Arbutus Biopharma to launch modified Dutch auction tender offer to repurchase up to US$230M of common shares at US$5.00–US$5.75
- Tender offer will be funded with the company's existing cash on hand, according to Arbutus Biopharma.
Friday, August 21, 2026
Arbutus tender offer to repurchase up to US$230M of common at US$5.00–US$5.75
ORKA Makes A Splash With A 500%+ Gain; More Catalysts Ahead
Oruka Therapeutics Inc. (ORKA) has been one of biotech's standout performers, with its shares steadily advancing on encouraging clinical data from its pipeline of drug candidates.
This clinical-stage biotechnology company is developing novel biologics designed to set a new standard for the treatment of chronic skin diseases, including plaque psoriasis (PsO) and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).
When did we first highlight ORKA?
Oruka Therapeutics was featured on our site on September 18, 2025, when it was trading at $16.56.
Our report highlighted the key catalysts then expected for the company's lead investigational biologics, ORKA-001 and ORKA-002, which target cytokines involved in psoriasis and other inflammatory diseases.
What's Driving the Stock?
• Progress of EVERLAST-A, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2a trial evaluating ORKA-001 in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
• Positive interim results from the Phase 1 trial of ORKA-002 in healthy volunteers, announced in January 2026.
• Initiation of patient dosing in EVERLAST-B, the Phase 2b trial of ORKA-001 in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, in January 2026.
• Positive Week 16 data from EVERLAST-A, announced in April 2026, further supporting the potential efficacy of ORKA-001.
• Global collaboration and licensing agreement with Halozyme Hypercon, announced in May 2026, to develop ORKA-001 using Hypercon technology, potentially enabling a more convenient, low-volume dosing option.
• ORCA-SPLASH, a Phase 2 trial of ORKA-002 in moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa, initiated in August 2026.
Near-term Catalysts
• Q3 2026: Week 28 data from the EVERLAST-A Phase 2a trial of ORKA-001 in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
• Q4 2026: Week 16 data from EVERLAST-B, the Phase 2b dose-ranging trial of ORKA-001 in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
• December 2026: 52-week data from all participants in the EVERLAST-A Phase 2a trial.
• Q1 2027: Week 16 data from ORCA-SURGE, a Phase 2 trial evaluating ORKA-002 in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
• 1H 2027: Planned initiation of the Phase 3 development program for ORKA-001.
Stock Performance Since Publication
• Published Date: September 18, 2025
• Published Price: $16.56
• 52-week High: $115.52 (+598%) on August 19, 2026
• Closing Price: $104.86 (+533%) on August 20, 2026.
Lebanon says Iranian ambassador-designate must leave
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said Iran’s ambassador-designate Mohammad Reza Rauf Sheibani must leave the country because his continued presence would violate a sovereign Lebanese decision, according to An-Nahar.
Rajji said that once a diplomat is declared persona non grata, any previously issued visa, entry permit or residency authorization no longer provides a legal basis for remaining in the country.
He added that any discussion of renewing Sheibani’s visa was legally invalid and that the decision requiring his departure was final and enforceable.
Sheibani’s visa is due to expire on August 24.
'Reuters: Iran-linked tanker seized off Yemen as Somali piracy attacks surge'
An oil tanker under US sanctions for allegedly transporting Iranian petroleum products was seized off Yemen and diverted toward Somalia, Reuters reported Friday, marking the latest attack in a resurgence of Somali piracy.
The Eritrea-flagged *Sibu 1* was boarded Thursday by six armed individuals, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. The US Treasury sanctioned the tanker last December for allegedly being part of a shadow fleet helping Iranian petroleum products evade sanctions.
The vessel was at least the 13th attacked this year off Somalia or in the Gulf of Aden, compared with five such attacks in all of 2025, according to International Maritime Bureau data and UKMTO reports cited by Reuters.
Iran says Spanish investor approved for mining project in South Khorasan: Iran news
Iran has issued its first foreign investment permit in South Khorasan province to a Spanish investor for a mining and mineral-processing project, state news agency IRNA reported.
Morteza Zakerian, the provincial director general of economic affairs and finance, said investors from the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Oman had also entered South Khorasan for the first time in the recent period.
He said foreign investors from 12 countries are now active in the province, including China, Afghanistan, South Africa and Germany.
Nicotine Pouch Products Authorized by the FDA
This list is up to date. There are 43 nicotine pouch products authorized by the FDA. These are the only nicotine pouch products that may be lawfully sold in the United States.
