Metacrine Inc., a San Diego company developing new therapies for liver and gastrointestinal diseases, has inked a loan and security agreement worth up to $50 million with the private equity-backed health care financier K2 Healthventures (K2HV). Metacrine has raised almost $125 million since its founding. New nondilutive funding will support a robust clinical development plan in 2020, CEO Ken Song told BioWorld. Read More
DUBLIN – Themis Bioscience GmbH closed a €40 million (US$44.3 million) series D round that will enable it to complete an imminent phase III trial of a candidate vaccine for Chikungunya virus, MV-Chik, and to undertake its first clinical studies of its measles virus vector in oncology indications. Read More
PERTH, Australia – Melbourne-based regenerative medicine company Cynata Therapeutics Ltd. is enjoying a bit of hot pursuit as Fujifilm Corp. exercised its license option to develop and commercialize Cynata's lead Cymerus mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product, CYP-001, for graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) at the same time that Cynata is an acquisition target by Dainippon Sumitomo. Read More
DUBLIN – Versantis AG raised CHF16 million (US$16.1 million) in a series B round to progress clinical trials of a liposomal-based fluid in development for eliminating ammonia and other toxic metabolites from the circulation of patients in acute stages of liver failure who are undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Read More
LONDON – Divide & Conquer Ltd. has been launched to develop a new class of cancer drugs that disrupt networks through which malignant cells communicate and share materials. Read More
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., amended its collaboration agreement with Astrazeneca plc, of Cambridge, U.K., for the development and commercialization of Linzess (linaclotide) in China. Read More
Springworks Therapeutics Inc., of Stamford, Conn., said it closed its IPO of 10.35 million shares of common stock that includes the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to 1.35 million additional shares at $18 each. The gross proceeds were $186.3 million. The company's shares are now listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol SWTX. Read More
As a prelude to Tuesday's Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on competition in the U.S. economy, several Democratic senators wrote to the FTC to express concerns about the impact of consolidation in the U.S. biopharma market. Read More
Adamas Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Emeryville, Calif., appointed Neil McFarlane CEO and to its board. David Mahoney was appointed chair of its board. Read More
Results from Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s phase II Believe 1 trial created a Rodney Dangerfield moment Wednesday when the generally positive data were met with the back of the market's hand as the stock dropped 21.8% on the day. Read More
