Apogenix GmbH is meeting officials from three of Europe’s leading national drug regulators in the coming weeks to evaluate whether they will support a bid to obtain conditional marketing approval for its glioblastoma drug APG101, following a fresh biomarker analysis, which shows that the therapy offers likely responders a 10-month survival benefit.

DUBLIN – Shares in Alkermes plc (NASDAQ:ALKS) edged up 2.8 percent Monday on news that the Dublin-based specialty pharma firm netted $248.4 million in a new share offering directed at two Invesco Perpetual funds managed by UK investment management firm Invesco Ltd. The company issued about 5.92 million new shares, priced at $42.25 each, a slight discount to the Friday’s closing share price of $43.05.

AC Immune SA raised CHF20 million (US$22 million) in a Series D round that will fund clinical development of a therapeutic vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease, ACI-35, which targets a phosphorylated species of tau protein thought to be involved in the progression of the condition.

Isarna Therapeutics GmbH raised €13 million (US$17.7 million) in new investments and has secured access to a new chemistry platform to take a fresh stab a developing antisense inhibitors of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in oncology indications.

Danish allergy vaccine firm ALK-Abello A/S said it expects to add DKK50 million to DKK52 million (US$9.1 million to US$9.5 million) to its earnings and its revenues in the coming year, because of a revision to Germany’s drug pricing regime that took effect on Jan. 1.

DUBLIN – Confirmation from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. last week that it would locate its first overseas production facility in Ireland provided the country’s foreign direct investment (FDI) agency IDA Ireland with a welcome measure of seasonal good cheer.

DUBLIN – Cashing in on the steep climb in its valuation over the last six months, Gentium SpA agreed to a $57-per-share acquisition deal with Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc, which values the company at about $1 billion.

Bowing to the inevitable, the board of Algeta ASA voted unanimously to recommend a sweetened NOK362-per-share bid from Bayer AG, which values the company at NOK17.6 billion (US$2.9 billion).

Completing its second Indian deal this quarter, Pieris AG entered a pact with Stelis Biopharma Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Bangalore-based Strides Arcolab Ltd., to develop two anticalin-based protein drugs, primarily for ophthalmology indications.