DUBLIN – Symphogen A/S and Baxalta Inc. jointly made a major statement of intent in immuno-oncology, with an alliance focused on up to six immune checkpoint targets, under which Symphogen is getting $175 million up front plus up to $1.6 billion more in option fees and milestone payments. Read More

Venture capitalists hit the ground running after returning from their summer vacations that saw third-quarter investments fall substantially from the first half. (See BioWorld Today, Oct. 2, 2015.) Read More

HONG KONG – Chinese virologists have discovered that following a lengthy evolutionary period in pigs, Eurasian H1N1 avian-like (EAH1N1) swine influenza viruses (SIVs) have acquired the ability to transmit effectively in humans, suggesting that urgent action may be necessary in order to prevent a new readily transmissible swine flu epidemic. Read More

Scholar Rock Inc., the 2-year-old company pursuing drugs that target supracellular activation of growth factors, jump-started its New Year with a $36 million series B financing. Read More

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech AB said that testing of 1.2 mg and 1.5 mg doses of the experimental multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy laquinimod have been discontinued in two ongoing studies of the drug after eight patients experienced non-fatal cardiovascular (CV) events. Read More

NEW DELHI – In another of several dramatic twists and turns over the past two years, India ended 2015 with a revision to its National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), including some new drugs and knocking others off to raise the total number of medicines to 376. Read More

NEW DELHI – Bangalore-based biotechnology start-up Pandorum Technologies Pvt Ltd. has developed artificial 3-D liver tissue that can mimic a human liver and be used in lieu of living tissue for human trials. The company said its artificial tissues and mini-organs are suitable for high-throughput drug and vaccine discovery, mechanistic toxicology and medical research, and that its ultimate vision is "on-demand manufacturing of human organs." Read More

Innovation in drug development has spread well beyond the confines of traditional biotechnology companies. As such, starting in 2016, we are making several important changes in the way we analyze the business and financial developments of the industry in BioWorld Today, BioWorld Insight and BioWorld Snapshots. Read More

Circling back around to a draft guidance first proposed more than eight years ago, the FDA is once again seeking comment for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of an information collection on the draft, "Target product profile – a strategic development process tool." Read More

Halozyme Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, said it has entered a $150 million credit agreement, secured by future royalties of Enhanze products, received only from the company's collaborations with Roche AG, of Basel, Switzerland, and Baxalta Inc., of Bannockburn, Ill. The financing will be facilitated through investment funds managed by Pharmakon Advisors and Athyrium Capital Management. Read More

Anticancer Inc., of San Diego, said it has a new approach to hair transplantation developed using frozen cryopreserved hair follicles. Healthy mouse hair follicles were cryopreserved at -80 degrees C and upon thawing and transplantation to hairless nude mice, the transplanted follicles produced extensive hair growth similar to fresh follicles. Read More

Xenikos BV, of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, said researchers in the Netherlands and Germany have reported positive interim results of a phase I/II study with T-Guard for treatment of steroid-resistant, acute, graft vs. host disease. T-Guard is a combination of two toxin-loaded anti-T-cell antibodies that shows promise as a therapeutic tool for safely and swiftly resetting the body's immune system in T-cell mediated diseases, the company said. Read More