This week New England life sciences companies reported a mix of IPO, acquisition, and clinical trial news.
—Cambridge, MA-based Semprus Biosciences, an MIT spinout from professor Robert Langer’s lab, was acquired by the medical device company Teleflex (NYSE: [[ticker:TFX]] for $30 million up front. Semprus develops a polymer technology designed to reduce the attachment of platelets and blood proteins at the surface of medical devices.
—After a rocky month, Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported that its two-drug treatment for cystic fibrosis had reached its goal of improving breathing ability in a mid-stage study of 109 patients. The combination most helped patients with two copies of the F508del gene mutation. Vertex said it hopes to start the third and final stage of the clinical trial in early 2013.
—Yesterday morning Waltham, MA-based cancer drug developer Tesaro (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TSRO]]) priced its initial public offering at $13.50 per share. The stock had risen slightly to $13.69 per share by close of market.
—Infraredx, a Burlington, MA-based developer of devices for detecting coronary artery and other vascular diseases, inked an exclusive, five-year deal with Nipro, worth at least $50 million, to distribute its TVC Imaging System in Japan.
