Total venture capital funding in U.K. biotech was £1.23 billion (US$1.64 billion) in the first half of 2025, almost matching the 2023 total of $1.66 billion and looking to be in position to equal the 2024 12-month total of $2.8 billion.
Danish vaccines manufacturer Bavarian Nordic A/S is to be taken private in a DKK233 per-share deal valuing the company at DKK19 billion (US$2.97 billion). The deal needs the support of 90% of Bavarian Nordic shareholders to go through, and as things stand may not reach that target because it does not have the support of the largest shareholder, the Danish pension fund ATP, which owns 10.17%.
Pharmaceutical exports from the EU to the U.S. are facing a leap in tariffs from zero duty to 15%, following the trade deal between EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump sealed in Scotland July 27.
Memo Therapeutics AG is laying plans to advance its BK polyomavirus neutralizing monoclonal antibody potravitug into phase III development after reporting positive phase II results in treating infections in immunocompromised kidney transplant patients.
After a tough few weeks for Sarepta Therapeutics Inc., the EMA dealt another blow on July 25, announcing it will not be approving the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec). Re-examination of the file led to a happier outcome for another drug that has attracted considerable controversy, Eli Lilly and Co. Inc.’s Kisunla (donanemab) for treating the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Abivax SA is positioning to change the treatment landscape in ulcerative colitis after delivering positive results and a favorable safety profile in two phase III trials of its orally available miRNA-124 enhancer, obefazimod. Abivax stock rocketed in Europe and the U.S. on news of the data. Shares (Paris:ABVX) rose €45.40, or 510%, to close at €54.30 July 23. In the U.S., shares (NASDAQ:ABVX) leapt 586%, or $58.60, to close at $68.60.
Respiratory vaccines specialist Vicebio Ltd. is to be acquired by Sanofi SA in a $1.6 billion deal, of which $1.15 billion will be paid up front. The acquisition rests on an ongoing phase I trial of the lead asset, VXB-241, a bivalent vaccine that is intended to provide protection against both respiratory syncytial virus and metapneumovirus. The interim analysis of the study showed a favorable safety and tolerability profile in adults, ages 60 and older, and validated the underlying vaccine technology, which is applicable to a wide range of respiratory viruses.
After two decades of research elucidating the basic science, Tafalgie Therapeutics SA has delivered the first clinical data for its non-opioid analgesic.
The pharmaceutical industry in Europe has taken the lead in pulling together a coalition of 17 industry groups, academics and clinicians to call for the urgent implementation of the EU Life Science Strategy published earlier this month, in order to rescue the clinical trial ecosystem from “a perilous situation.”
The U.K. government has committed to reduce the cost of drug and device approvals by 25% as part of a long-awaited life sciences strategy which sets out a 10-year plan for the sector.
