Health and bio news today centred on validation from two very different quarters, a Westminster committee room and a Phase III trial readout in China. A government minister's public endorsement of a UK diagnostics test provided a rare political tailwind for a small-cap, while GSK banked encouraging data supporting one of its pipeline's most closely watched oncology assets.
Minister name-checks Genedrive test in Commons hearing
genedrive (LON:GDR) shares rose after a government minister cited the company's newborn hearing-loss test as a live example of personalised medicine during a House of Commons committee session. The public reference from Westminster gave the diagnostics group an unusual boost in visibility, with the stock up 4.082% to 1.275p. For a company whose test aims to identify infants at risk of antibiotic-induced hearing loss before treatment is given, a ministerial shout-out in a policy forum lends credibility to its case for wider NHS adoption.
Hansoh trial data strengthens GSK's B7-H3 ADC case
GSK (LON:GSK) gained ground on its oncology pipeline after partner Hansoh Pharma reported positive overall survival data from a China-based Phase III trial of risvutatug rezetecan, known as Ris-Rez, in lung cancer. The result marks the first Phase III success recorded for any B7-H3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, a milestone that adds weight to GSK's broader development programme for the asset beyond the China study. Shares in GSK were little changed on the day, dipping 0.128% to 1957.0p, even as the data offered a fresh proof point for one of the group's higher-profile late-stage oncology bets.
