Ablynx NV raised €31.5 million (US$41 million) in a private placement, boosting cash reserves to around €90 million and allowing the company to progress development of its next-generation rheumatoid arthritis (RA) product ALX-0061 into Phase IIb, while negotiating with potential partners. Read More

A new genetic study has provided backing for the theory that inflammation in the brain is a cause of psychosis. Researchers in Sweden have discovered that a genetic variant that boosts the effects of inflammation in the brain is more common in people with bipolar disorder who experience psychotic episodes. Read More

The European Commission (EC) finally put some financial firepower behind its pledge to find treatments for 200 rare diseases by 2020, announcing €144 million (US$187 million) of new funding for 26 separate projects. Read More

Privately held Concert Pharmaceuticals Inc. struck another business development high note, inking an exclusive license agreement that provides Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc with global rights to develop and commercialize deuterium-modified sodium oxybate (D-SXB) compounds, including C-10323, aimed at narcolepsy. Read More

• Polyphor Ltd., of Allschwil, Switzerland, completed a Phase I trial demonstrating the clinical safety and tolerability of its Pseudomonas-specific antibiotic POL7080. Read More