DUBLIN – Sangamo Therapeutics Inc. is picking up Txcell SA, a French developer of chimeric antigen receptor T-regulatory cell (CAR-Treg) therapy in a cash deal valued at €72 million (US$84.4 million), which includes about €6 million of debt on Txcell's balance sheet. The transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, values Valbonne-based Txcell at €2.58 per share.

DUBLIN – Morphosys AG and Galapagos NV are splitting $111 million up front and could share up to $1 billion more in development, regulatory and commercial milestones from a licensing deal with Novartis AG on their jointly developed interleukin-17C (IL-17C) inhibitor, MOR-106, for atopic dermatitis and potentially other indications.

DUBLIN – The EMA's clinical data portal, the flagship project underpinning its commitment to data transparency, attracted just 3,600 users during its first 12 months of operation, according to a report the agency published this week.

DUBLIN – Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH is pocketing $54 million up front and could earn up to $1.65 billion more in development, regulatory and commercial milestones from a three-product immuno-oncology research collaboration and license agreement with Genmab A/S. The two companies will pool their respective capabilities in cancer target discovery, T-cell receptor (TCR) engineering and antibody engineering to develop bispecific protein-based therapeutics that will target both intracellular tumor-associated peptides (Tumaps) and T cells.

DUBLIN – Forbion Capital Partners raised €270 million (US$316.6 million) in a first close of its fourth life sciences fund, taking to more than €732 million the total raised by European private equity funds this week.

DUBLIN – Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is raising up to CHF521 million (US$525 million) in a mix of equity and debt to fund a slew of phase III development programs that have gotten underway in recent weeks. 

DUBLIN – Nextbiotix SA raised €7 million (US$8.2 million) in a series A round to take a microbiome-based therapy for treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) into clinical trials.

DUBLIN – You could call it the Meatloaf interpretation of clinical trial data. Neovacs SA missed one of two co-primary endpoints on a phase IIb trial of interferon-alpha kinoid (IFNalpha kinoid) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but stressed that the study achieved "three out of four clinical objectives." The data are, it stated, sufficiently robust to justify moving the program into a phase III trial.

DUBLIN – European biotechnology firms engaged in drug development raised $3,904 million during the first half of the year, dwarfing the $2,302 million raised during the equivalent period last year and putting the sector on course for a new high-water mark.

DUBLIN – Shares in Erytech SA took a hammering Monday on news that the company is halting development of its lead program, eryaspase, in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and withdrawing a marketing authorization application (MAA) in Europe for relapsed and refractory (r/r) ALL.