Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. has added two potential drugs to its pipeline targeting autoimmune and kidney-related diseases through an acquisition and a licensing deal. Victoria, British Columbia-based Aurinia is building on its first ever FDA approval at the beginning of the year, for Lupkynis (voclosporin) for treating active lupus nephritis in adults.
Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has licensed rights from Kissei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to develop and commercialize the spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) inhibitor fostamatinib for all potential indications in China.
Inhaled drugs developer Vectura Group plc has accepted a takeover bid from tobacco firm Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI), a move that has sparked revulsion from health campaigners but has been supported by investors. Shares in both firms ticked up in trading on Aug. 13 after Chippenham, U.K.-based Vectura accepted a bid worth around £1.1 billion (US$1.5 billion), rejecting a rival bid from U.S.-based private equity firm Carlyle Group.
Contrary to the broader markets, BioWorld’s Cancer Index is down by 22% this year, losing more than 7% throughout the month of July, despite oncology driving several high-money deals and accounting for 38%, the lion’s share, of financings. Both the Nasdaq Biotech Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are tracking similarly for the year, and are up by 13.2% and 15.2%, respectively, as of Aug. 10.
Hutchmed Ltd. has struck a deal for Epizyme Inc.’s anticancer therapy Tazverik (tazemetostat) that could bring the latter up to $310 million. The agreement gives Hutchmed rights to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize Tazverik in greater China, which covers mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
MRNA’s the thing and special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. is following as it will merge with privately held mRNA-developer Greenlight Biosciences Inc.
LONDON – Mission Therapeutics Ltd. has honed down a collection of 100-odd deubiquitylating (DUB) enzymes, to identify two that degrade misfolded proteins in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, triggering a $20 million milestone from partner Abbvie Inc.
Tobacco firm Philip Morris International Inc. has announced another acquisition as it adopts a “beyond nicotine” strategy, snapping up Otitopic Inc., of Los Angeles, for an undisclosed sum.
Seagen Inc. and Remegen Co. Ltd. will collaborate to exclusively develop and commercialize disitamab vedotin, a humanized antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting HER2, giving Remegen the chance to earn up to $2.4 billion in total milestone payments.
Eqrx Inc., a startup co-founded by serial biotech entrepreneur and investor Alexis Borisy to deliver new medicines for cancer and other conditions at "radically lower prices," is poised to raise up to $1.8 billion via a merger with the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) CM Life Sciences III Inc. The transaction, which would bring Eqrx to Nasdaq, includes a fully committed and upsized PIPE of $1.2 billion led by Softbank Group's SB Management Ltd. as well as SPAC sponsors Casdin Capital LLC and Corvex Management LP, plus $550 million of cash and trust held by the SPAC itself.
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