Biotech - Today Stories

Following the news that sepsis has been found to be a bigger killer than cancer worldwide in a study by Rudd et al; Kasey Fu, Director of Epidermiology at GlobalData, provides her view: “The *7MM will see diagnosed incident cases of sepsis grow at an annual growth rate (AGR) of 2.06% per year over the next ten years from 2.5 million cases in 2016 to 3.1 million in 2026. By these estimations, this year will see around 600,000 cases of septic shock and close to three million cases of intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalized sepsis.  “The study by Rudd et al, published in Lancet, was an impressive and enormous undertaking. Looking at the study's robust and comprehensive methodology, it is not surprising that sepsis incidence was found to be twice as what was known previously. Compared to most…

Fasenra being evaluated in eight eosinophil-driven diseases beyond severe asthma AstraZeneca today announced three new trials for Fasenra (benralizumab) in skin diseases, adding to five trials already underway for the medicine in eosinophil-driven diseases (EDDs) beyond severe asthma. In EDD, immune system dysfunction causes eosinophil recruitment and activation leading to chronic local and/or systemic inflammation.1 The three new trials for Fasenra in skin diseases include two Phase II trials to assess the potential of the medicine in atopic dermatitis (AD) and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU); and a Phase III trial in bullous pemphigoid (BP). Five additional Phase III clinical trials are underway to investigate the potential of Fasenra in: Disease Trial name Estimated data readout …

Switzerland, January 15th 2020 – Oviva, the leading digital provider of Type 2 diabetes treatment in Europe, has raised $21m in Series B funding. MTIP led the round, joined by Earlybird as new investors. Existing investors AlbionVC, F-Prime Capital, Eight Roads Ventures and Partech all participated. The new capital will be used to further develop Oviva’s technology and expand in Europe to serve the millions of patients not accessing treatment today. It brings the total amount raised by Oviva to date to $34m. Oviva offers an evidence-based digital solution to stop the progression of and reverse Type 2 diabetes and obesity-related conditions. Patients receive tailored nutrition advice and personalised coaching via their phone. Oviva’s technology-supported treatment has consistently demonstra…

BIOGEN TO ACQUIRE NOVEL CLINICAL STAGE ASSET WITH APPLICATION IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND PARKINSON’S DISEASE FROM PFIZER INC PF-05251749 is a CNS-penetrant regulator of circadian rhythm with potential to address behavioral and neurological symptoms across various psychiatric and neurological diseases  Biogen to pay Pfizer $75 million upfront plus potential milestones of up to $635 million, and royalties  PF-05251749 complements the Company’s pipeline of potential disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) today announced an agreement to acquire from Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) PF-05251749, a novel CNS-penetrant small molecule inhibitor of casein kinase 1 (CK1), for the potential treatment…

MONACO, PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO, AND NEW YORK, NY, USA, January 14, 2020: Lyfebulb, a patient empowerment platform that connects patients with industry to support user-driven innovation toward solutions in chronic disease, and Helsinn, a Swiss pharmaceutical group focused on building quality cancer care, announce the 11 Patient Entrepreneurs chosen as finalists for the Lyfebulb-Helsinn Cancer Innovation Summit & Award to be held on January 30, 2020. The following inspirational finalists represent companies that have been founded by cancer patients, cancer survivors or those with loved ones affected by cancer: Alexander Börve, PhD of First Derm Jakub Chudik of ConquerX Russell LaMontagne of Boston Immune Technologies and Therapeutics Robert Manning of CureMatch Gilles Pagès, PhD of InfA…

Ashfield Pharmacovigilance Inc. becomes part of Ergomed’s PrimeVigilance division, bolstering its market-leading position as a global independent specialist pharmacovigilance provider and establishing a platform for the broader Ergomed services business in the US Combined business expands PrimeVigilance’s geographic coverage in the strategically important US market and strengthens global service offering Acquisition adds over 40 new clients to PrimeVigilance and a strong order book of contracted future revenues of $9.8 million Ashfield Pharmacovigilance Inc. reported $11.6 million revenue and $0.9 million adjusted EBITDA in the year to 30 September 2019 and is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings   London, UK – 13 January 2020: Ergomed plc (LSE: ERGO) ("Ergomed" or the "Compa…

Happy New Year! Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2020 from everyone at PharmiWeb!

