DNA damage response specialist Artios Ltd. has closed an oversubscribed $115 million series D after delivering positive phase I/IIa data for its two lead programs.

Over a span of five-and-a-half months this year, 3.5% of the more than 11,000 clinical trials funded by the U.S. NIH had their grants terminated, according to an article published in the Nov. 17 JAMA Internal Medicine. That’s 383 trials that lost funding.

Fresh cash infusions are on the way for European biotech after two leading venture capital firms announced large new funds. Asset-focused Medicxi has closed an oversubscribed €500 million (US$580 million) fund, while Sofinnova Partners exceeded its target of €500 million to close its Capital XI fund at €650 million (US$753.5 million).

A potentially $1.76 billion oncology deal created a little more than three years ago between partners Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc and Zymeworks Inc. now has a more solid direction. New and positive top-line results for the phase III Herizon-GEA-01 study of the HER2-targeted bispecific antibody zanidatamab in locally advanced or metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) moved the stock and expectations for both companies.

About a month after rolling out positive phase I/II data with its candidate for metastatic, castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), Halda Therapeutics Inc. disclosed the plan by Johnson & Johnson (J&J), which is paying to take over the company for $3.05 billion in cash.