Black Friday is still weeks away, but Exelixis Inc. has gone shopping and inked two deals that together are potentially worth more than $1 billion, bolstering its pipeline with cancer drugs from Cybrexa Inc. and Sairopa B.V. Both deals are eye-catching, not just because of their potential value but also because of the technologies involved. Cybrexa’s drug is a peptide-drug conjugate, a class where only one drug is FDA approved and established, and Sairopa is working on an antibody targeting SIRPα, a potential next-generation immunotherapy.

CSL Seqirus in-licenses Arcturus mRNA tech for multiple vaccine programs

CSL Ltd. subsidiary Seqirus Inc. signed a licensing and development deal with Arcturus Therapeutics Inc. to in-license Arcturus’ late-stage self-amplifying mRNA vaccine platform technology. Arcturus will receive $200 million up front and is eligible to receive more than $1.3 billion in development milestones and over $3 billion in commercial milestones. In addition, it could capture a 40% net profit share for COVID-19 vaccines and up to double-digit royalties for vaccines against flu, pandemic preparedness and three other respiratory pathogens.

Alkermes to split off oncology efforts from neuroscience in public company

The firm’s third-quarter earnings report took a back seat to news that Alkermes plc will explore separating its commercial-stage neuroscience business from the oncology efforts, which are still at the developmental stage. Board members have approved the split, which could be completed in 2023. Alkermes said that having a distinct, publicly traded firm working in oncology is meant to let the capital markets better evaluate the value of each company’s assets. Shares of (NASDAQ:ALKS) were trading midday at $23.76, up 51 cents, or 2.2%.

CV6 Therapeutics gets ready to ‘dUMP’ cancer with dUTPase inhibitor

CV6 Therapeutics Ltd. raised $9.2 million in grant and equity funding to move a first-in-class inhibitor of deoxyuridine 5’-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) into a phase Ia trial in cancer. The compound, CV6-168, will from the outset be administered in combination with fluorouracil, a mainstay of chemotherapy for the past 60 years.

Beihai Biotech nets nearly ¥200M to support core asset development

Zhuhai Beihai Biotech Co. Ltd. has raised nearly ¥200 million (US$27.5 million) in a series B round slated to support clinical trials for its lead candidates as well as preparations to file an NDA for its core asset, BH-009, an injectable formulation of docetaxel that excludes polysorbate 80 (Tween 80), a surfactant that has been associated with increased risk of adverse events, including hypersensitivity. The company claims that no similar product is currently available worldwide.

Also in the news

Abcellera, Acumen, Akston, Alterome, Antibe, Apex Labs, Applied Biomath, Artiva, Astrazeneca, Aulos, Basilea, Bio-Thera, Brim, Cingulate, Compass, Concerto, Denali, Dragonfly, Ensysce, Harmony, Henlius, Hoth, Jounce, Karyopharm, Kovina, Lusaris, Menarini, Mitobridge, Moderna, Monte Rosa, Orsobio, Orum, Peak, Pfizer, Pieris, Promore, Receptor, Remegen, Rhythm, Springworks, Stealth, Teon, TFF, Tiziana, Unity, Xeris