Biotech - Today Stories

A new cancer drug discovery company called ALTx Therapeutics has been launched to develop therapies that exploit a specific vulnerability in tumours reliant on the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres or ALT pathway. This mechanism allows around 10 to 15 percent of cancers to maintain telomere length and continue dividing indefinitely, and is commonly found in tumour types that have few effective treatments. Targeting ALT could open new precision treatment options based on novel biological targets identified through a decade of research at the Francis Crick Institute. The company has been spun out of the Crick and is being advanced by Slingshot Therapeutics, benefiting from integrated operational and development expertise while maintaining strong academic ties. An initial £12.55 million fu…

Cycle Pharmaceuticals has completed its acquisition of Applied Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare disease treatments. The deal follows a definitive agreement reached late last year under which Cycle launched a tender offer to buy all outstanding Applied shares at a fixed cash price per share along with a contingent value right that may provide additional future payments if certain regulatory or commercial milestones are met. Applied’s portfolio includes drug candidates such as govorestat, being developed for rare metabolic and neurological conditions. The acquisition strengthens Cycle’s position in the rare disease space and adds new development assets to its pipeline. Prior to closing, Cycle extended its tender offer several times to secure enough sha…

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have uncovered a hidden biological interaction that may help change the way Parkinson’s disease is treated. A team led by scientists including Xin Qi found that a toxic protein involved in Parkinson’s attaches to a vital enzyme and disrupts the cell’s energy supply, accelerating nerve cell damage in the brain. This insight goes beyond symptom relief and gets closer to understanding the core mechanisms of the disease itself. Building on this discovery, the researchers have developed a novel compound called CS2. In experimental models including human brain tissue, patient-derived neurons and mice, CS2 acts like a decoy. It blocks the harmful interaction, helping restore energy function in cells and reducing inflammation. Early…

Evestia Clinical has announced the acquisition of ICRC-Weyer GmbH, a well-established contract research organisation and scientific consultancy based in Berlin. This move strengthens Evestia Clinical’s full-service clinical research capabilities by bringing specialist expertise in biostatistics, data management and medical writing into its global offering. The deal also reinforces the company’s presence in Germany and across Europe, providing biotech innovators with more integrated support throughout clinical development. ICRC-Weyer will continue to operate under its own brand with existing services and teams remaining intact. Leadership from ICRC-Weyer, including Managing Director Johann Daniel Weyer, will join the Evestia Clinical leadership team. The acquisition builds on Evestia Clinic…

South Korean contract manufacturer ST Pharm has sealed a supply contract worth $56 million to provide active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for an oligonucleotide therapeutic developed by an unnamed US biotech company. The deal covers manufacture of oligonucleotide raw materials for a prospective treatment targeting severe hypertriglyceridemia and represents roughly 30 percent of ST Pharm’s 2024 revenue, underscoring its expanding footprint in the global API market. The supply agreement runs from late January through December of this year, and the value jump has also boosted ST Pharm’s order backlog by around 30 percent. The company has responded to growing demand for oligonucleotide therapies by ramping up capacity, including opening a second dedicated manufacturing facility last year…

Otsuka Pharmaceutical, in partnership with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, has secured European Commission approval for Dawnzera (donidalorsen) in the European Union as a preventative treatment for hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adults and adolescents aged 12 and older. This decision comes after a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, which reviewed data demonstrating that Dawnzera can significantly reduce the frequency of debilitating HAE attacks. The medication is designed to be self-administered by patients via pre-filled injection pens at multi-week intervals, offering convenience alongside clinical benefit. Trials showed substantial reductions in attack rates versus placebo, supporting its use as a routine prophylactic therapy. Th…

DeepHow has introduced PharmaCloud, a cloud-based platform designed specifically for pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers to improve training, execution, and verification on the factory floor. PharmaCloud provides a GMP-compliant environment that helps teams standardize procedures across sites so operators follow approved methods with greater consistency and fewer errors than traditional training. The platform unifies training content, guided step-by-step execution, and AI-powered verification to ensure critical process steps are completed correctly and according to validated procedures. PharmaCloud also tracks changes and training records so teams always work with current, approved instructions and maintain full audit trails. By bringing visual guidance and AI feedback into dai…

