It’s not enough for a cell or gene therapy to reach a cell, it must also get inside it to access most of the validated drug targets. Vesigen Therapeutics is developing technology that could best other approaches at penetrating the cellular membrane, and it launched on Wednesday with $28.5 million to advance its research. The … Continue reading “Vesigen Nabs $28M to Wrap “ARMMS” Around Large Molecule Drug Delivery”
Category: Europe
Freeline Therapeutics and Checkmate Pharma Make Opening IPO Moves
The biotech IPO queue has added two more companies. Freeline Therapeutics and Checkmate Pharmaceuticals have each filed the regulatory paperwork to offer shares to the public. Freeline is raising cash to ensure that its lead program, a prospective hemophilia B gene therapy, keeps pace in the race to develop and commercialize a genetic treatment for … Continue reading “Freeline Therapeutics and Checkmate Pharma Make Opening IPO Moves”
Elevation Oncology Debuts With $32.5M to Develop Targeted Cancer Drugs
Elevation Oncology formed last year with $32.5 million in a Series A financing round led by the initial investor in Loxo Oncology, a company that blazed a trail developing cancer therapies based on genetic signature rather than tumor origin. On Tuesday the New York-based biotech emerged from stealth aiming to follow in Loxo’s path. It … Continue reading “Elevation Oncology Debuts With $32.5M to Develop Targeted Cancer Drugs”
Roche, Jnana Enter Drug R&D Alliance Targeting Metabolism’s Gatekeepers
Scientists know that proteins called solute carrier (SLC) transporters move substances important to metabolism across cellular membranes. But can drugs effectively hit these proteins to treat disease? Roche is paying startup Jnana Therapeutics $40 million to find out. The alliance announced Tuesday focuses on the discovery and preclinical development of drugs for immunological and neurological … Continue reading “Roche, Jnana Enter Drug R&D Alliance Targeting Metabolism’s Gatekeepers”
Tizona’s Karakunnel Joins Innate Pharma as Chief Medical Officer
Innate Pharma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IPHA]]) announced that Pierre Dodion, the company’s chief medical officer since 2014, is retiring. The Marseille, France-based cancer immunotherapy developer says Dodion will continue to consult with the company in his retirement. To succeed Dodion, Innate Pharma has appointed Joyson Karakunnel as executive vice president and chief medical officer. He was most … Continue reading “Tizona’s Karakunnel Joins Innate Pharma as Chief Medical Officer”
GSK Pays CureVac $328M in mRNA Vaccines Pact—Excluding COVID-19
GlaxoSmithKline is expanding its capabilities in messenger RNA (mRNA) research through a new alliance with CureVac spanning up to five programs targeting infectious disease pathogens. In addition to mRNA vaccines, those programs could also be antibody therapies. GSK (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]) is paying CureVac a total of £260 million (about $328 million) to kick off the … Continue reading “GSK Pays CureVac $328M in mRNA Vaccines Pact—Excluding COVID-19”
MeiraGTx, J&J See Phase 3 Test Ahead for Vision Loss Gene Therapy
A gene therapy being jointly developed by MeiraGTx and Johnson & Johnson to treat an inherited disease of the retina that leads to blindness improved patients’ vision after six months, data that the companies say is enough to move the potentially long-lasting treatment into pivotal testing. The condition, called X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, is part of … Continue reading “MeiraGTx, J&J See Phase 3 Test Ahead for Vision Loss Gene Therapy”
Two Days, Six IPOs, and $1B Raised for Biotech Research & More
Summer’s arrival hasn’t slowed the momentum of the biotech IPO market. Wall Street this week welcomed six new life science industry companies, which collectively raised more than $1 billion in their stock market debuts. Relay Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RLAY]]) notched the biggest biotech IPO of the week, raising $400 million. Investor interest in the Cambridge, MA-based … Continue reading “Two Days, Six IPOs, and $1B Raised for Biotech Research & More”
Bio Roundup: Moderna Publishes, Life Science Cash, AdComm Votes & More
