Living up to its name, C4 Therapeutics Inc. exploded onto the scene before the J.P Morgan Healthcare conference in 2016 with a $73 million series A and a Roche Holding AG deal worth more than $750 million in hand. (See BioWorld Today, Jan. 7, 2016.) Read More
The first question for Esperion Therapeutics Inc. CEO Timothy Mayleben during a conference call with investors Friday reflected skepticism, albeit mild, about the potential $1 billion-plus European licensing deal with Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH (DSE). Read More
DUBLIN – Sanofi SA is investing €80 million (US$90.8 million) in Biontech AG as part of an extension of an existing alliance to develop synthetic mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies. Mainz, Germany-based Biontech will spend that cash – and a lot more besides – on a shared clinical development program, having exercised an option to co-develop with Paris-based Sanofi the lead candidate therapy from the five-product deal. Read More
LONDON – Ophthalmology specialist Oculis SA added a further CHF15.5 million (US$15.7 million) in an extension to its series B round, as it in-licensed LME-636, an anti-TNF-alpha product that has the potential to be the first topical antibody drug for treating inflammatory eye conditions. Read More
HONG KONG – China bioprocessing technology firm Hangzhou Just Biotherapeutics Ltd. (HJB) and clinical-stage biotech Mabspace Biosciences Co. Ltd. have entered a merger agreement to establish a biotherapeutics maker, Transcenta Holding Ltd., with the aim of shortening the time from target to biologics license applications, and setting up a next-generation GMP facility that supports the development and commercialization of molecules both in-house and from its partners. Read More
DUBLIN – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH will have a full dance card when it shows up in San Francisco for the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference this week. The young German biotech is attracting plenty of big pharma interest for its lead program, a microRNA (miRNA)-targeting oligonucleotide in development for heart failure, which is entering a first-in-human phase Ib trial in patients shortly. Read More
HONG KONG – Chinese clinical-stage biotech Connect Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., of Suzhou, secured $55 million in a series B financing to move forward its two lead drug candidates, CBP-307 for treating ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and CBP-201 for treating atopic dermatitis, to the next stage. Read More
As participants swarm the Westin St. Francis on the first day of the 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (JPM) in San Francisco, few are likely thinking back to the after-party at the close of JPM 2016 that, shall we say, did not portray women in the most favorable light. Admonitions flew, then mea culpas, followed by a commitment from prominent investor relations consulting firm Lifesci Advisors, which co-sponsored the event, and others in biopharma to close the industry's gender gap. Read More
HAMBURG, Germany – Paris-based company Curium has signed an exclusive agreement with U.S. firm Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc. to develop and commercialize in Europe a small-molecule positron emission topography (PET) imaging agent designed by Progenics to visualize prostate cancer. Read More
Immusoft Corp., of Seattle, said it has made the final closing in its $20 million oversubscribed series B financing. The proceeds will be used to advance ISP-001 (iduronicrin genleukocel-T) through phase I/II development. ISP-001 incorporates Immusoft's Sleeping Beauty transposon engineered autologous B cells for the expression and delivery of alpha-L-iduronidase to treat mucopolysaccharidosis type I. The funds will also be used to support the development of additional pipeline candidates. Read More
Kiadis Pharma NV, of Amsterdam, expanded its presence in the U.S. Two of Kiadis' key interfaces for the financial markets are now based in Boston, with the previously disclosed appointment of Scott Holmes as chief financial officer and Friday's disclosure of Amy Sullivan as senior vice president of corporate affairs, both effective at the start of this month, the company said. Read More
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a "nanoscavenger" that was able to protect mice from the consequences of organophosphorus (OP) compounds. Read More
Genentech Inc. is partnering with Seattle-based Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp. to develop a new type of cell therapy for solid cancers targeting individual's tumor-specific proteins, or neoantigens. Under terms of the cancer immunotherapy deal, which leverages Adaptive's TruTCR screening platform, Genentech will pay Adaptive $300 million up front as well as potential development, regulatory and commercial milestones valued at more than $2 billion, plus royalties. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter. Read More
