GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – The global capacity for manufacturing biologics is growing, but most facilities are controlled by a few major companies and used for their own products, creating difficulties for smaller biotechs with products that are approaching commercialization. Read More
LONDON – A £180 million (US$282 million) three-year program to bridge the ever-growing funding gap between university research and commercialization has been launched by the UK government as the centerpiece of a new strategy for the life sciences, announced by prime minister David Cameron on Monday. Read More
LONDON – A slew of genes involved in the development of blood cells could become new targets for therapies to treat a whole range of conditions, from inherited blood clotting disorders and anemia to thrombotic events, including myocardial infarction. Read More
Two of the investors behind RespiVert Ltd., which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Biotech, Inc. (formerly Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc.) last year are hoping to repeat the success with a sequel. Imperial Innovations Group plc and SV Life Sciences are committing up to £8 million (US$12.5 million) to TopiVert Ltd., a new start-up focused on the discovery of topical kinase inhibitors for inflammatory conditions of the eye and gut. Read More
LONDON – The European Commission confirmed its plans to increase spending on research and development from €55 billion (US$74.1 billion) in the current seven-year program to €80 billion from 2014 through 2020, and said that €8 billion would go directly to small companies. In parallel, a new scheme to support research-based start-ups worth a further €2.5 billion was announced. Read More
In a potential $450 million deal, MacroGenics Inc. has signed up the privately held French pharmaceutical company Servier as partner for MGA271, a first-in-class antibody targeting B7-H3, an antigen that is expressed in a long and growing list of solid tumors. Read More
• Genetic Technologies Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said it executed a settlement and license agreement granting AutoImmun Diagnostika GmbH, of Strassberg, Germany, nonexclusive rights to a number of its patents relating to noncoding DNA technology. Financial terms were not disclosed. Read More