If it seems like biotech investments have defied the financial headwinds of the pandemic, maybe it’s because they have. In the second quarter, 16 of the top 25 largest early-stage venture capital deals were investments in life science companies. The figures come from the National Venture Capital Association and financial research firm Pitchbook. This week … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Moderna Publishes, Life Science Cash, AdComm Votes & More”
Mallinckrodt’s Kidney Failure Drug Narrowly Wins Backing of FDA Panel
An experimental Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals drug for a rare type of kidney failure has won the support of an FDA advisory panel by the thinnest of margins. The committee of mostly physicians concluded that the benefits of the drug, terlipressin, outweigh its safety risks as a treatment for hepatorenal syndrome type 1 (HRS-1), and panelists voted … Continue reading “Mallinckrodt’s Kidney Failure Drug Narrowly Wins Backing of FDA Panel”
Moderna Publishes Early COVID-19 Vaccine Data, Preps for Phase 3 Test
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate stimulated production of antibodies to the novel coronavirus in all of the patients tested in an early-stage study, and the company says the data support the selection of which dose to test in a pivotal clinical trial slated to begin at the end of July. When the Cambridge, MA-based company initially … Continue reading “Moderna Publishes Early COVID-19 Vaccine Data, Preps for Phase 3 Test”
Dewpoint, Merck Team Up to Tackle HIV Using Condensate Know-How
Dewpoint Therapeutics has signed its second biopharma partnership, teaming up with Merck to explore the potential of using its discoveries around “droplets” of biomolecules that form inside cells to create a new HIV treatment. The companies’ aim is an ambitious one: develop a drug candidate that could prove curative, rather than suppress the infection as … Continue reading “Dewpoint, Merck Team Up to Tackle HIV Using Condensate Know-How”
3 Biotech IPOs Together Rake In Over a Half Billion to Advance Treatments
Three biotech companies collectively raised $584 million in their initial public offerings last week, continuing a streak that has the healthcare sector playing a leading role in the robust level of market activity this summer. Of the three companies, the one with investigational therapies that haven’t yet begun tests in humans raised the most. South … Continue reading “3 Biotech IPOs Together Rake In Over a Half Billion to Advance Treatments”
Kiadis Pharma Brings On e-Therapeutics’ Barlow as Chief Business Officer
Dutch biotech Kiadis Pharma appointed Ray Barlow as chief business officer. Barlow most recently led UK-based data-driven drug discovery company E-therapeutics as its CEO. His prior roles include serving at Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) as executive director of corporate development and at Crucell Vaccines, a Netherlands-based company that’s now a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “Kiadis Pharma Brings On e-Therapeutics’ Barlow as Chief Business Officer”
Bio Roundup: Blackstone’s Billions, Biogen Finishes Filing, Novavax at “Warp Speed” & More
Cash flowed throughout the life sciences ecosystem this week as Blackstone (NYSE: [[ticker:BX]]) raised a record-setting life sciences fund, companies of all stages announced new financings, and money continued to find its way to those working on efforts to treat or prevent COVID-19. Financiers poured $100 million or more into at least three biotechs, a … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Blackstone’s Billions, Biogen Finishes Filing, Novavax at “Warp Speed” & More”
Sanofi Pays Kymera $150M to Kick Off Protein Degrader Partnership
Kymera Therapeutics has signed a deal with French biopharma Sanofi to advance two potential treatments for immune-inflammatory diseases that leverage the Cambridge, MA-based company’s research into protein degradation, the natural mechanism cells use to get rid of unwanted proteins. Drug developers are eager to leverage that cellular recycling system to create new treatments because it … Continue reading “Sanofi Pays Kymera $150M to Kick Off Protein Degrader Partnership”
NFlection Looks to Erase NF1 Tumors With Drug That Only Goes Skin Deep
The first drug for neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is available to patients following the FDA’s approval of the AstraZeneca treatment earlier this year. Biotech startup NFlection Therapeutics is vying to be runner-up, but its founders say they can eventually win out with a drug that takes a different approach than the commercialized pill while also … Continue reading “NFlection Looks to Erase NF1 Tumors With Drug That Only Goes Skin Deep”