Sanofi has secured European Union approval for Teizeild (teplizumab), a new disease-modifying therapy for people aged eight years and older with stage 2 type 1 diabetes. This decision by the European Commission follows a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use and makes Teizeild the first treatment in the EU shown to delay the onset of stage 3 clinical type 1 diabetes. The approval is based on positive results from the TN-10 phase II study, where Teizeild significantly extended the time patients remained in the presymptomatic stage compared with placebo, effectively slowing progression of the autoimmune attack on insulin-producing cells. Sanofi says the drug offers patients and families a chance to postpone the need for insulin t…

Pretzel Therapeutics is gaining attention in biotech circles as it continues advancing its mission to transform treatments for diseases linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. The company’s lead therapy candidate, PX578, is now in Phase 1 clinical development targeting mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes and potentially broader conditions where energy production in cells falters. Pretzel’s approach focuses on harnessing cellular energetics to restore mitochondrial function and impede disease progression across neurological, metabolic, rare and muscle-related conditions. Recent clinical progress follows groundbreaking research published in Nature demonstrating novel small molecule activators that can restore mutant mitochondrial DNA polymerase activity, underlining the scientific potential…

Domain Therapeutics has officially changed its name to Kainova Therapeutics, marking a new chapter for the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The rebrand reflects the firm’s expanding global focus and progress in developing therapies that target G Protein-Coupled Receptors, a key class of drug targets in immuno-oncology and inflammation. The new name combines the sense of a decisive moment with innovation and renewal, underscoring the company’s ambition to transform patient outcomes through scientific excellence and an integrated approach to drug discovery and development. Kainova continues to advance a robust pipeline of differentiated therapies designed to address unmet medical needs. Its clinical programs include candidates such as a Treg-depleting anti-CCR8 antibody in Phase I/I…

Merck (known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada) is set to finalise its purchase of Cidara Therapeutics, a move that adds a promising late-stage antiviral to its portfolio and strengthens its infectious disease pipeline. The deal values Cidara at approximately $9.2 billion in cash, with Merck agreeing to pay $221.50 per share to acquire all outstanding Cidara stock. Approval from both company boards has already been secured, and the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026 after satisfying regulatory and customary closing conditions. Cidara’s lead asset, CD388, is a long-acting, strain-agnostic antiviral currently in Phase 3 development for the prevention of influenza in people at higher risk of complications. Supported by encouraging Phase 2b results and…

Swedish biopharmaceutical company Sobi has agreed to acquire late-stage biotechnology firm Arthrosi Therapeutics in a deal valued at up to $1.5 billion. Under the agreement, Sobi will pay $950 million in cash upfront with up to an additional $550 million contingent on clinical and regulatory milestones. The move is designed to strengthen Sobi’s presence in inflammatory and specialty care by adding Arthrosi’s leading gout treatment candidate, an investigational once-daily oral URAT1 inhibitor called pozdeutinurad. Pozdeutinurad is currently being evaluated in two fully recruited global Phase 3 trials for the management of progressive and tophaceous gout, with key data expected in 2026. If successful, the therapy could offer a new option for patients whose symptoms persist despite first-line…

Sanofi is advancing its innovation strategy through a series of strategic investments aimed at enhancing its pipeline in immune and oncology areas. The French global pharma leader has made a strategic equity investment in InduPro Therapeutics, supporting a collaboration to develop a novel bispecific PD-1 agonist for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. The deal gives Sanofi funding support and rights to negotiate further on the program as it moves toward clinical development.  In another move, Sanofi invested around €300 million in Orano Med, gaining a significant minority stake in the radioligand therapy developer focused on lead-212 based treatments for hard-to-treat rare cancers and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. This investment strengthens Sanofi’s presence in innovati…

Mirum Pharmaceuticals has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bluejay Therapeutics, a private biotech firm specialising in viral and liver diseases. The transaction brings into Mirum’s portfolio worldwide rights to brelovitug (BJT-778) — a fully human monoclonal antibody being developed for chronic Hepatitis D virus infection (HDV), the most severe form of viral hepatitis, currently without approved therapies.  Under the terms of the deal, Mirum will pay US$250 million in cash and US$370 million in stock upfront. Bluejay’s shareholders may receive an additional up to US$200 million in sales-based milestones, bringing total deal value to as much as US$820 million. The acquisition adds a potentially transformative late-stage asset to Mirum’s rare-disease pipeline and leverages Bluejay’…

