Arvinas Inc., Sutro Biopharma Inc. and Urovant Sciences Ltd. became the latest biopharmas to head to Nasdaq, pricing their IPOs to raise a combined $345 million, but – like Entasis Therapeutics Inc. a day earlier – not all enjoyed a warm welcome on their public debut. Read More
After years of seeing cancer immunotherapies fall short of their full potential, industry oncology veterans are taking a new tack. Under the banner of Akrevia Therapeutics Inc., they've put together a $30 million series A financing "with the aim of going big," Tim Clackson, president and head of R&D for the new venture, told BioWorld. Read More
Geron Corp.'s shares took a major hit as Johnson & Johnson unit Janssen Biotech Inc. ended their collaboration and license deal, leaving the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat to go it alone into the upcoming phase III trial. Read More
Gearing up for an NDA filing for selective adrenergic modulator Edsivo (celiprolol) in vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS), Acer Therapeutics Inc. has begun drawing attention for another candidate in the pipeline: ACER-001 in urea cycle disorder (UCD), where company-watchers are placing bets on its odds of taking market share from the only approved therapy in the space, Ravicti (glycerol phenylbutyrate), from Horizon Pharma plc. Read More
HONG KONG – The recent M&A deal between Japan's 237-year-old Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Irish firm Shire plc has attracted massive attention, not just because of the mammoth size of the deal but also the tug of war among the Japanese company's shareholders, a group of which made a failed attempt to block the deal during Takeda's general meeting earlier this year. (See BioWorld, May 8, 2018.) Read More
Inmune Bio Inc., of La Jolla, Calif., filed with the SEC to offer a minimum of 1 million shares for gross proceeds of $8 million and a maximum of up to 2.5 million shares for gross proceeds of $20 million. Proceeds will support R&D activities of its Inkmune cancer program and other immuno-oncology efforts. Read More
Citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) does not allow recovery for injuries suffered outside the U.S., the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court's decision to dismiss a RICO action brought by Peter Humphrey and Yu Yingzeng, co-founders of Shanghai-based Chinawhys Co. Ltd., against Glaxosmithkline plc, of London. Read More
Mithra Pharmaceuticals SA, of Liege, Belgium, said it finalized a contract with Chilean pharma Laboratorio Pasteur SA for an exclusive license and supply agreement to commercialize contraceptive product Myring in Chile. Under the terms of the 10-year contract, Mithra will be eligible for up-front and milestone payments, minimal annual quantities and further sales-related royalties. Read More
