Financings

Bpifrance and Sanofi SA launched Innobio 2, an investment fund worth $153 million that is slated to back life sciences. The fund is aiming to reach between $227 million and $283 million.

Bio-Path Holdings Inc. closed its registered direct offering for gross proceeds of approximately $18.5 million.

Cansino Biologics Inc. is expected to debut on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) on March 28, aiming to raise up to HK$1.26 billion (US$160.5 million).

Cold Genesys Inc. said it closed a $22 million series C preferred stock financing.

Dermira Inc. priced an underwritten public offering for gross proceeds of approximately $130 million.

Flagship Pioneering secured $824 million in a new capital pool to support the growth of human health and sustainability companies originated by its Flagship Labs unit.

Imago Biosciences Inc. closed a $40 million series B financing.

Imara Inc. closed an oversubscribed $63 million series B crossover financing.

Karuna Therapeutics Inc. completed a $68 million series B round.

Matinas BioPharma Holdings Inc. priced its underwritten registered public offering for expected gross proceeds of $30 million.

Precision Biosciences Inc. set terms for its proposed IPO planning to raise $126 million by offering 7.9 million shares priced in a range of $15 to $17.

Restorbio Inc. said it priced an underwritten public offering for gross proceeds of approximately $50 million.

Deals

Enterome SA inked an R&D collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to evaluate and develop gut microbiome-derived antigens as potential cancer immunotherapies.

Evotec AG and The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership are collaborating to develop antibiotics to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections.

Immunobiology Ltd. said it signed a licensing agreement with Lanzhou Institute of Biological Product, a subsidiary of China National Biotec Group Co. Ltd. to co-develop its Pnubiovax candidate against pneumococcal disease.

Napajen Pharma Inc. is collaborating with Astellas Pharma Inc. for the discovery and development of new therapies combining oligonucleotides with its schizophyllan-based delivery vehicle.

Pfizer Inc. is acquiring a 15 percent equity interest in privately held gene therapy company Vivet Therapeutics SAS.

Resverlogix Corp. advanced a $2.9 million project led by academic collaborators at Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Laval University, to research the clinical potential of its lead drug, apabetalone, as a potential therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Viome Inc. will collaborate with Helomics Corp., an artificial intelligence and precision health care firm, to study the link between the gut microbiome and ovarian cancer.

. . . And More

Allergy Therapeutics plc reported the phase III study of its birch pollen vaccine did not show a statistically significant difference between active and placebo arms in the primary endpoint of combined symptom and use of rescue medication score, averaged over the peak birch pollen season in Europe.

Amphera BV is coming out of stealth mode to look for potential partners and routes to commercialization for its Mesopher dendritic cell cancer vaccine, after launching a pivotal phase II/III trial in pleural mesothelioma.

As part of Canada's Budget 2019, Genome Canada received a renewed five-year federal investment of C$100.5 million (US$75.2 million) to fund genomics research.

Biogen Inc. along with its partner Eisai Co. Ltd. said they are stopping the phase III program testing Alzheimer's disease drug aducanumab because an independent data monitoring committee concluded it's unlikely the trials would meet their primary endpoint.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc gained FDA marketing clearance for Sunosi (solriamfetol) as a therapy to improve wakefulness in adult patients with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) associated with narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea.

Record-breaking financings in 2018 trickled down to almost every therapeutic area, showing in many cases double- and triple-digit percent increases of funds flowing into biopharma companies working on everything from cell and gene therapies to cancer immunotherapies and microbiome therapeutics, according to the BioPharma Financings Reports, a series of analyses compiled by BioWorld and Clarivate Analytics.

Respirion Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd. is the first investment in Western Australia by the Medical Research Commercialization Fund's Biomedical Translation Fund. The company is developing an antibiotic therapy that could be life-changing for patients with cystic fibrosis.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) released its draft evidence report assessing the clinical effectiveness and value of Mayzent (siponimod), being developed by Novartis AG for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.