Global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has struck an exclusive licensing deal with Chinese company YaoPharma to develop and commercialise a new oral weight-management drug, YP05002, belonging to the GLP-1 agonist class. The compound is currently in early (Phase 1) clinical testing. Under the agreement, YaoPharma will complete the existing trial, then grant Pfizer worldwide rights to develop, manufacture, and market the treatment. As part of the deal YaoPharma will receive a US$150 million upfront payment and could earn up to US$1.94 billion in milestone payments plus royalties if the drug reaches the market. The collaboration marks a strategic return to the obesity drug field for Pfizer after the company discontinued internal GLP-1 programmes — including lotiglipron in 2023 and danuglipron ear…

The Swiss pharma group Novartis has entered a multi-program strategic collaboration with London-based biotech Relation Therapeutics to discover and develop novel treatments for atopic diseases such as eczema, asthma and allergies. Relation brings its AI-powered “Lab-in-the-Loop” platform, which integrates patient-derived genetics, single-cell multi-omics and functional assays to identify and validate disease targets. Novartis contributes its immuno-dermatology expertise and global development and commercial capabilities. Relation will receive US$55 million upfront — including equity investment and R&D funding — plus the potential for up to US$1.7 billion in milestone payments and royalties, should the programmes succeed. By combining cutting-edge AI with real human disease data and Nov…

The Publishing group behind the science magazine New Scientist, has closed its dedicated job portal New Scientist Jobs. The site, once a key place for employers to post science and research-oriented vacancies is no longer operating. This however cements PharmiWeb.jobs position as the primary dedicated job board for Life Sciences in Europe. Recruiters and Hiring Managers   Any organisations looking to promote their vacancies with the broadest reach to Life Science professionals across Europe, the USA and Australasia can reach out to PharmiWeb here - https://phrmwb.com/exnewscientistjobs  Job Seekers If you're a job seekers looking for your next Life Science role, PharmiWeb.jobs remains the best place to look - So if if you've not already, register and upload your CV for the best roles. www.…

The Swiss drugmaker Novartis has secured U.S. regulatory approval for Itvisma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-brve), a gene replacement therapy for individuals aged two years and older with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and a confirmed SMN1 mutation. Itvisma represents the first one-time gene therapy available for a broader SMA population beyond infants. The treatment delivers a functional copy of the SMN1 gene via an injection into the spinal fluid, eliminating the need for weight-based dosing. Clinical trials demonstrated statistically significant improvements in motor function and stabilization of disease progression. Novartis emphasises that this approval could reduce or even eliminate the requirement for chronic therapy in older patients. With this milestone, Itvisma becomes a major extensi…

Gilead Sciences has struck a deal with Sprint Bioscience to license a pre-clinical oncology programme targeting TREX1. Under the agreement, Gilead will pay an initial fee of US$14 million and up to US$400 million more if the programme meets defined milestones. The deal gives Gilead access to potential first-in-class small-molecule TREX1 inhibitors developed by Sprint. TREX1 is a DNA exonuclease that degrades DNA fragments in the cell cytoplasm, helping cancer cells avoid detection by the immune system. Scientific studies have shown that inhibiting TREX1 can provoke strong innate immune responses: DNA accumulating in cancer cells triggers the cGAS–STING pathway, resulting in production of type I interferons, recruitment of T cells and natural killer cells, and enhanced tumour-cell killing.…

The UK government has announced a sweeping package of reforms and investment designed to put artificial intelligence at the centre of the country’s economic renewal. The measures include billions of pounds in additional funding and new initiatives aimed at supporting UK businesses, researchers and workers. Key elements of the plan include the creation of new “AI Growth Zones” such as one in South Wales which is expected to bring in more than 5 000 jobs over the next decade, including roles from construction to long-term AI research. Free access to computing resources will be expanded so British researchers and start-ups can train new AI models and deliver breakthroughs in science and industry. A dedicated “Sovereign AI Unit” will be backed with nearly £500 million to support high-potential…