The industry's expanding quest for protein degraders grew a little larger on July 9 with Sanofi SA tapping Kymera Therapeutics Inc. to advance two new protein degrader programs, one of which will target IRAK4 in patients with immune-inflammatory diseases and another for an undisclosed target. Each program could yield multiple therapies.
HONG KONG – Tokyo-headquartered Fujifilm Holdings Corp. will increase production of Avigan on the back of a partnership with India’s Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Inc. and Dubai-based Global Response Aid, an affiliate of logistics company Agility.
Privately held Foghorn Therapeutics Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., cut a collaboration deal with Merck & Co. Inc. to discover and develop therapeutics targeting the chromatin regulatory system in oncology that could eventually bring in as much as $450 million.
Biointellisense Inc. received an FDA clearance in January for its Biosticker to monitor patient vital signs at home for as long as 30 days. It was just starting to launch, when along came the novel coronavirus. Now, the Band-Aid-sized monitor is being used to monitor COVID-19 patients at home, as well as chronic disease patients.
Zymeworks Inc.’s business update – which included a new, potential $891 million deal for multispecific antibody drugs with longtime partner Merck & Co. Inc. – drew mixed reviews from Wall Street, especially with regard to phase I prospect ZW-49.
HONG KONG – China and U.S.-based Zai Lab Ltd. has inked a deal to develop and commercialize Turning Point Therapeutics Inc.’s lead drug candidate, repotrectinib, in the greater China markets.
Reflexion Medical Inc. appears to be on a roll. A little more than a month after unveiling a tie up with Merck & Co. Inc., it now has reported a collaboration with Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a radiopharmaceutical company developing molecularly targeted radiation products.
Kiadis Pharma NV’s takeover last year of Cytosen Therapeutics Inc. to get a natural killer (NK) platform paid off in a potentially huge way, with Sanofi SA paying €17.5 million (US$19.7 million) up front in a licensing deal with as much as €857.5 million more if preclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial goals are reached, as well as up to double-digit royalties.
Despite the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, biopharma dealmaking values in the second quarter of 2020 increased by 22.4% since the first quarter, and M&A values – thanks to Abbvie Inc. completing in May its $63 billion buyout of Allergan plc – are at a four-year high. A total of 529 deals, including licensings, collaborations and joint ventures, reported during the second quarter had projected values of nearly $49 billion, a step up from the 471 deals and $40.8 billion value of the first quarter.
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