Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Adaptimmune, Johnson & Johnson, Macrogenics, Rarestone, Rhythm, Vantai.
Eight months after announcing the $18.5 million first tranche of its series A, Augustine Therapeutics has closed the oversubscribed round at $85 million and is now ready to begin clinical development of its novel histone deacetylase-6 (HDAC6) inhibitors.
Shares of Unity Biotechnology Inc. (NASDAQ:UBX) sank 28.8% to close at $1.30 March 24 as a top-line readout of its phase IIb Aspire study testing UBX-1325 head-to-head against aflibercept in diabetic macular edema (DME) fell short of statistical noninferiority on the primary analysis endpoint. But that’s not the full story, according to company executives, who have plans for moving the senolytic Bcl-xL inhibitor into late-stage studies.
Astrazeneca plc is investing heavily in China, signing two R&D deals, worth up to about $8 billion in up-front payments and milestones combined, with Chinese companies Harbour Biomed Ltd. and Syneron Bio, establishing a joint venture with Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co. (Biokangtai) for vaccines, and creating a new R&D center in Beijing through another $2.5 billion investment.
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