Fresh off licensing a potential Parkinson’s disease therapy last month, Ipsen SA is again looking to build out its neurodegenerative disease portfolio, this time in Huntington’s disease and Angelman syndrome. An exclusive options deal with Exicure Inc. could bring it two new spherical nucleic acid (SNA) programs for the indications while delivering up to $1 billion for Exicure, plus potential royalties, on top of a $20 million up-front payment. The deal, Exicure's second major SNA collaboration after a hair-loss disorders deal with Abbvie Inc.’s Allergan, sent Exicure shares (NASDAQ:XCUR) up 34.1% to $1.81 on Aug. 2.
Bioventus Inc. reported plans to acquire Misonix Inc. in a cash and stock transaction valued at $518 million, which the companies expect to close in the fourth quarter of 2021. The transaction will create a total addressable market of $15 billion for the combined company across the wound care, orthopedics, lower extremity and neurosurgery market segments.
Minovia Therapeutics Ltd. will collaborate with Astellas Pharma Inc. to research, develop and commercialize cell therapy programs for treating diseases brought on by mitochondrial dysfunction. The candidates will come from Astellas’ genetically engineered, induced pluripotent stem cells. Haifa, Israel-based Minovia will receive $20 million in cash up front.
Peptidream Inc., fresh off expanding a multibillion-dollar research and license agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. earlier this week, has inked a brand new deal with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. Valued at up to $2.2 billion, including milestones, the new deal is aimed at the discovery and development of peptide-siRNA conjugates for the delivery of therapies to a wide range of cell types and tissues beyond the liver, the central target of Alnylam's marketed products to date.
Eli Lilly and Co. has established a multiyear collaboration with Kumquat Biosciences Inc. for the discovery, development and commercialization of new small molecules for stimulating tumor-specific immune responses. Kumquat will receive $70 million up front, including an equity investment, and is eligible for more than $2 billion in potential milestone payments plus royalties on any marketed products.
Amgen Inc. will pay $900 million in cash to acquire privately held Teneobio Inc. In exchange for the cash, Amgen gets all of Teneobio’s outstanding shares, which could end up paying out quite a bit as contingent milestone payments to Teneobio’s equity holders could be worth up to $1.6 billion.
In a deal that could be worth up to $565 million, Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. licensed in glutaminyl cyclase inhibitor varoglutamstat (PQ-912) and monoclonal N3pE-antibody PBD-C06, which target the neurotoxic amyloid species N3pE (pGlu-Abeta), from Vivoryon Therapeutics AG to develop and commercialize for Alzheimer’s disease in greater China.
In a deal that could be worth up to $565 million, Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. licensed in glutaminyl cyclase inhibitor varoglutamstat (PQ-912) and monoclonal N3pE-antibody PBD-C06, which target the neurotoxic amyloid species N3pE (pGlu-Abeta), from Vivoryon Therapeutics AG to develop and commercialize for Alzheimer’s disease in greater China.
Financing is the fuel that drives growth in the biopharma sector, and participants at the BIO Asia-Taiwan Conference 2021 this week discussed different financing strategies for companies in the currently booming market.
Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BD) notched its sixth tuck-in buy of the year, acquiring long-time partner and resorbable polymer maker Tepha Inc. for an undisclosed sum. The deal will facilitate expansion of BD’s surgical mesh offerings and drive growth in new areas of soft tissue repair, reconstruction and regeneration. Wall Street gave the Tepha deal a thumbs up. After hitting a high of $256.32 Tuesday, BD shares (NYSE:BDX) maintained a strong beat, closing up 2.11 at $254.69.