Century Therapeutics Inc.’s $3.25 billion deal with Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) was the largest of four billion-dollar-plus agreements announced Dec. 10, piggybacking on a busy week that includes the start of the 40th annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Read More
A raft of potentially high-value drug development collaborations, most for gene and RNA therapies, led the first day of the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Monday. Pfizer Inc. enlisted Beam Therapeutic Inc. to advance in vivo base editing programs for up to $1.35 billion, while Bayer AG tapped Mammoth Biosciences Inc.’s in vivo CRISPR systems expertise in a potential $1 billion-plus deal. Selecta Biosciences Inc. inked a new $1.1 billion partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks Inc. to develop next-generation gene therapy capsids, while Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. agreed to pay Stoke Therapeutics Inc. as much as $967 million to develop RNA-based medicines. Work on new mRNA vaccines and therapies is also proceeding, with both Pfizer and Biontech SE announcing new collaborations in the space. Read More
After 25 years of research. Allschwil, Switzerland’s Idorsia Ltd. has had its first drug approved by the FDA – Quviviq (daridorexant) for adults with insomnia. The okay for Quviviq is the result of painstaking research led by the firm’s chief scientific officer, Martine Clozel, whose husband Jean-Paul Clozel is CEO. Read More
Having unveiled more data from the ongoing, global phase III Gener8-1 study with Roctavian (valoctocogene roxaparvovec, also known as valrox), Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc. remains on track to file a regulatory submission with the FDA in the second quarter of this year for the gene therapy to treat adults with severe hemophilia A. The EMA is already reviewing a marketing authorization application. Read More
This could be a make-or-break week for Biogen Inc., with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expected to announce a draft coverage decision for the company’s Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm. Read More
The pandemic has forced pharma and biotech to be more agile to better navigate the obstacles and still find success. Supply chain gaps are part of the problem, as are clinical trial delays. Yet the industry has successfully forged ahead in the past year to produce the seven drugs Clarivate believes in the next five years will each earn more than $1 billion annually. Read More
LONDON – T cells generated as a result of infection with common cold coronaviruses provide cross-protection against being infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study. Read More
FDA commissioners past, present and likely future gathered together for a rare joint discussion Jan. 9, as part of the third annual Innovations in Regulatory Science Summit. Read More
Prism Biolab Co. Ltd. has added Genentech Inc., a unit of Roche Holding AG, to the list of users for its peptide mimetic small-molecules library after signing a multitarget research collaboration and licensing agreement. Under the agreement, Tokyo-based Prism Biolab will open its Pepmetics Library, a library of peptide mimetic small molecules, to screen against targets selected by Roche and Genentech. Read More
Inveniai LLC and Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd. have expanded their partnership a second time, inking their most recent multiple drug discovery agreement. The multiyear deal will see the duo discover novel targets and treatments for therapeutic areas across Kyowa Kirin’s portfolio and areas of interest using Inveniai’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Read More
New hires and promotions in the biopharma industry, including: Asklepios, Autolus, Avicanna, Eyepoint, Foghorn, H3, Iovance, JW, Karyopharm, Madrigal, Omega, Poseida, Recode, Sesen. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: 4D, Biocryst, Biosight, Deinove, Golden, Noxxon, Nuvalent, Oxurion, Recce, Revive. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Abbvie, Dynacure, Moderna, Paxmedica.