Manufacturer | Product | |
| Helix Innovations LLC | on! nicotine pouches 2 mg Autumn Spice | on! nicotine pouches 4 mg Autumn Spice |
| on! nicotine pouches 2 mg Cappuccino | on! nicotine pouches 4 mg Cappuccino | |
| on! nicotine pouches 2 mg Rich Berry | on! nicotine pouches 4 mg Rich Berry | |
| on! PLUS nicotine pouches 6 mg Mint | on! PLUS nicotine pouches 9 mg Mint | |
| on! PLUS nicotine pouches 6 mg Tobacco | on! PLUS nicotine pouches 9 mg Tobacco | |
| on! PLUS nicotine pouches 6 mg Wintergreen | on! PLUS nicotine pouches 9 mg Wintergreen | |
| Swedish Match USA, Inc. | ZYN Chill 3 mg | ZYN Menthol 3 mg |
| ZYN Chill 6 mg | ZYN Menthol 6 mg | |
| ZYN Cinnamon 3 mg | ZYN Peppermint 3 mg | |
| ZYN Cinnamon 6 mg | ZYN Peppermint 6 mg | |
| ZYN Citrus 3 mg | ZYN Smooth 3 mg | |
| ZYN Citrus 6 mg | ZYN Smooth 6 mg | |
| ZYN Coffee 3 mg | ZYN Spearmint 3 mg | |
| ZYN Coffee 6 mg | ZYN Spearmint 6 mg | |
| ZYN Cool Mint 3 mg | ZYN Wintergreen 3 mg | |
| ZYN Cool Mint 6 mg | ZYN Wintergreen 6 mg | |
| ZYN ULTRA Chill 9 mg | ZYN ULTRA Smooth 11 mg | |
| ZYN ULTRA Citrus 9 mg | ZYN ULTRA Smooth 9 mg | |
| ZYN ULTRA Cool Mint 9 mg | ZYN ULTRA Spearmint 9 mg | |
| ZYN ULTRA Deep Freeze 9 mg | ZYN ULTRA Wintergreen 9 mg | |
| ZYN ULTRA Menthol 9 mg | ZYN ULTRA Wintergreen Chill 9 mg | |
| ZYN ULTRA Peppermint 9 mg | ||
While these products are authorized to be sold in the United States, it does not mean these products are safe, nor are they “FDA approved.” All tobacco products are harmful and potentially addictive. Those who do not use tobacco products shouldn’t start.
In general:
- FDA intends to update www.fda.gov/authorizednicotinepouches with new products the day of a nicotine pouch authorization. This is the first place any newly authorized nicotine pouches will be listed.
- FDA’s Searchable Tobacco Products Database is the most comprehensive listing of tobacco products that can be legally sold. FDA intends to add newly authorized nicotine pouches the day after authorization.
- The downloadable flyer version of the authorized nicotine pouch list will be updated as expediently as possible, typically within 1-2 business days.
Gruesome history of Zuckerberg’s Irish castle where people were tortured, hung down ‘murder hole’
Mark Zuckerberg just bought himself a piece of Irish history that comes with a body count.
The Meta mogul and his wife, Priscilla Chan, quietly closed on Strancally Castle, a 440-acre Gothic-revival estate in County Waterford, Ireland, in an off-market deal valued between $23 and $35 million, according to the Irish Times, which broke the story.
But long before the Facebook founder set his sights on the riverside pile, the ground it sits on was the stuff of nightmares.
The original Strancally Castle, situated about 2 miles from the current structure, was reportedly the site of a medieval killing floor known as the “murder hole,” where unsuspecting guests were said to be trapped, bound and dropped to their deaths.
Legend has it the original castle was once seized by Spanish occupiers who lured local landowners inside under the guise of a banquet, only to drop them through a hidden trapdoor into a flooded cave below. Word of the slaughter eventually got out, and the occupiers were driven off and the castle torn down.
English writer William Howitt immortalized the legend nearly two centuries ago in his 1847 book “Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets,” describing how victims met their grisly end.
“The unwary, when decoyed within the castle, were tied hand and foot, and hung down the murder-hole,” Howitt wrote. “The rapid river hurried by, and soon carried away their gasping shrieks, and the dead told no tales.”
Howitt himself was skeptical of the lore, chalking it up to local legend, but not before adding his own eerie caveat.
The castle standing today bears no resemblance to that blood-soaked ruin. It was built around 1830 for John Keily, a Tory member of parliament, and designed by brothers James and George Richard Pain, the same architects behind Dromoland Castle in County Clare and Blackrock Castle in Cork.
The three-story, 16,000-square-foot mansion was constructed on such an extravagant scale that it reportedly took a 4.5-minute walk just to get from the kitchen to the dining room.
The estate changed hands over the following century, passing to the Whitelocke-Lloyd family around 1855 before eventually landing with the Irish Land Commission.
It was purchased 25 years ago by Michael Alen-Buckley, a co-founder of London investment firm RAB Capital, and his wife Giancarla, who poured two decades into restoring the property before handing over the keys to Silicon Valley’s most famous billionaire.
The sellers said goodbye to their longtime home with a statement to the Irish Times.
“We leave our home of 25 years fondly and are grateful for the opportunity we have been given to save and restore Strancally Castle,” the Alen-Buckleys said.
“We are delighted that Mark and his family intend to build on our stewardship by continuing to invest in maintaining and enhancing the property and grounds as their home in a sustainable manner. We wish them and their family much happiness in this unique and blessed place.”
A rep for Zuckerberg confirmed the purchase and struck a decidedly cheerier tone than the castle’s bloody backstory might suggest.
“Mark and his family are excited to continue caring for this historic home and look forward to spending time in Ireland, where Meta maintains its international headquarters,” the spokesperson said.
Zuckerberg and Chan plan to keep their primary residence in the US and use Strancally as a landing pad when doing business in Ireland, where Meta has run its international headquarters since 2009 and employs roughly 1,500 people.
The Meta chief isn’t the first tech titan to go castle shopping along the River Blackwater.
Strancally sits near Ballynatray House, snapped up by Dyson founder James Dyson for about $34 million in 2024, and Lismore Castle and Salterbridge House, owned by British property magnate Stephen Vernon. Stripe co-founder John Collison also grabbed the 1,100-acre Abbey Leix estate in County Laois for roughly $23 million back in 2021, making Zuckerberg at least the third tech billionaire to plant an Irish flag in five years.
It’s also not Zuckerberg’s first swing at Irish real estate.
Last year, Liberty Media chairman John Malone told the Wall Street Journal that Zuckerberg had made a play for his Castlemartin House and Estate in County Kildare, once home to the late businessman Tony O’Reilly. That deal never materialized.
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