Yumanity Therapeutics Inc. said that Merck & Co. Inc. is making a big bet on its nascent neurodegenerative disease pipeline, licensing exclusive rights to programs addressing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a rare type of dementia in a deal with up to $500 million in potential milestone payments. The collaboration also includes an up-front payment, money toward a series C financing and potential royalties on net sales of the licensed programs, though the value of those elements wasn't disclosed. Read More
DUBLIN – Biogeneration Ventures (BGV) raised €105 million (US$118.7 million) for its fourth fund, further brightening the prospects for early stage investing in European biotech. The fund’s closing immediately follows that of Epidarex Capital, which earlier this week announced it had raised £102.1 million (US$126.3 million) for its third fund. Read More
Up-and-coming cell and gene engineering company Sana Biotechnology Inc. raised $700 million in a first round financing, bumping Moderna Inc., which previously had the highest venture capital (VC) financing of a traditional biotech company to date. Read More
While Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co. Ltd.’s phase II/III proof-of-concept study of troriluzole for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) failed to meet its primary outcome measure at week 12, the company found enough silver in the study’s lining to press on for a larger phase III trial. Read More
Redhill Biopharma Ltd.’s chief operating officer, Gilead Raday, told BioWorld that the firm will build on positive results in severe COVID-19 patients with oral opaganib, a first-in-class sphingosine kinase-2 inhibitor. Read More
PERTH, Australia – Melbourne-based regenerative medicine company Cynata Therapeutics Ltd. is gearing up to take its Cymerus mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product candidate, CYP-004, into a phase III trial in osteoarthritis. Read More
Targeted therapy offers an opportunity for personalized medicine that's specific for a patient's tumor, but the hyper-focused treatment creates possibilities for cells to mutate and become resistant to the therapy. Read More
Just the name, Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), evokes the image of a huge warehouse, or a series of warehouses spread across the U.S., strategically stocked with all the medical supplies, diagnostics and drugs that will be needed nationwide to respond to any health emergency brought on by terrorists, nuclear attacks, pandemics or other public health hazards. The reality is so much more – and so much less. Read More
The Supreme Court has declined to hear three cases that questioned the inter partes review (IPR) process for patent litigation, although the petition for cert for the Arthrex Inc. v. Smith & Nephew Inc.; Arthrocare Corp.; and the United States of America case is still pending. Should the Supreme Court pass on Arthrex, the remaining affected IPR cases will have to be relitigated at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), which may give those patent holders another chance to restore their patents. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Alteogen, Berlin Cures, Brainstorm Cell, Chemocentryx, Delmar, Evotec, GW, Ignova, Immunomic, Inxmed, Kymera, La Jolla, Lion TCR, Mateon, Melior, Repertoire, Replicate, Roivant, Scancell, Zealand, Zelluna. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Fulcrum, GBT, Hemoshear, Imara, Innate, Mayne, Medigene, Neurorx, Novartis, Relief, Philogen. Read More
