China’s Amoy Diagnostics Co. Ltd. (Amoydx) signed a development and commercialization agreement under which Amoy will develop multiple companion diagnostics for Astrazeneca plc across China, the E.U. and Japan.
After failing to meet primary safety and efficacy endpoints in a phase I/II trial for stroke, Teijin Ltd. and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. have terminated a co-development and Japan licensing agreement to develop JTR-161, an allogeneic regenerative candidate containing dental pulp stem cells.
South Korean companies Ubix Therapeutics Inc. and SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. are partnering to develop targeted protein degradation cancer therapies.
Genequantum Healthcare Co. Ltd. will work with Aimedbio Inc. to co-develop an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) to treat brain and other cancers, working toward an IND filing in 2023.
Abbvie Inc. is stepping away from a 2016 deal with Bioarctic AB to develop alpha-synuclein antibodies for treating Parkinson’s disease, originally valued at up to $775 million. Bioarctic said it plans to stay the course without its big-pocketed partner. Bioarctic’s stock (Stockholm:BIOA-B) fell 14.6% to SEK90 (US$9.40) on April 20.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. proposes to buy Checkmate Pharmaceuticals Inc. though an all-cash price of $10.50 per share for about $250 million. That’s pretty much on target with Checkmate’s April 19 closing share price (NASDAQ:CMPI) of $10.35, as the stock gained a staggering 326% on the day.
Although efforts focused on COVID-19 continue to fade and there are fewer collaborations than in previous years, the biopharma industry has recorded record value from mega-deals in the first quarter (Q1) of 2022, topping all recent years, as executives continue to opt against costly mergers and acquisitions.
Through a $600 million deal, Juniper Biologics Pte. Ltd. has acquired rights from Kolon Life Science Inc. to develop and commercialize TG-C LD (Tissuegene-C low dose) for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Singapore-based Juniper will hold the rights for Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa and be responsible for developing and commercializing the candidate within those regions.
Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has acquired greater China rights to two candidates from Lenz Therapeutics Inc. for the treatment of presbyopia in greater China in a deal worth up to $110 million. San Diego-based Lenz will receive $15 million in up-front payments, up to $95 million in regulatory and commercial milestone payments, and potential royalty payments based on net sales.
Health care-focused private equity firm Archimed Group agreed to acquire Natus Medical Inc. for $33.50 per share, a nearly 29% premium over the April 14 closing share price for the provider of medical devices to diagnose and treat neurological and sensory disorders. The deal will take Natus (NASDAQ:NTUS) private after more than 20 years as a publicly traded company.
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