As IPOs have slowed significantly in 2022, so have the debuts of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) targeting the life sciences industry, primarily due to two looming threats. This time a year ago, BioWorld had tracked 60 IPOs of SPACs searching for biopharma or med-tech targets and nearly 30 SPACs that had secured acquisitions. For 2022, there are 21 SPACs currently searching, and only two of those went public this year. As for completed M&As involving SPACs, there have been 17 this year and another nine that are pending. Read More
As GSK plc pulls Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin) from the U.S. market, the biotech giant will watch a lot of revenue go with it. Only two weeks ago a phase III confirmatory study data for the already-approved multiple myeloma drug fell short of meeting requirements for the U.S. FDA’s accelerated approval regulations, so the agency asked GSK to take the drug off the market. Read More
Catalym GmbH raised €50 million (US$51.3 million) in a series C round to expand and accelerate phase IIa development of visugromab (CTL-002), a first-in-class growth differentiation factor 15 inhibitor, across a range of solid tumor indications. Read More
After shelving it for the past decade, the EU Parliament this week adopted a directive forcing large publicly listed companies to break the glass ceilings that have allowed a men-only mentality to thrive in corporate boardrooms across much of Europe. The so-called Women on Boards Directive, formally adopted Nov. 22, will require EU-based public companies to have women in at least 40% of their nonexecutive director posts or 33% of all director posts by the end of June 2026. Companies with fewer than 250 employees will be exempt. Read More
Swiss-American startup Opna Bio SA launched this week with a $38 million series A, a Science paper on one of its targets and a pipeline stretching from preclinical to phase II. Read More
New hires and promotions in the biopharma industry, including: Adagene, Advanced Proteome, Congruence, Generate, Oxford Biomedica, Rentschler. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Biofrontera, Concert, Embarkneuro, Lysogene, Neurona, Plus, TC, Tracon. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Aerie, Alcon, Biocorrx, Calcimedica, Cyclerion, Graybug, Imaginab, Obseva, Novo, Prothena, Sumitomo, Teva, Trisalus, Xoma. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Abbvie, Caribou, Clarity, Genmab, Immorna, Legend, Okyo, Rhythm, Tetra, Triastek. Read More
