Biotech - Today Stories

Gale E. Smith, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, promoted to Senior Vice President Troy Morgan, J.D., appointed Chief Compliance Officer Greg Covino to step down as Chief Financial Officer, remain with company as executive adviser Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced the promotion of Gale E. Smith, Ph.D., to Senior Vice President, Discovery and Pre-Clinical Research and Chief Scientist, and the appointment of Troy Morgan as Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer. The company also announced that Greg Covino will be stepping down as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and will take on a new role as executive adviser to the company. Recognized as a pioneer in vaccine research, Dr. Smith is the sen…

St. Andrews, Scotland – Pneumagen Ltd, a biotech company developing a universal pan-viral intranasal drug for protection against respiratory tract infections (RTIs), today announced a further milestone in the development of Neumifil™ for the treatment of COVID-19. Utilizing a hamster model of COVID-19 infection, researchers showed Neumifil was efficacious, significantly reducing clinical signs and weight loss in animals infected with SARS-CoV-2.   Pneumagen scientists located at the University of St. Andrews confirmed that Neumifil binds with equally high affinity to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins from the Wuhan (Wuhan-Hu-1), UK (B.1.1.7) and South Africa (B.1.351) variants.  In further experiments, Pneumagen also demonstrated high affinity Neumifil binding to the ACE2 receptor, which is used b…

Destiny Pharma Plc (AIM: DEST) a clinical stage innovative biotechnology company focused on the development of novel medicines that can prevent life threatening infections, today announces the appointment of Professor Mark Wilcox to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Professor Wilcox is a consultant microbiologist and Head of R&D in Microbiology at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals and is Lead on Clostridium difficile infection for Public Health England (PHE). He also has advisory roles to UK SAGE (COVID-19), NHS England’s Infection Prevention & Control national team and PHE’s Rapid Review Panel (reviewing the utility of infection prevention and control products for the NHS), and is a member of the UK NHS Antimicrobial Resistance Programme Board. Dr Bill Love, Chief Scientific Officer…

LifeArc announces Seed Fund investment of £2 million in DJS Antibodies, a biotech start-up company pioneering the development of novel antibody therapeutics for inflammatory disease.  LifeArc is co-leading the c.£6 million funding with Sedgwick Yard, with new investment from Amgen Ventures and follow-on investment from Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI). DJS Antibodies has developed HEPTAD, a novel platform for antibody discovery which was built to overcome the challenges associated with discovering therapeutic quality antibodies to intractable G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) targets.  This funding round will support the development of two candidate antibody therapeutics including an antibody therapeutic for chronic kidney disease (CKD), a long-term condition that leads to the irreversible…

COMIRNATY® (also known as BNT162b2) receives conditional marketing authorization from the European Commission; this milestone represents a global joint effort to advance the first authorized mRNA vaccine Pfizer and BioNTech are ready to immediately ship initial doses to the 27 EU member states Pfizer and BioNTech previously announced an agreement with the European Commission to supply 200 million vaccine doses to EU member states; the EU also has an option to purchase an additional 100 million doses in 2021 The vaccine has now been granted a conditional marketing authorization, emergency use authorization, or temporary authorization in more than 40 countries worldwide, including all 27 EU member states NEW YORK & MAINZ, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech…

AlzeCure Pharma AB (publ) (FN STO: ALZCUR), a pharmaceutical company that develops a broad portfolio of drug candidates for diseases affecting the central nervous system, with projects in both Alzheimer’s disease and pain, today announced that the company has begun a preclinical development phase with the company's drug candidate ACD857. ACD857 is being developed within AlzeCure's NeuroRestore platform, with the aim of developing symptom-relieving drugs for the treatment of diseases with cognitive disorders. The preclinical development program with ACD857 includes preclinical safety and tolerability studies but also formulation work and stability testing. ACD857 may play a significant role in the treatment of indications in which cognitive functions are impaired, such as Alzheimer's diseas…

Start-up from Imperial College London and the Francis Crick Institute brings together 15 years of world-leading research on N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) and breakthrough discoveries related to its inhibition in cancer Initial financing of £4.5M from venture capital syndicate of experienced life sciences investors, Sofinnova Partners and Brandon Capital Partners Led by a team of world-class scientists and drug developers with a track record of big pharma/biotech and academic successes Stevenage, UK, November 16, 2020 - Myricx Pharma (‘Myricx’), a drug discovery company focused on developing small molecule inhibitors that selectively target the human N-myristoyltransferases (NMT) in cancer, today unveiled an initial £4.5 million in seed financing from experienced venture investors, Sofinno…

World Antibiotic Awareness Week aims to increase awareness of global antibiotic resistance and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.A global action plan to tackle the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines was endorsed at the Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly in May 2015. One of the key objectives of the plan is to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance through effective communication, education and training.

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc PFE.N on Monday said its experimental vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 based on initial data from a large study, a major victory in the fight against a pandemic that has killed over 1 million people, roiled the world's economy and upended daily life. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE BNTX.O are the first drugmakers to show successful data from a large-scale clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine. The companies said they have so far found no serious safety concerns and expect to seek U.S. emergency use authorization later this month. If authorized, the number of vaccine doses will initially be limited. Many questions also remain including how long the vaccine will provide protection. However the news provides hope that other vaccines in…

Anti-viral Alphabodies act by inhibiting viral cell fusion New class of Alphabodies with prophylactic and therapeutic potential Hasselt, Belgium, September 7, 2020 – Complix, a biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of transformative Alphabody therapeutics announces that it has been awarded a €1.2 million grant (approximately USD$1.4 million) from the Flanders government through the Flemish Agency for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). This grant will allow Complix to accelerate the discovery and development of a novel and differentiating class of Alphabody based therapeutics against coronavirus infections.  Alphabodies represent an ideal scaffold to target the viral cell fusion mechanism based on their exceptional biophysical and structural properties. The cell fusion mec…

