DUBLIN – Roche Holding AG is taking a second shot on the NLRP3 inflammasome by acquiring Dublin-based Inflazome Ltd. for €380 million (US$447.8 million) up front plus undisclosed milestones linked to the progress of its two clinical-stage candidates inzomelid and somalix. In terms of cash on the table, the deal is the largest yet for a portfolio of drug candidates that acts on the NLRP3 inflammasome, and it represents a profitable exit for Inflazome’s investors, who put €55 million into the company over two funding rounds, in 2016 and in 2018.
DUBLIN – Finch Therapeutics Inc. closed a $90 million series D round to take its oral microbiome therapy, CP-101, into late-stage clinical development and registration in chronic Clostridioides difficile infection and to move two additional programs, for chronic hepatitis B virus infection and autistic spectrum disorder, into the clinic.
DUBLIN – Versant Ventures, the founding investor of Crispr Therapeutics AG, is teaming up with one of the academic founders of that company, Stanford University’s Matt Porteus, to start a new gene editing firm, Graphite Bio Inc., which is focused on targeted integration of DNA to achieve a therapeutic benefit.
DUBLIN – Adrenomed AG reported its anti-adrenomedullin antibody, adrecizumab, attained an absolute reduction of 9% in mortality as compared with placebo at both 14 and 28 days (D28) after treatment in a phase II trial in a large subgroup of patients with septic shock.
DUBLIN – Mina Therapeutics Ltd. raised £23 million (US$29.9 million) in a series A round to take forward a pipeline and a platform based on a novel regulatory RNA species, small activating RNAs, which selectively activate gene expression.
DUBLIN – Shares in Amryt Pharma plc surged by more than 36% Sept. 9 on news that Filsuvez (AP-101, Oleogel-S10) attained the primary endpoint of a phase III trial in epidermolysis bullosa.
DUBLIN – Spybiotech Ltd. has secured a first vaccine deal for its proprietary Spytag/Spycatcher protein conjugation technology. The Serum Institute of India Pvt. Co. Ltd. (SIIPL) is employing the technology in a COVID-19 virus-like-particle (VLP)-based vaccine, which recently entered a phase I/II trial in Australia. An initial data readout is expected in October or November.
DUBLIN – Shares in Polyphor AG gained as much as 12% during early trading Aug. 31 on news of a deal in China for its lead drug, balixafortide, which is currently undergoing a phase III trial in HER2-negative locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.
DUBLIN – Sanofi SA and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. are terminating all further development in COVID-19 of their interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor, Kevzara, following the antibody’s failure to meet the primary endpoint, as well as a key survival endpoint.
