HONG KONG - Xuanzhu Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Beijing-based Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd., has acquired antibody technology firm Beijing Combio Pharmaceutical for an undisclosed amount.
DUBLIN – Affimed NV has found another taker for its tetravalent bispecific antibody-based innate cell engager (ICE) platform. Roivant Sciences GmbH is putting down $40 million in cash, plus another $20 million of its own stock, as part of a multiprogram alliance involving AFM-32 plus additional molecules directed at targets not currently addressed by Affimed’s pipeline. Some $2 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestones are also attached to the deal.
Bispecific: It might sound to some like a self-contained contradiction, as in “doubly singular” or “twice particular.” But if the word “specific” is taken in its primary meaning as “clearly defined or identified,” then the matter becomes clear – and, in the case of bispecific antibodies, it’s becoming clearer by the year.
BEIJING – Chinese startup Biotheus Inc., of Zhuhai, Guangdong, has its sights fixed on bispecific and multitarget antibodies to maximize drug efficacy. A biotech innovator based in the south of China, it gained support from local authorities that aim to create another biotech hub in the country.
Merus N.V.'s second-quarter earnings report included an important update on phase I MCLA-117, which Jefferies analyst Maury Raycroft said could be a best-in-class "game-changer" for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – a candidate that "alone is a reason to own the stock," in his view.