Freeline, a biotechnology company focused on developing curative gene therapies for chronic systemic diseases, today announces Syncona Ltd (“Syncona) has made an $80.0 million (£61.1 million)[1] commitment in a Series C financing and has funded the first tranche of this commitment, amounting to $40.0 million (£30.6 million)[2]. This financing augments the previous £88.4 million Series B investment and the £34.8 million Series A investment previously made into Freeline by the founding investors, led by Syncona. The first $40 million tranche will enable Freeline to expand its team, continue to develop its robust manufacturing platform, including commercial supply capability, generate further data in its clinical programmes for Haemophilia B and Fabry Disease, and continue to progress its pip…

Generative modelling artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be used to optimise advanced compounds, to speed up the identification of promising drug candidates for an undisclosed Almirall drug discovery program. This tackles one of the key challenges in drug design: rapid identification of molecules which simultaneously satisfy multiple bioactivity and drug-like criteria for clinical testing. Through this collaboration, Almirall will leverage Iktos’s AI precision and agility to truly make a difference in patients' lives. Almirall, S.A. (ALM), a leading skin-health focused global pharmaceutical company, and Iktos, a company specialized in Artificial Intelligence for novel drug design, today announced a collaboration agreement in Artificial Intelligence (AI) , where Iktos generative…

PARIS and San Diego, California – December 9, 2019 – Sanofi and Synthorx, Inc. (NASDAQ: THOR), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on prolonging and improving the lives of people suffering from cancer and autoimmune disorders, entered into a definitive agreement under which Sanofi will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Synthorx for $68 per share in cash, which represents an aggregate equity value of approximately $2.5 billion (on a fully diluted basis). The transaction was unanimously approved by both the Sanofi and Synthorx Boards of Directors. “This acquisition fits perfectly with our strategy to build a portfolio of high-quality assets and to lead with innovation, as you will hear at our Capital Markets Day tomorrow, December 10. Additionally, it is aligned with our go…

AQILION AB is selling its entire stake in the portfolio company Glactone Pharma AB to Daniel Lifveredson Invest AB. The purchase price is divided into a smaller amount as initial payment at the time of takeover and an additional payment based on Glactone Pharma's future performance. Glactone Pharma AB was founded in 2012 as a project company within what was then known as Partners för Utvecklingsinvesteringar inom Life Sciences, P.U.L.S. AB, now known as AQILION AB. Glactone Pharma develops innovative new drug candidates for treatment of late-stage prostate cancer (castration-resistant prostate cancer). The innovators’ idea is based on a naturally occurring molecule that has been shown to bind to and block STAT3, which is overactive in cancer cells, and contributes to the unrestrained grow…

Craigavon, N.I., 04 December 2019 - Almac Group, the global contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organisation, has been awarded $200K by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to develop novel biosynthetic routes with the aim of substantially lowering the cost of selected steroidal Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and enable their use in developing world aid programs. The programme of work will see the development of novel biocatalytic routes to Etonorgestrel and Levonorgestrel APIs by Almac Sciences’ established team of biocatalysis experts based in Ireland.  Etonorgestrel is a highly potent material currently made with mid-twentieth century chemistry which makes it very expensive at almost $200k/kg and therefore unaffordable to women in the developing wor…

Brighton, United Kingdom – 2 December 2019 – Destiny Pharma (AIM: DEST), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel antimicrobial drugs that address clear commercial opportunities and also address the global problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), announces that Daniel Hynes, Director of Preclinical Development at Destiny Pharma, will present on the progress of a two-year China-UK Industrial Research programme researching novel antimicrobial candidates from the Company's XF drug platform for use against dermal and ocular infections at the Partnerships to Tackle the Global Challenge of AMR, UK-China AMR Workshop on 3-5 December, 2019 in Beijing, China. Dr William Love, Chief Scientific Officer and Founder of Destiny Pharma, commented: “We are delighted to…

