Privately held Amphista Therapeutics Ltd. has cut massive deals with two biopharma giants, Merck KGaA and Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMS), that together could bring the company up to $2.25 billion. The companies will use Amphista’s Eclipsys platform to generate protein degrader-based therapeutics. Merck is looking to discover and develop small-molecule protein degraders for treating cancer and immune disease. Indications in the BMS deal were not announced. Read More
For the first time since the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, global deaths caused by the disease have fallen to their lowest point, as immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants continues to build. Infections and deaths appear to be decelerating, an optimistic sign that the pandemic may be nearing an end. Read More
A lack of funding for combination therapies in the U.K. could hold back investment in the country’s biopharma sector – but there are moves afoot to find ways around the issue, pinned by industry on the way the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) assesses the value of drugs. Read More
Connect Biopharma Holdings Ltd. pointed to positive secondary endpoint data and a numerical trend on the primary endpoint in favor of its S1P receptor modulator, CBP-307, in ulcerative colitis, but those results weren’t enough to keep the stock (NASDAQ:CNTB) from falling by more than 57% to close at 82 cents, as investors focused on the primary endpoint miss and the company’s decision to partner the program going forward. Read More
Beigene Ltd. reported that its global phase III trial of PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy met the primary endpoint of overall survival in first-line advanced esophageal cancer. Read More
A proposal hammered out by the EU, India, South Africa and the U.S. to allow IP waivers for COVID-19 vaccines is headed to all members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) for consideration. Read More
Before filing financial statements with the U.S. SEC, public companies will need to think about how their business has been impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, perhaps, update filings they’ve already submitted. Read More
Could investments in biopharmaceutical companies in 2022 be as aggressive as 2021, which saw a record 1,968 biopharma deals worth about $213.5 billion? So far, 2022 may be the lowest financing year since 2017 overall. But, drilling down to venture capital, private companies raised $5.7 billion in Q1 through 129 transactions, making it the second-best first quarter in history with 2021 at the top. BioWorld Senior Analyst Karen Carey explores the data with staff writer Lee Landenberger, explaining what happened in Q1 and where Q2 is headed. Read More
New hires and promotions in the biopharma industry, including: Achilles, Adaptimmune, Anji, Linkinvax, Moleculin, Oncotelic, Quantum Genomics, Rapt. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Abeona, Adial, Asceneuron, Aura, Betta, Botanix, Brickell, Cero, Cognition, Eyepoint, Helsinn, Juniper, Nordic Nanovector, Spero. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Acadia, Acrotech, Bayer, Belite, Cellics, Depymed, Idorsia, Exelixis, Petros, Regeneron, Sapience, Taysha. Read More
