Shionogi & Co. Ltd.’s U.S. subsidiary Shinogi Inc. will acquire San Diego-based Qpex Biopharma Inc. in a deal worth up to $140 million that expands Shionogi’s pipeline of infectious disease agents and also adds to Brii Biosciences Ltd.’s pipeline.
Shionogi & Co. Ltd.’s U.S. subsidiary Shinogi Inc. will acquire San Diego-based Qpex Biopharma Inc. in a deal worth up to $140 million that expands Shionogi’s pipeline of infectious disease agents and also adds to Brii Biosciences Ltd.’s pipeline.
Snipr Biome ApS has published initial clinical data showing its Crispr-Cas modified bacteriophage product selectively kills Escherichia coli – including strains that are resistant to antibiotics – with no effect on the rest of the gut microbiome. That paves the way to test Snipr-001 in the prevention of bloodstream infections in hematological cancer patients who, as a result of increased intestinal permeability caused by chemotherapy, are at high risk of gut bacteria getting into the bloodstream.
The industry has hit out at the European Commission’s proposals for new pharmaceuticals regulations, saying they risk “sabotaging” life sciences in Europe. “Today’s proposals manage to undermine research and development in Europe while failing to address access to medicines for patients,” said Nathalie Moll, director general of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.
30 Technology Ltd. has divested its wound care business, leaving it to focus on pharmaceutical applications of its patented nitric oxide-generating chemistry in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant respiratory infections.
Akthelia Pharmaceuticals ehf and the University of Iceland have announced the successful joint award of a €6 million (US$6.6 million) EU Horizon Grant to fund the IN-ARMOR project that seeks to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The stage is set for a showdown between the pharma industry and national governments and public health experts over which policy the EU should grasp, as it bids to create a pan-European incentive scheme that will encourage innovation and get more antibiotics through to market. At issue is a proposal supported by the industry, under which companies getting approval for a new antibiotic would be given a voucher allowing them to extend market exclusivity of any different drug of their choice for one year.
Selux Diagnostics Inc. received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for its next generation phenotyping (NGP) system, a rapid antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) platform that determines a bacteria’s susceptibility to 14 specific antimicrobial agents in less than six hours. Prompt identification of the narrowest effective antimicrobial for an infection is critical to the battle to preserve the efficacy of critical antibiotics and slow the development of ‘superbug’ infections.
Minervax Aps has closed a €72 million (US$76.6 million) financing round, enabling it to accelerate phase II development of its group B streptococcus (GBS) vaccine for the prevention of stillbirth and serious infections in newborns and complete the program next year.
Deepull Diagnostics SL has raised €13 million (US$12.71 million) in a series B round to advance development of a PCR-based rapid diagnostic for the early diagnosis of sepsis and acute infections.