Novavax Gets $1.6B in Operation Warp Speed Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine
The federal government’s Operation Warp Speed has made its biggest financing award yet, promising $1.6 billion to a Maryland biotech to help advance its investigational COVID-19 vaccine and ready millions of doses in preparation for its possible success. Gaithersburg, MD-based Novavax, which has never before brought a product to market, announced the federal award Tuesday. … Continue reading “Novavax Gets $1.6B in Operation Warp Speed Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine”
PacBio CEO, CFO Plan Retirements and More People on the Move
Here’s a look back at some of the life science industry’s executive appointments, departures, and retirements from recent weeks: —Pacific Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PACB]]) CEO Michael Hunkapiller and Chief Financial Officer Susan Barnes are retiring. —Moderna (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]) appointed Ray Jordan as chief corporate affairs officer. —Aridis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARDS]]) appointed Hasan Jafri its chief medical officer. … Continue reading “PacBio CEO, CFO Plan Retirements and More People on the Move”
MEI Pharma, Helsinn Scuttle Cancer Drug Trial After Miss on Efficacy
MEI Pharma and its Swiss partner Helsinn are ending a Phase 3 study of an investigational cancer drug for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after an interim analysis indicated it was unlikely to meet the trial’s main goal of helping patients live longer. San Diego-based MEI (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MEIP]]), licensed the compound, pracinostat, from a … Continue reading “MEI Pharma, Helsinn Scuttle Cancer Drug Trial After Miss on Efficacy”
Moderna: Speed of COVID 19 Vaccine Hinges On Enrolling Right Patients
Fast enrollment of the right patient populations will be critical to quickly conducting Phase III trials of COVID-19 vaccines and this will likely mean taking concerted steps to reach out to populations that can be harder to recruit for clinical trials, drug industry leaders said on a recent New York Academy of Sciences webinar. Moderna … Continue reading “Moderna: Speed of COVID 19 Vaccine Hinges On Enrolling Right Patients”
BioNTech’s mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Early Signs of Sparking Immunity
[Updated 7/2/2020, 9:27 a.m. See below.] A BioNTech messenger RNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19 has shown in a small study that it can elicit an immune response to the novel coronavirus. The 45-patient US study tested three doses of the experimental mRNA vaccine, BNT162b1, along with a placebo. Early results now available show higher levels … Continue reading “BioNTech’s mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Early Signs of Sparking Immunity”
Chiesi Licenses Bioasis Tech to Tackle Brain Symptoms of Rare Diseases
The blood-brain barrier protects the functioning of that essential organ, but it’s also a hurdle to delivering neurological drugs. Italy’s Chiesi Group has agreed to pay Guilford, CT-based Bioasis Technologies $3 million up front to use the preclinical firm’s technology to facilitate the delivery of enzymes across the blood-brain barrier to treat neurological symptoms associated … Continue reading “Chiesi Licenses Bioasis Tech to Tackle Brain Symptoms of Rare Diseases”
Mereo BioPharma Appoints John Lewicki Chief Scientific Officer
The new chief scientific officer of Mereo BioPharma Group (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MREO]]) is acquainted with the London-based company and its lead cancer drug candidate. John Lewicki was previously the CEO of OncoMed, a cancer drug developer whose stumbles in clinical trials led to a 2017 corporate restructuring, and then a reverse merger last year with Mereo. … Continue reading “Mereo BioPharma Appoints John Lewicki Chief Scientific Officer”
Roche Gets FDA OK for Injectable Version of Breast Cancer Drug
A new version of a combination drug marketed by Roche for early-stage and metastatic breast cancer with a specific genetic signature received FDA approval Monday for a formulation that can be delivered in minutes rather than an hour or more. The antibody combo, delivered alongside IV chemotherapy, is intended for women with breast cancer that … Continue reading “Roche Gets FDA OK for Injectable Version of Breast Cancer Drug”