London UK, 27 November 2019 – The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) today released the UK cell and gene therapy skills demand report. The report shows that the UK cell and gene therapy industry currently supports over 3,000 jobs. Employment in this sector in the UK is set to more than double by 2024 as more therapies are moving towards commercialisation. In seven years, the industry has expanded from 500 jobs in 2012 to over 3,000 and is predicted to reach over 6,000 jobs by 2024. The number of manufacturing and bioprocessing roles in particular, has tripled in the past two years alone, to over 1,700 roles to date. The growth reported today in the cell and gene therapy job sector is testament to the established and growing Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) ecosystem tha…

Vaccitech Ltd, a clinical-stage T cell immunotherapy company developing products to treat and prevent cancer and infectious diseases, reports successful recruitment and vaccination for its Universal influenza A vaccine MVA-NP+M1 (VTP-100), across two Phase 2 clinical studies, FLU009 and FLU010. Final primary endpoint data from FLU010 is expected in early 2020. The Phase 2 studies are part of a dual development pathway for VTP-100 that will address both pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccine markets. FLU010 is a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled, influenza challenge study conducted in Antwerp, Belgium, and co-funded by BARDA for $8.6M. There have been 145 participants vaccinated, of which 108 were challenged with the A/Belgium/4217/2015 (H3N2) influenza virus. Another group is s…

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG) following the receipt of regulatory approval from all government authorities required by the merger agreement and, as announced on April 12, 2019, approval by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene stockholders. Upon completion of the acquisition, pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, Celgene became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Under the terms of the merger, Celgene shareholders received for each share, 1.00 share of Bristol-Myers Squibb common stock, $50.00 in cash without interest and one tradeable Contingent Value Right (CVR), which will entitle the holder to receive a payment of $9.00 in cash if ce…

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has launched its General Election 2020 Manifesto for Medicine. The industry body is calling on all parties to ensure that their policies support UK science and research and help maintain the UK’s position as a global leader in medicines and vaccines development into the future. Pharmaceutical companies in the UK collectively employ 63,000 people and invest £4.3 billion in UK R&D – more than any other sector. The ABPI says the next Government should capitalise on the UK’s world-leading life science industry and improve the health of NHS patients by: 1. Prioritising patients and health security in the future UK – EU relationship​ The UK’s membership of the EU has shaped and enforced much of the scientific, regulatory and trade infras…

Erada Technology Alliance receives 3,000 EUR for its world’s first saliva-based malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Erada Technology Alliance’s ambition to eradicate malaria moved a step closer this week after scooping 3,000 EUR on winning the 2019 Africa Challenge. In doing so, it has booked its ticket to the Paris Global Summit in March 2020, where it will pitch again against 1,000 fellow start-ups from across the world in front of 300 investors and international media for the opportunity to receive 100,000 EUR. The South African start-up saw off 5,000 applicants from across Africa to win the Hello Tomorrow Africa Challenge award. This announcement came at the AfricArena conference in Cape Town, which brought together tech start-ups from all over Africa. Erada’s RDT, known as SALVA!, de…

LONDON – 12 November, 2019 – Charity Parkinson’s UK today announced an international partnership with US-based organisation, The Parkinson’s Foundation who have granted £200,000 towards a potential new therapy for people with Parkinson’s as part of the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech, led by the charity. Each year, Parkinson’s UK, their supporters and partners invest more than £4 million into the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech to rapidly develop and test the most promising research findings with the aim of turning them into treatments that will transform the lives of people with Parkinson's. The Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech focuses on the projects that matter the most to the Parkinson’s community and is powered by collaborations with world-leading research organisations that are best placed to del…