--- title: 'Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on October 16, 2026' headline: Osivax misses Phase 2b flu-vaccine target and turns to combinations description: Merz completed enrollment in two migraine trials, while researchers reported new clinical and real-world treatment data. url: https://thebench.bio/news/clinical/2026-10-16 topic: clinical date: '2026-10-16' covers: - '2026-10-16' date_published: '2026-10-16T12:03:01Z' date_modified: '2026-10-16T12:03:01Z' tags: - Clinical - Industry sources: 5 publisher: TheBench.Bio --- # Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on October 16, 2026 **Osivax misses Phase 2b flu-vaccine target and turns to combinations** Merz completed enrollment in two migraine trials, while researchers reported new clinical and real-world treatment data. ## Today in brief OVX836 fell short of its 50% efficacy target in a Phase 2b trial, with an estimated efficacy of 24% that was not statistically significant. [1] Osivax plans to advance combination candidates with partners but has not set a date for another efficacy trial. [1] ## Osivax shifts OVX836 toward combination vaccines after missing trial target In the randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2b Asuniva trial, OVX836 had an estimated efficacy of 24%, below the predefined 50% target. The result was not statistically significant. [1] The study enrolled 2,850 healthy adults ages 18 to 59 in Belgium, France, Finland and Germany. [1] Secondary efficacy estimates were 28% against CDC-defined influenza-like illness, 27% against influenza A/H3 and 25% against A/H1N1pdm09. None showed statistically significant protection. [1] The vaccine had a favorable safety profile and prompted antibody and T-cell responses to influenza nucleoprotein. [1] Osivax said the findings provide a repeatable efficacy signal against both major influenza A subtypes for a vaccine that targets nucleoprotein alone. [1] Osivax is emphasizing OVX836 as a possible addition to seasonal flu vaccines, rather than mainly as a standalone alternative. [1] In August, the company agreed with GC Biopharma to develop a single-injection combination of OVX836 and GC FLU. Osivax plans to advance combination candidates through two partnerships. [1] ## Also worth knowing - Merz Therapeutics completed enrollment of about 1,800 participants in two Phase 3 trials of Xeomin for chronic and episodic migraine prevention, six months ahead of schedule. The main study period is expected to conclude next year. [2] - MacroGenics dosed the first participant in a Phase 1 trial of MGC030, an antibody-drug conjugate being tested in advanced solid tumors. The initial dose-escalation stage may enroll up to 54 people. [3] - In an observational UK program, 8,127 women receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists through digital care lost an average of 15.5% of their starting weight at six months. The study had no comparison group and followed participants for six months. [4] - In a single-arm Phase 1 study of 81 people with recurrent malignant glioma, median overall survival was 7.9 months among 72 participants with IDH-wild-type recurrent glioblastoma. Four patients had dose-limiting toxicities at one dose level. [5] ## The day in numbers - **2,850**: Healthy adults enrolled in Osivax’s Phase 2b Asuniva trial. [1] - **24%**: Estimated efficacy of OVX836 in the trial. The result was not statistically significant. [1] ## Also published - [Conversational brain AI for adaptive epilepsy care](), Nature Medicine - [Only time will tell](), Nature Medicine ## Sources 1. [Osivax misses Phase 2b flu vaccine endpoint, shifts focus to combinations](), European Biotechnology, 2026-10-16 2. [Merz concludes enrolment in Phase III Xeomin trials for migraine](), Clinical Trials Arena, 2026-10-16 3. [First patient dosed in MacroGenics’ Phase I MGC030 trial](), Clinical Trials Arena, 2026-10-16 4. [Real-world, digital-first delivery of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy in women](), Nature Medicine, 2026-10-16 5. [EGFR-targeted antibody−toxin conjugate in recurrent glioma: a phase 1 trial](), Nature Medicine, 2026-10-16 --- TheBench.Bio wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: [4]: [5]: