DUBLIN – Evotec AG has entered the legal fray surrounding the extraordinary clinical data fraud reportedly perpetrated by employees of Andromeda Biotech Ltd., which the company's new owner, Hyperion Therapeutics Inc., uncovered earlier this month.

DUBLIN – Dutch venture capital firm Aglaia has secured $65 million in a first closing of a new oncology fund, which is targeting a final close of $80 million to $100 million.

Plethora Solutions Holdings PLC completed a tightly choreographed, three-way transaction Tuesday, involving a share issue that grossed £18.2 million (US$29.5 million), the buyback of all outstanding rights to its premature ejaculation drug PSD502, and the licensing of rights to the same drug in Europe and neighboring territories to Recordati SpA in a deal worth up to €46 million (US$59.5 million) in up-front and milestone payments, plus royalties.

DUBLIN – Dezima Pharma BV is on track to move its highly potent cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor TA-8995 (DEZ-001) into a phase III program in the first quarter of next year, following a phase IIb dyslipidemia trial, which the drug passed with flying colors.

DUBLIN – Johnson & Johnson is beefing up its immunology pipeline – and its capabilities in developing bispecific antibodies – by acquiring Covagen AG. Financial terms were not disclosed, but, given Covagen's recent success at attracting finance, the up-front value of the deal should be comfortably north of CHF200 million (US$218 million).

DUBLIN – Morphosys AG is taking a first step into bispecific antibody development by licensing ex-North American rights to Emergent Biosolutions Inc.'s cancer immunotherapeutic ES414, in return for $20 million up front and milestones totaling $163 million.

DUBLIN – Novartis AG is broadening its footprint in the cell therapy space by paying $35 million to acquire a 15 percent stake in umbilical cord blood stem cell specialist Gamida Cell Ltd., along with an option to acquire the company outright for another $165 million, plus $435 million more in regulatory, development and commercial milestones.

DUBLIN – Santhera Pharmaceuticals AG, the hottest turnaround story in European biotech this year, raised CHF13.4 million (US$14.8 million) from a sale of treasury shares, as it prepares for a crunch meeting with the FDA to map out a regulatory approval pathway for its Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) drug, idebenone (Catena/Raxone).

DUBLIN – It's not a bad parting gift to receive as you exit the sector. Shares in synthetic biology specialist Evolva Holding SA got a 9 percent boost Thursday on news that it landed a $6.5 million contract from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to carry out preclinical research on its GC-072 program.