III results for pelacarsen were pushed into the second half. The modality also delivered one of the year’s most meaningful breakthroughs, as bepirovirsen from GSK plc (LSE:GSK; NYSE:GSK) produced functional cures in some chronic HBV patients. An early 2H miss for Wainua eplontersen from AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NYSE:AZN) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) subsequently added to questions about the competitive position of antisense oligos...