For almost two months, Brazil’s health care surveillance agency Anvisa, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety have been sharing regulatory and confidential information as part of an effort to improve the safety and efficacy of drugs and medical devices.

LONDON – Delaying the second dose of Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine significantly increases the antibody response in people ages 80 to 99, compared to the approved schedule of two doses three weeks apart, according to the latest data from the U.K. coronavirus immunology consortium.

LONDON – Initial results from the U.K. randomized trial assessing mixed COVID-19 vaccine schedules show there is a significant increase in systemic side effects with one dose of Astrazeneca plc’s and one of Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE’s vaccines (in either order), compared to receiving two doses of the same vaccine.

PARIS – Microsure BV reported closing a $3.25 million funding round to develop its supermicrosurgery robot, Musa. This series B round was led by Dutch investment agency Invest-NL NV. The other 50% of the funding came from existing Dutch shareholders Brabant Development Agency NV and venture capital partners Innovation Industries Fund, as well as from Ten Cate Investreingsmaatschappij BV.

The discovery of synthetic lethality between BRCA mutations and PARP inhibitors ranks has led to major advances in the treatment of BRCA-mutated cancers. Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 can leave cells with a deficiency in homologous repair (HR). And that deficiency can make them vulnerable to PARP inhibitors, which block alternate DNA repair pathways, as well as platinum-based treatment, which induces DNA mutations that BRCA-deficient cells are unable to cope with.

LONDON – The SARS-CoV-2 variant first detected in India last year has joined those from the U.K., South Africa and Brazil as a “variant of global concern,” the World Health Organization said on May 10.

LONDON – Abingworth announced the final closing of its latest fund at $582 million, bringing the amount committed to the London-based venture capital firm in 2021 to more than $1 billion. The clinical co-development fund 2 will finance and manage late-stage development of phase III programs sourced from pharma and biotech companies, receiving a pre-negotiated fee when a drug is approved. The model obviously has appeal, with the new fund being significantly oversubscribed and exceeding its target of $350 million.

LONDON – Cumulus Neuroscience Ltd. has raised £6 million (US$8.3 million) to advance development of its home use wearable headset for tracking response to treatment in clinical trials in psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

LONDON – Neogenomics Inc. reported it plans to acquire Inivata Ltd., taking up a $390 million fixed price option to purchase the liquid biopsy specialist eight months early. The option was agreed to in May 2020, when Neogenomics made a $25 million minority equity investment in Inivata and was granted the right to acquire the rest of the company by the end of 2021.