LONDON – Cell transdifferentiation specialist Mogrify Ltd. has raised $17 million in the second close its series A, taking the round to $33 million and enabling the company to progress three cell therapy programs to the clinic.
A prolific builder of biopharma and health technology companies, Roivant Sciences Ltd. is poised to join Nasdaq through a newly proposed merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by Patient Square Capital LLC. The deal, which values Roivant at $5 billion, includes $611 million of new money, composed of $411 million held in trust by the SPAC, Montes Archimedes Acquisition Corp., plus $200 million from a committed PIPE financing. The transaction, expected to peg Roivant's initial market cap at $7.3 billion, follows a September 2019 deal in which Roivant sold interests in five biopharmas to Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd. (SDP) for $3 billion cash.
Vaccitech plc and Werewolf Therapeutics Inc. opened the last day of April with contrasting IPOs. Both priced mid-range, with Vaccitech raising $110.5 million, similar to Werewolf's $120 million haul. However, American depository shares of Vaccitech (NASDAQ:VACC), co-developer of Astrazeneca plc’s COVID-19 vaccine, fell 17.1% to $14.10 from a $17 open, while shares of cancer therapy developer Werewolf (NASDAQ:HOWL) boomed – until they didn't – climbing to $24 before closing about where they started, at $16.10.
HONG KONG – As it advances into its first full year of commercialization in China, Zai Lab Ltd. raised $857.5 million through the sale of American depositary shares (ADS) and ordinary shares, exceeding its initial aim of $750 million. “We continue to execute with speed and excellence across all areas of our platform,” Samantha Du, the CEO of Zai Lab, told BioWorld. That includes business development, clinical development – “we currently have 40-plus ongoing and planned trials this year” – along with commercial expansion and global pipeline advancement.
Just four months after Blue Water Acquisition Corp. raised $50 million in an IPO, it set out on April 27 to merge with Clarus Therapeutics Inc., the developer of testosterone replacement therapy Jatenzo, valuing the Northbrook, Ill.-based firm at $379 million. Earlier in April, BCTG Acquisition Corp. announced plans to buy Cambridge, Mass.-based targeted precision cancer company Tango Therapeutics Inc. for $353 million, about seven months after completing its $167 million IPO. Both Clarus and Tango are seeking the public markets by merging with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, a method that is becoming increasingly popular and an alternative to the traditional IPO.
Capsida Biotherapeutics Inc., a gene therapy startup focused on advanced capsid engineering to generate tissue-selective vectors, emerged from stealth with $50 million in series A funding and another $90 million in cash from a strategic collaboration and option agreement in neurodegenerative disease with Abbvie Inc.
Cross-border startup Adcentrx Therapeutics Inc., with operations in San Diego and soon in Shanghai, secured $50 million in a series A financing round led by CBC Group to establish its presence in the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) space.
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