With Peanut Patch in FDA Purgatory, DBV Plans Layoffs to Stretch Cash
DBV Technologies still expects to receive an FDA decision in early August for its peanut allergy patch. But on Friday the company, which is headquartered in the southern outskirts of Paris, said it would start layoffs and scale down its drug development activities to save cash in case the radio silence it says it has … Continue reading “With Peanut Patch in FDA Purgatory, DBV Plans Layoffs to Stretch Cash”
Bio Roundup: Gilead’s Pionyr Grab, Relay to IPO, Unicorn Sana & More
Uncertainty related to the continued spread of the pandemic continued to consume most of the oxygen in the room this week, but life sciences news outside of that arena continued apace. Once considered all but shuttered, the IPO market again saw an active week between new public debuts and more companies joining the queue. Indeed, … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Gilead’s Pionyr Grab, Relay to IPO, Unicorn Sana & More”
AsclepiX Emerges With $35M and an Eye Drug Challenger to Eylea, Lucentis
The body’s natural process for healing wounds has led AsclepiX Therapeutics to a novel approach to treating diseases of the eye. The startup is now gearing up to test its technology in humans, and it has raised $35 million in Series A financing to support its research. Cuts and scrapes in the skin spark the … Continue reading “AsclepiX Emerges With $35M and an Eye Drug Challenger to Eylea, Lucentis”
Shattuck Labs Nabs $118M for Cancer Drugs Like Keytruda, But Better
Checkpoint inhibitors do one thing: release the molecular brake that keeps immune cells from recognizing and targeting tumors. This cancer immunotherapy approach has saved countless lives and turned drugs from Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb into blockbuster products. But what if a single drug could block checkpoint proteins while simultaneously sparking an anti-tumor response? That’s … Continue reading “Shattuck Labs Nabs $118M for Cancer Drugs Like Keytruda, But Better”
Bio Roundup: A Royal IPO, Akili Arrives, Orca Bio Surfaces & More
The biggest life sciences deal this week involves a company that doesn’t discover or develop drugs, or even sell them. Yet its mark is found on pharmaceutical products spanning the entire sector. Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RPRX]]) acquires the royalty rights for drugs. Most of those royalties are for products that are already approved, but the … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: A Royal IPO, Akili Arrives, Orca Bio Surfaces & More”
GSK Expands Synthetic Lethality Scope With $120M Ideaya Bio Alliance
GlaxoSmithKline got its first taste of synthetically lethal cancer therapies via an acquisition. Now it’s trying for a bigger bite of this emerging drug class through a research alliance with Ideaya Biosciences that spans three of the biotech’s programs, all slated to reach clinical trials in the next three years. According to deal terms announced … Continue reading “GSK Expands Synthetic Lethality Scope With $120M Ideaya Bio Alliance”
Pharma Partnering: Perspectives from Xcelerating Life Sciences Panel
At some point, every biotech weighs whether to forge ahead alone or team up with a larger company that has the scientific know-how, clinical trial experience, or the cash to keep a program going. For early-stage developers of cell and gene therapies, these alliances are almost essential. Bruce Levine been on both sides of this … Continue reading “Pharma Partnering: Perspectives from Xcelerating Life Sciences Panel”
Jazz Pharma Gets Quick FDA OK for New Small Cell Lung Cancer Drug
The FDA on Monday approved a new drug for patients with advanced small cell lung cancer, permitting the treatment to be marketed based on less evidence than it traditionally requires in order to speed its path to market. Madrid-based PharmaMar, which developed lurbinectedin (Zepzelca), licensed its US commercialization rights to Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JAZZ]]) last … Continue reading “Jazz Pharma Gets Quick FDA OK for New Small Cell Lung Cancer Drug”
FDA Reverses Authorization for Use of Antimalarials to Treat COVID-19