The Chief Executive of the UK’s pharmaceutical industry association has today warned MPs about the consequences of not agreeing a comprehensive post-Brexit trade deal or an urgent agreement on medicines while the trade talks continue. Richard Torbett told the Commons EU Future Relationship Committee that negotiators must consider the impact of causing unnecessary disruption and delays for UK and EU medicines whilst in the midst of a global pandemic. The Committee heard that companies were working in a constant state of emergency with supply chains under incredible pressure from COVID-19: "We need the bare minimum in order to safeguard risk to the supply chain [for medicines]. If we don’t get this there will be increased complexity, duplication and cost – the last thing we need during COVI…

It’s been 6 months since PharmiWeb, Europe’s largest pharma job board, launched our job board in Australia. Despite the backdrop of COVID-19, a massive thanks go out to all of our clients and all of the talented individuals who have engaged with our site, and come on board!We’re looking forward to the next 6 months as we continue to raise PharmiWeb’s profile across the continent, and help more and more Australian Life Sciences organisations recruit the best talent from PharmiWeb's ever-growing talent pool.If you would like more information regarding Pharmiweb and what our unique services can do for you, contact Sue or Laurel:Sue van Vuurensue.vanvuuren@pharmiweb.comTel: +61 (0) 468 625 626Laurel Steynlaurel.steyn@pharmiweb.comTel: +61 (0) 423 665 441Find Out More Here #pharmiweb #pharmajob…

*Principia Biopharma Inc. is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Sanofi PARIS – September 28, 2020 – Sanofi announced today the successful completion of its acquisition of Principia Biopharma Inc. (“Principia”) for $100 per share in cash. “The Principia acquisition further strengthens our core areas of autoimmune and allergic diseases, giving us full control of tolebrutinib (SAR442168), as well as additional BTK inhibitors to further develop,” said Paul Hudson, Sanofi Chief Executive Officer. “The Principia integration into Sanofi augments our small molecule research capabilities as we look to maintain leadership in the discovery and development of oral medicines for serious illnesses.” The tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Principia common stock expired as scheduled at one mi…

After months of waiting, the official NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app for England and Wales is now available.   Protect your loved ones with the official NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app for England and Wales. It's the fastest way of knowing when you're at risk from coronavirus (COVID-19). The quicker you know, the quicker you can alert your loved ones, and your community.  The more of us that use it, the better we can control coronavirus. Protect your loved ones. Please download the app.

Inflazome is a pioneering inflammasome company developing orally available NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors to address clinical unmet needs across a wide variety of inflammatory diseases   Acquisition of Inflazome gives Roche full rights to the Inflazome portfolio   Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the body is implicated in many diseases caused by chronic, uncontrolled inflammation   Inflazome shareholders received €380 million upfront, and are eligible to receive additional milestone payments   Dublin (IE), Cambridge (UK), 21 September 2020: Inflazome announced today that it has closed a share purchase agreement with Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) in which Inflazome’s shareholders received an upfront payment of €380 million, and are eligible to receive additional conting…

In Phase III KITE study, Beovu (brolucizumab) 6 mg achieved its primary endpoint of non-inferiority to aflibercept 2 mg in mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at year one (week 52)1  In a key secondary endpoint, more than half of Beovu patients were maintained on a three-month dosing interval through year one, following the loading phase1  Beovu showed superior improvement versus aflibercept in change of central subfield thickness, a secondary endpoint, over the period of week 40 through week 521   Beovu demonstrated an overall well-tolerated safety profile comparable to aflibercept; in addition the rate of intraocular inflammation was equivalent between Beovu and aflibercept1   Novartis actively progressing full clinical development program of Beovu, with studies across we…

Responding to the news that the Covid-19 vaccine trial being run by Oxford University in conjunction with AstraZeneca has been halted for a second time, Kate Shaw, CEO of Innovative Trials, a clinical trials patient recruitment company, hoped it would not deter people from participating in clinical trials, either now or in the future. Shaw said: “I wish the clinical trial participant in question a swift recovery, but it’s important to note that a temporary halt on research is not uncommon and does not automatically mean a medicine is unsafe. Many treatments and vaccines can experience a pause during their development, even ones that are ultimately successful and brought to market.  “This news highlights the need for greater public awareness of what clinical research involves in order to av…

David Spencer-Percival founded Spencer Ogden and Huntress - two globally successful recruitment firms Life Science People launches with a commitment to boost employment opportunities post Covid-19 London, 01 September 2020: David Spencer-Percival, serial entrepreneur and founder of two globally successful recruitment businesses, Huntress and Spencer Ogden, is launching his latest venture, Life Science People. With a personal investment of £2m and an initial team of 20, Spencer-Percival’s team have set their sights set on ambitious growth, with plans to have a London office of 100 by December, and nine international offices within five years. In launching Life Science People he continues his commitment to hiring and training graduates, something he has maintained throughout all of his ven…

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MNTA, “Momenta” or the “Company”), a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel biologic therapeutics to treat rare immune-mediated diseases announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement for Johnson & Johnson (“Johnson & Johnson” or “J&J”) to acquire Momenta for $52.50 per share in an all-cash transaction, implying a fully-diluted equity value of $6.5 billion. The agreement was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both Momenta and Johnson & Johnson. "The agreement with J&J recognizes the value created by years of commitment and dedication to our mission by the many current and past Momenta employees. Programs such as nipocalim…