Sanofi SA is acquiring Principia Biopharma Inc. in a $3.68 billion deal that brings Sanofi three clinical-stage BTK inhibitors and simplifies a partnership that began three years ago. Paris-based Sanofi plans to acquire all outstanding Principia common stock shares for $100 each at a $3.36 billion enterprise value. Sanofi will get SAR-442168 (PRN-2246), the brain-penetrant candidate at the heart of the deal. The agreement now gives Sanofi full control of the program, bringing a three-year partnership between the two companies to an end Read More
The FDA’s go-ahead for Roche Holding AG’s Enspryng (satralizumab-mwge) in anti-aquaporin-4 antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder had watchers of the space weighing its market odds against two therapies approved earlier: Soliris (eculizumab) from Boston-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., and the more recently cleared Uplizna (inebilizumab-cdon) from Viela Bio Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md. Read More
According to an analysis conducted by BioWorld of the second-quarter 2020 financial reports filed by 120 public biopharmaceutical companies with market caps greater than $1 billion, and excluding big pharma companies, the amount that was invested in research and development during the period increased by 14% compared to the same six-month period last year. Read More
Shares of Unity Biotechnology Inc. (NASDAQ:UBX) fell 66.6% to $4.15 on Aug. 17 after UBX-0101, its one-time lead candidate, failed to best a placebo on an established measure of osteoarthritis pain in a phase II study. Read More
Chinese state-backed vaccine developer China National Biotec Group (CNBG), of Beijing, published an interim analysis of randomized phase I/II trials of its inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate in the Journal of the American Medical Association last week. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Applied, BTG, Emergent, G1, Henlius, Immunomedics, Mustang, Myovant, PTC, Roche, Tracon, Trinity, United. Read More