The FDA on Monday revoked its emergency authorization permitting use of the antimalarial drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat the novel coronavirus, citing a lack of evidence of their efficacy. In late March the agency authorized the drugs, which President Donald Trump touts often as a potential treatment, for patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 … Continue reading “FDA Reverses Authorization for Use of Antimalarials to Treat COVID-19”
GlaxoSmithKline Keeps Oncology 2.0 Growth Plans on Track
[Corrected 6/17/20, 1:48 pm PT. See below.] GlaxoSmithKline’s years-long oncology resurgence is on track to have two new drugs approved in the US in mid-2020, after the company won a key first-line ovarian cancer indication for Zejula (niraparib) in April. The belantamab mafodotin and dostarlimab approvals also anticipated this year will give GSK its first … Continue reading “GlaxoSmithKline Keeps Oncology 2.0 Growth Plans on Track”
Biotech Roundup: BIO on Racism, AbbVie Antibodies, IPO Surge & More
At the start of 2020 thousands of biotechies anticipated spending the second week of June in San Diego, hobnobbing at the annual conference hosted by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Instead, attendees from 64 countries spanning 28 times zones convened online this week for the first-ever virtual BIO International Convention. There, topics once as unanticipated as the … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: BIO on Racism, AbbVie Antibodies, IPO Surge & More”
Novo Nordisk Strikes a $725M Deal for AstraZeneca Spinout Corvidia
Diabetes drug giant Novo Nordisk has reached a $725 million deal to acquire Corvidia Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech developing treatments for disorders affecting the heart and the kidneys. The upfront payment due to Corvidia shareholders is cash. According to the terms of the agreement, Denmark-based Novo Nordisk (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NVO]]) could be on the hook for … Continue reading “Novo Nordisk Strikes a $725M Deal for AstraZeneca Spinout Corvidia”
Moderna Finalizes Plan, Dose for Phase 3 Test of mRNA COVID Vaccine
Less than a month after reporting preliminary early-stage data for its experimental vaccine for the novel coronavirus, Moderna has finalized the plan for a Phase 3 test. The study, set to begin next month, is targeting enrollment of about 30,000 volunteers, Moderna (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]) announced Thursday. Those patients will be randomly assigned to receive either … Continue reading “Moderna Finalizes Plan, Dose for Phase 3 Test of mRNA COVID Vaccine”
AbbVie Commits $750M to Genmab Bispecific Antibody Cancer Drug Deal
In one of the largest oncology partnerships ever, AbbVie and Genmab are teaming up to accelerate development and commercialization of three of the Danish biotech’s investigational bispecific antibody drugs and potentially develop more. North Chicago, IL-based AbbVie (NYSE: [[ticker:ABBV]]) is spending $750 million up front to kick off the effort, which involves two clinical-stage drugs, … Continue reading “AbbVie Commits $750M to Genmab Bispecific Antibody Cancer Drug Deal”
Bio Roundup: Race and Pharma, ASCO Recap, Warp Speed Ahead & More
Race is not a topic that often comes up in pharmaceutical discussions but perhaps it should. Disease doesn’t discriminate by race, but health and economic disparities put some groups at higher risk than others. And yet clinical trials fail to reflect the broad spectrum of patients that drug makers aim to treat. Racial disparities are … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Race and Pharma, ASCO Recap, Warp Speed Ahead & More”
Accent, AstraZeneca Ink Cancer Drug Deal to Block RNA-Modifying Proteins
AstraZeneca is looking to bolster its cancer R&D portfolio with therapies that target RNA-modifying enzymes and other proteins involved in cancer. On Thursday the Cambridge, UK-based pharma giant announced it would pay Boston-area biotech Accent Therapeutics $55 million up front to gain access to its drug discovery know-how in RNA-modifying protein biology. The biology of … Continue reading “Accent, AstraZeneca Ink Cancer Drug Deal to Block RNA-Modifying Proteins”
NodThera Adds $55M to Advance Drugs to Better Regulate Inflammation
Our immune systems are designed to monitor for signs of foreign molecules, and among the first responses to such signals of potential danger are the formation of structures called inflammasomes. But the innate immune system’s natural inflammatory reaction, a protective mechanism meant to tackle any impending infection or injury, may also cause damaging inflammation in … Continue reading “NodThera Adds $55M to Advance Drugs to Better Regulate Inflammation”
