DUBLIN – A consortium led by Arch Ventures has put together a $40 million series A round to back a new startup, Genomics Medicine Ireland (GMI) Ltd., which has set itself the ambitious task of emulating in Ireland some aspects of the pioneering work of Decode Genetics in Iceland. The Dublin-based firm will build a large-scale database linking genetic variation with health and disease, with the aim of uncovering novel associations that could act as the basis for new drugs or diagnostics.
DUBLIN – Evotec AG is committing about half of its cash resources to acquire Cyprotex plc in an all-cash deal valued at £55.36 million ($67.5 million), which will add a high-throughput ADME-Tox platform to its preclinical drug discovery research service offerings.
DUBLIN – After a protracted period of fiery debate, several lawsuits and no end of bureaucratic convolutions, the EMA finally made good on its promise of four years ago, to make clinical data openly and proactively available. But only those who can supply an address in the European Union will have access to the new site, according to the EMA's terms of use.
DUBLIN – Shares in Ablynx NV dropped 18 percent Thursday morning on news that Abbvie Inc. decided not to trigger an option to take forward vobarilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Vobarilizumab, an interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) inhibitor, recently demonstrated solid efficacy in a phase IIb head-to-head monotherapy trial against Actemra (tocilizumab, Roche Holding AG) and in a phase IIb combination trial with methotrexate.
DUBLIN – Crispr Therapeutics AG pulled in $56 million in an IPO on Nasdaq, alongside a concurrent private placement with strategic partner Bayer AG, which raised another $35 million. The combined transactions take the company’s total funding raised from inception to $384.4 million, including private and public equity investment, convertible loans and collaboration revenues.
DUBLIN – Ogeda SA, the company formerly known as Euroscreen SA, celebrated its change of moniker with a €2 million (US$2.2 million) add-on to its series B round, taking the total to €18 million (US$20 million).
DUBLIN – Domain Therapeutics SA and Medixci Ventures have teamed up to form Mavalon Therapeutics SA, a single-asset play with €9 million (US$10 million) funding and a preclinical Parkinson's disease program based on a series of orally available positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the metabotropic glutamate receptor 3 (mGluR3).
DUBLIN – Merck KGaA is terminating its interest in ATX-MS-1467 just ahead of a read-out from a phase II trial in multiple sclerosis and is handing back global rights to its original developer Apitope International NV.
Helsinn Group's newly established corporate venture arm, Helsinn Investment Fund SA, which plans to invest $50 million across a range of early stage opportunities in drug development, medical devices, medical technology and supportive care, has already completed its first three investments.
Helsinn Group's newly established corporate venture arm, Helsinn Investment Fund SA, which plans to invest $50 million across a range of early stage opportunities in drug development, medical devices, medical technology and supportive care, has already completed its first three investments.
