LONDON – Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH signed up Roche AG in a wide-ranging collaboration that boasts a headline value of $1 billion and ushers the company’s cancer immunotherapy platform into the pharmaceutical mainstream. Roche is taking rights to an existing gastric cancer vaccine, IMA942, and will take the product into Phase I development in-house. Read More
BEIJING – You’re not in the circle if you’re not talking China. That’s one Chinese venture capitalist’s take on things. His colleagues were optimistic and confident, too, as they described the biopharmaceutical investment landscape in a panel focused on early stage VC funding at BIO’s Convention here Wednesday. Read More
BEIJING – Negotiating partnering or joint venture deals can be challenging under any circumstances. In China, the process is exacerbated by cultural differences, mistrust, disparate negotiating styles and, most visibly, disjointed views of compliance requirements. Read More
Despite misgivings about the adequacy and controls of two open-label Phase III trials in evaluating Genzyme Corp.’s Lemtrada in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee seemed to support approval of the drug, but not as a first-line therapy and only with a strong risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS). Read More
The Merck Serono arm of Merck KGaA is paying an undisclosed up-front payment and could hand over as much as €170 million (US$228 million) more in development and commercial milestones for ex-China rights to Beigene Co. Ltd.’s preclinical poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, Beigene-290. Read More
Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc. launched the first of two Phase III trials of its investigational drug for chronic idiopathic constipation, plecanatide. Read More
Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.’s new money from a public offering – about $52.5 million in gross proceeds – will fuel an expanded Phase III push with the heat-shock protein 90 inhibitor ganetespib in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Read More
• Apricus Biosciences Inc., of San Diego, signed an exclusive license agreement with Laboratoires Majorelle, of Paris, to market Vitaros, its topical product to treat erectile dysfunction, in France, Monaco and certain African countries. Read More
• Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, said it submitted applications to extend the indication for the use of tiotropium (Spiriva) Respimat to the treatment of asthma in adults. Read More
• Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., reported results from its maximal use systemic exposure (MUSE) study of boron-based phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor AN2728 in pediatric and adolescent patients, ages 2 to 18, with atopic dermatitis, with data showing that AN2728 ointment, 2 percent, appears to be safe, well tolerated and efficacious when applied twice daily. Read More
• Baxter International Inc., of Deerfield, Ill., said it completed enrollment in its Phase III trial of BAX 855, an extended half-life recombinant Factor VIII treatment for hemophilia A. Read More
