Molecular Templates Inc., of Austin, Texas, has signed an R&D collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) worth $70 million up front and potential development, regulatory and sales milestone payments of up to $1.3 billion. Molecular Templates will work on therapies designed for unnamed oncology targets to kill targeted cells by forcing receptor internalization, delivering payloads and enzymatically inactivating ribosomes.
Ensoma Inc., a gene therapy startup working to drastically simplify the production and delivery of genomic medicines, announced itself Feb. 11 with a $70 million series A financing plus a strategic collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., which licensed vectors from the company for up to five rare disease targets in a deal that could deliver as much as $1.25 billion in potential payouts. Ensoma's co-founder and seed investor, 5AM Ventures, led the financing. Takeda took a $10 million equity stake as part of the round.
HONG KONG – Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has agreed to pay Ribon Therapeutics Inc. as much as ¥15.4 billion (US$147.3 million) for exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the company’s phase I PARP7 inhibitor RBN-2397 for the treatment of solid tumors in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and ASEAN countries.
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 – Imcyse SA has successfully parlayed a research collaboration it entered with Pfizer Inc. in 2017 into a license agreement, under which it will finalize preclinical development of a drug candidate for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on its Imotope technology in return for an undisclosed up-front payment, equity investment and up to $180 million in milestones, as well as tiered royalties on product sales.
Questions about the price tag, the extent of diligence done on intellectual property, and the staying power of Epidiolex (cannabidiol) as well as the potential of other prospects in the acquiree’s pipeline bubbled up during the conference call related to Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc’s whopping takeover of GW Pharmaceuticals plc.
Seeking to accelerate the company's long-term growth through an expansion of its rare disease pipeline, Horizon Therapeutics plc said Feb. 1 it will buy Viela Bio Inc. for $3.05 billion, or $53 per share (NASDAQ:VIE). Once closed, the deal would add a new commercial-stage asset, Uplizna (inebilizumab), to Horizon's portfolio alongside its current lead products, Tepezza (teprotumumab) for the treatment of thyroid eye disease and Krystexxa (pegloticase) for uncontrolled gout. Dublin-based Horizon, which had $2.08 billion in cash at the end of 2020, borrowed $1.3 billion to help finance the transaction. Astrazeneca plc also enabled the deal by agreeing to divest its 26.7% share in Viela Bio for a profit of between $760 million and $780 million.
Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd. could receive an aggregate $1.1 billion from Coherus Biosciences Inc. for the rights to develop and commercialize Junshi’s anti-PD-1 antibody toripalimab in the U.S. and Canada. The deal is powered by Coherus’ core biosimilar business and is designed to steer the company into the business of immuno-oncology.
In a move that will enable both a broadening of its portfolio and a strengthening of its IP position, Neubase Therapeutics Inc. has acquired technology from Vera Therapeutics Inc. for creating peptide-nucleic acid scaffolds. The deal will extend the ability of Neubase's Patrol platform, a tool for addressing the causal mechanism of genetic disease, to directly modulate the human genome to resolve both rare and common diseases, including cancers, the company said.
Innate Pharma SA’s unexpected return to partner Astrazeneca plc all rights, in the U.S. and EU, to Lumoxiti (moxetumomab pasudotox-tdfk) for hairy cell leukemia likely triggered unease in at least some investors.
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