PERTH, Australia – Mesoblast Ltd. inked an exclusive global licensing deal with Novartis AG for the development, manufacture and commercialization of Mesoblast’s mesenchymal stromal cell product remestemcel-L, with an initial focus on the acute respiratory distress syndrome, including that associated with COVID-19, just six weeks after the FDA issued a complete response letter for the therapy as a treatment for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease.

HONG KONG – Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has signed an exclusive license agreement with Lung Therapeutics Inc., picking up the Japanese rights to Lung Tx’s LTI-01, a recombinant human single-chain urokinase plasminogen activator for loculated pleural effusion (LPE).

Royal Philips NV is reporting the launch of Philips Ventilator Bipap A40 EFL, a noninvasive ventilator that aims to help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) breathe easier. With its CE mark in hand, the company has tagged initial target markets as France, Italy and the U.K. Additional European markets are expected to come next year.