Miragen Therapeutics Inc.'s preclinical micro-RNA program for cardiovascular disease captured the attention of French pharma Les Laboratoires Servier, which agreed to license rights to two lead compounds and jointly develop a third in a deal that's valued at up to $352 million but could end up being worth much more to the small biotech.
Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc., which had been seeking a partner for its hepatitis C virus (HCV) candidate setrobuvir (ANA598), found an acquirer instead, with Roche AG plunking down about $230 million in cash in a deal that analysts say could signal a wave of consolidation in the HCV space as drugmakers race to develop the first all-oral, interferon-free treatment regimen.
After a bleak third quarter, during which venture investments in biotech dropped 12 percent from last year, the sector was due for some good news: Sofinnova Ventures stepped up, closing an oversubscribed $440 million fund to invest in life sciences. (See BioWorld Today, Oct. 5, 2011.)
As the first biotech to file an S-1 since Argos Therapeutics Inc.'s late July filing, Cempra Holdings LLC has joined the shrinking ranks of firms looking to test the initial public offering (IPO) window.
OK, you’re a biotech entrepreneur and you’ve found some interesting new technology. You’ve secured some seed funding, found some lab space and filled out all the appropriate paperwork for a business license. All’s that left to incorporate your brand new biotech start-up? A name. Coming up with a good name is important. You need a name that speaks to your cause – and is easy to speak. After all, there will be many a presentation in your future, and you can’t afford to lose valuable time on pronunciation lessons. But more than that, a good name is a way to...
Privately held GlycoMimetics Inc. landed its first big pharma partnership, licensing rights to pan-selectin antagonist GMI-1070 to Pfizer Inc. for further development in the orphan indication of sickle cell crisis, as well as other indications.
Founded only a year ago, cancer drug firm Cleave Biosciences attracted a whopping $42 million in a Series A financing, expected to be disclosed Tuesday, to push its lead programs into the clinic.Founded only a year ago, cancer drug firm Cleave Biosciences attracted a whopping $42 million in a Series A financing, expected to be disclosed Tuesday, to push its lead programs into the clinic.
Puma Biotechnology Inc. padded into the cancer space with a $55 million private placement, a reverse merger and an in-licensing deal that brings it a late-stage breast cancer candidate.
The renin angiotensin system (RAS) is hardly a new discovery in biotech – previous work led to widely used drugs such as ACE inhibitors for treating blood pressure and congestive heart failure – but only in recent years has the function of a second RAS pathway come to the attention of drug developers.
Fresh off of a better-than-expected launch with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) drug Dificid (fidaxomicin), Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. disclosed plans to move into pivotal testing with its own CDAD candidate, CB-183,315, in the first half of next year.
