Acelyrin Inc. closed a $250 million series B round and, at the same time, unveiled a licensing deal with Affibody AB, involving an interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor, izokibep, which it is now testing in a pivotal trial in uveitis. Solna, Sweden-based Affibody is getting $25 million up front and could earn up to $280 million more in regulatory and sales-based milestones, as well as tiered royalties, ranging from high single digits to low double digits in percentage terms. Read More
SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has launched a central nervous system-focused biotech company called Ignis Therapeutics Ltd. with a $180 million series A round led by 6 Dimensions Capital L.P. The financing of the new Shanghai-based company represents the largest series A investment in China’s biopharma industry in 2021, according to the two founding companies. KB Investment Co. Ltd, WTT investment Ltd., HBM Healthcare Investments AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. also participated in the round. Read More
Kezar Life Sciences Inc. shares (NASDAQ:KZR) rose 37%, or $3.18, to close Nov. 16 at $11.59 on interim results from the phase II part of the study called Mission, testing KZR-616, a first-in-class selective immunoproteasome inhibitor, in patients with active, proliferative lupus nephritis (LN). Read More
A futility analysis of Molecular Partners AG’s ensovibep for treating hospitalized COVID-19 adults prompted an independent data safety monitoring board to recommend discontinuing recruitment of patients in the phase III ACTIV-3 study. Read More
Investigators from the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard have reported new details on a so-called exceptional elite controller, a patient who has rid herself of an HIV infection. Read More
Celltrion Inc.’s Regkirona (regdanvimab), a monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19, received its latest approval from the European Commission (EC), making it the first Mab developed in South Korea to be approved there. The green light for Celltrion Healthcare Hungary Kft., the Hungarian arm of Korean biopharmaceutical company Celltrion, is for the treatment of adults with COVID-19 aged 18 and over who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are also at increased risk of severe disease. Read More
Curacle Co. Ltd. is training its sights on more partnerships after nabbing a licensing and collaboration agreement with Théa Open Innovation, a subsidiary of Laboratoires Théa SAS. The deal, for CU06-RE, Curacle’s oral treatment for diabetic macular edema and wet age-related macular degeneration (wet-AMD), includes $6 million up front for Curacle and as much as $157.5 million in potential development, regulatory and sales milestones, as well as royalties on sales. Read More
A busy regulatory environment globally throughout most of 2021 has translated into more than 15% of all actions taken relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet only one product has been approved in the U.S. for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Read More
New and updated preclinical and clinical data presented by biopharma firms at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer annual meeting, including: Harpoon, Highlight, Imcheck, Immunogenesis, Immutep, Intensity, Ionctura, Iovance, Instil, Kenjockety, Kymera, Mina, Moderna, Morphic, Nektar, Neoleukin, Nextcure, Nurix, Oncoresponse, Oncorus, Phio, Puretech, Replimune, Rubius, Scholar Rock, Second Genome, Sensei, Senti, Seven and Eight, Sotio, SQZ, Tempest, T-knife, Treadwell, Triumvira, Wugen, Xencor. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Astrazeneca, Betterlife, Cytokinetics, Delpor, Hemoshear, Hepion, Hoth, Kineta, Legochem, Lygenesis, Moderna, Ose, Pfizer, Phosplatin, Rakovina, Revive, Sotio, Takeda, Vaxart. Read More