After Inking Bristol Myers Pact, Repare Therapeutics Sets Sights on IPO
It’s been a busy week for Repare Therapeutics. On Tuesday, the cancer drug developer struck up an alliance with Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) that pays $65 million now and as much as $3 billion later, depending on the progress made in coming years. On Friday, Repare filed for an IPO that could bring in … Continue reading “After Inking Bristol Myers Pact, Repare Therapeutics Sets Sights on IPO”
Bio Roundup: ASCO Opens, Merck Takes On COVID, Evofem’s Approval & More
A year ago about 40,000 people gathered in Chicago for the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Today a virtual version of the ASCO conference, the cancer field’s largest, kicks off, with oncologists and others tuning in from throughout the country and around the world to check out the latest in cancer … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: ASCO Opens, Merck Takes On COVID, Evofem’s Approval & More”
Ipsen Taps Sanofi’s Vaccines Executive David Loew for CEO Role
David Loew, the top Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]) executive for the pharmaceutical giant’s vaccines division, is leaving to become Ipsen’s new CEO. He is also joining the board of directors of Ipsen, a developer of drugs for oncology, neurological disorders, and rare diseases. Loew’s experience includes roles at Coopers & Lybrand, Hewlett Packard (NYSE: [[ticker:HPQ]]), and … Continue reading “Ipsen Taps Sanofi’s Vaccines Executive David Loew for CEO Role”
New Webinars: In Vitro Hepatotoxicity Assessment Solutions & Enzyme Fragment Complementation Tech
Xconomy Insight is excited to offer two special webinars to our community this June. Sponsored by Eurofins, registration is free to all. Applying Cell-based In Vitro Assays to Improve In Vitro Hepatotoxicity Assessment Challenges Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 Time: 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT Duration: 1 hour Register today In this webinar, we will … Continue reading “New Webinars: In Vitro Hepatotoxicity Assessment Solutions & Enzyme Fragment Complementation Tech”
Generation Bio Leads a Trio of Biotech Companies Aiming for the Nasdaq
COVID-19 has ravaged the economy, and it was expected to quash the IPO market, too. But the biotech sector is defying the pandemic with crossover financings and freshly minted public companies. On Friday, three firms added their names to the list of life science companies preparing to join the public markets. Gene therapy company Generation … Continue reading “Generation Bio Leads a Trio of Biotech Companies Aiming for the Nasdaq”
Bio Roundup: mRNA Vaccine Data, Rise of Rallybio, Roche’s Protein Play & More
As the nation started to reopen this week following two months of closed businesses and stay-at-home orders, public health officials and economists cautioned that society won’t truly return to anything resembling a pre-pandemic normal without a COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]) moved one step closer to filling that need with the release of preliminary Phase … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: mRNA Vaccine Data, Rise of Rallybio, Roche’s Protein Play & More”
ADC’s $233M IPO Brings It to NYSE With Cancer Drug Launch on Horizon
ADC Therapeutics is making its public markets debut, raising about $233 million six months after the cancer drug developer withdrew its initial IPO plans. Not only did Épalinges, Switzerland-based ADC go through with the stock offering this time around, it was also able to boost the deal’s size—not once, but three times. On Monday, the … Continue reading “ADC’s $233M IPO Brings It to NYSE With Cancer Drug Launch on Horizon”
Bio Roundup: FDA Dings BMS, Genfit’s Fall, Alexion’s Activist & More
This was a disappointing week for at least two major drug makers. French firm Genfit reported a trial failure in an intensely competitive indication, and New York-based Bristol Myers Squibb encountered a delay when the FDA declined to review its experimental multiple myeloma treatment. Genfit (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GNFT]]) was developing a treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: FDA Dings BMS, Genfit’s Fall, Alexion’s Activist & More”