Evolent Health Inc. agreed to acquire Magellan Specialty Health from Centene Corp. in a deal worth up to $750 million. The companies also reported a strategic partnership to continue and expand Centene’s relationship with Magellan Specialty Health.
Conditionally active antibody specialist Cytomx Therapeutics Inc. has agreed to work with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. to discover and develop new bispecific antibodies with what the partners said is the potential to "widen the therapeutic window and help minimize off-target effects."
Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. has inked a licensing agreement picking rights to develop Idorsia Ltd.’s insomnia treatment in greater China, in exchange for a $30 million up-front payment.
Biotheus Inc. out-licensed Chinese rights to its preclinical EGFR/MET bispecific antibody, PM-1080, to Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. for ¥50 million (US$359,150) up front and up to ¥1.42 billion in future development, regulatory and commercialization milestones, plus tiered sales-based royalties.
The number of biopharma deals with nonprofit or government entities has dwindled in recent months, while industry grants are climbing. Combined, however, a total of 936 bio/nonprofit deals and grants worth $11.17 billion is down by 37% in comparison with last year’s $17.8 billion and by 58.7% in comparison with 2020’s $27 billion. The volume also is down significantly by 16.8% from 2021 and by 33.4% from 2020.
Nona Biosciences Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Harbour Biomed Therapeutics Ltd. launched in November to provide “idea to IND” services, has struck a deal with Moderna Inc. to develop nucleic acid-based immunotherapies. The candidates will be based on Harbour’s heavy chain only antibody discovery platform.
Momentum is building at Jnana Therapeutics Inc. The firm has raised $107 million in a series C round and banked another $50 million up front from a new drug discovery and development pact with Roche Holding AG, which could potentially deliver significant near-term milestones and more than $2 billion in future milestone payments. It also commenced recruitment onto a first-in-human study of its lead drug candidate, JNT-517, an inhibitor of the phenylalanine transporter SLC6A19, which is in development for phenylketonuria.
Trisalus Life Sciences Inc. agreed to merge with Medtech Acquisition Corp. (MTAC) in a deal that allows the drug/device company’s management to meet three out of three goals: quick cash, retained control and faster completion of key clinical trials.
Nona Biosciences Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Harbour Biomed Therapeutics Ltd. launched in November to provide “idea to IND” services, has struck a deal with Moderna Inc. to develop nucleic acid-based immunotherapies. The candidates will be based on Harbour’s heavy chain only antibody discovery platform.
Minoryx Therapeutics SL is banking what it described as “a significant double-digit up-front payment” and could earn up to €258 million (US$262.1 million) more in milestone payments and development funding from a license agreement with Neuraxpharm GmbH, which covers European rights to its lead drug candidate, leriglitazone, in central nervous system indications. It will also receive tiered double-digit royalties on product sales.
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