Today Stories

Further expands service offering to pharma and biotech customers Establishes Thermo Fisher as a global leader in the attractive and high growth clinical research services industry Adds highly complementary services for the company's fastest growing end market Offers both meaningful cost and revenue synergies which will further accelerate growth Expected to be immediately and significantly accretive to Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS)¹ after close Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) ("Thermo Fisher"), the world leader in serving science, and PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPD) ("PPD"), a leading global provider of clinical research services to the pharma and biotech industry, today announced that their boards of directors have approved a definitive agreement under which Thermo Fisher will acqu…

Agreement builds on successful preclinical studies in gastrointestinal cancers through the joint Virtual Research and Development Center (VRDC)  The continued collaboration will explore lung cancer targeting KRAS and TRAILR2 molecules from Boehringer Ingelheim’s growing portfolio of cancer treatments and builds on its commitment to delivering first-in-class treatment options to people living with cancer Ingelheim, Germany and HOUSTON - 14 April 2021 – Boehringer Ingelheim and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced the extension and expansion of their joint Virtual Research and Development Center (VRDC) to explore new molecules from Boehringer Ingelheim’s KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma) and TRAILR2 (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2) portfolios for the…

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…

The first Moderna jabs will be delivered in England today (Tuesday) as the NHS vaccination programme reaches another milestone. More than 20 sites, including Reading’s Madejski Stadium and the Sheffield Arena, will initially use the newest vaccine, as the NHS continues to expand the vaccination programme. For those aged 18-29 who are eligible for a jab, the Moderna vaccine provides another alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine, in line with updated MHRA guidance last week. More than 27 million people in England have now received their first jab, with more than 6.1 million second jabs also being given. NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: “The Moderna rollout marks another milestone in the vaccination programme. “We now have a third jab in our armoury and NHS staff will be us…

Sanofi will invest €400 million over five years to create a unique vaccine production site in Singapore, pushing the boundaries of operations through cutting edge manufacturing and digital technologies. The new site will provide Sanofi with the ability to produce innovative vaccines on a massive scale for Asia, and quickly respond to future pandemic risks. The Singapore site will complement Sanofi’s existing manufacturing capacities in Europe and North America and will become a regional center of excellence for vaccines production in Asia. PARIS – April 12, 2021 - Sanofi today announced a €400 million investment over five years to create a unique vaccine production center in Singapore, pushing the boundaries of operations through cutting edge manufacturing and digital technologies. In pa…

Sanofi announced today the successful completion of its acquisition of Kymab Group Ltd., adding KY1005 to its pipeline, a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting key immune system regulator OX40L. The acquisition continues to build on Sanofi’s leading presence in immunology aligned with the company’s strategy to pursue best-in-class treatments in defined areas. Kymab’s pipeline also includes the oncology asset KY1044, an ICOS agonist monoclonal antibody, currently in early Phase1/2 development as monotherapy and in combination with an anti-PD-L1. About SanofiSanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffe…

Global contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), Sterling Pharma Solutions, has announced the acquisition of ADC Biotechnology (ADC Bio), a UK based bioconjugation development services business specialising in antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). This follows an announcement by Sterling in December of a strategic investment into the ADC Bio business, with a view to acquisition in 2021. The Deeside, Wales, UK facility will rebrand to become part of the Sterling Pharma Solutions international network.  Together the teams will establish a centre of excellence for bioconjugation and ADC development and manufacturing services, which combine Sterling’s 50 years of experience in cGMP manufacturing, quality processes and compliance, with the expertise of the ADC Bio team and the stat…

In recent years, countries in the Western Pacific have experienced rapid economic growth, migration and urbanization. This created opportunities for better lives for many, but left others behind. The COVID-19 pandemic has undercut recent health gains, pushed more people into poverty and food insecurity, and amplified gender, social and health inequities.  This World Health Day, we’re calling for action to eliminate health inequities, as part of a year-long global campaign to bring people together to build a fairer, healthier world. The campaign highlights WHO’s constitutional principle that “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.” …

Crossover allows participants to continue in trials and remain blinded Ensures that all trial participants receive active vaccine South Africa and UK crossover arms initiated; US/Mexico PREVENT-19 crossover planned Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced the initiation of crossover arms in two ongoing clinical trials of NVX-CoV2373, the company's COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Crossover ensures the administration of active vaccine to all participants in the trials and has begun for Novavax' Phase 2b trial in South Africa and its pivotal Phase 3 trial in the United Kingdom. Under Novavax' updated clinical trial protocols[1], all participants in the UK and US Phase 3 trials will be offered the o…

Sanofi announces investment of more than €600 million to build a new vaccine facility in Toronto to increase supply of its differentiated influenza vaccines in Canada, the United States and Europe In partnership with the Governments of Canada and Ontario, and the City of Toronto, the new facility will also enhance influenza pandemic preparedness efforts Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent influenza vaccine has four times more antigen than standard-dose vaccine and is specifically designed to provide superior protection against influenza for older adultsi Sanofi today announced an investment of more than €600 million in a new vaccine manufacturing facility at its existing site in Toronto, Canada. The investment in a new facility will provide additional antigen and filling capacity for Sanofi’…

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) announced today that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Cognate BioServices, Inc. for approximately $875 million, subject to customary closing adjustments. Cognate BioServices is a premier, cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) offering comprehensive manufacturing solutions for cell therapies, as well as for production of plasmid DNA and other inputs in the CDMO value chain. The acquisition establishes Charles River as a premier scientific partner for cell and gene therapy development, testing, and manufacturing, providing clients with an integrated solution from basic research and discovery through CGMP production. The strategic benefits of the transaction include: p…

BIOGGIO, SWITZERLAND – March 29, 2021 – The KD Pharma Group has acquired the manufacturing assets of the former Rohner AG. The assets give KD Pharma access to new complementary technologies that will allow the company to further expand its pharmaceutical contract manufacturing (“CDMO”) business. In addition, KD Pharma has strengthened its CDMO team by hiring several key personnel from the former Rohner team. “KD Pharma has all the technology, capacity, and people to become an even larger player in the CDMO market,” said Oscar Groet, CEO of the KD Pharma Group. “Rohner was known for its unique chemical processes and technological capabilities, enabling it to manufacture difficult, multi-step pharmaceutical intermediates and APIs” Groet continued, “this is a natural fit with our strategy to…

New crowdsourcing project to examine the ‘Advanced Biomarker Detection for Pharmacological Monitoring in the Brain’ Talented young scientists from the world’s top universities and research institutions are invited to submit innovative project proposals and apply for a research fellowship at the BioMed X Institute in Heidelberg. BioMed X and Boehringer Ingelheim started their partnership in 2014 and since then have initiated four preclinical research projects in the fields of respiratory diseases, neuroscience, and immunology. Heidelberg, 29.03.2021. German independent research institute BioMed X announces its new global call with Boehringer Ingelheim, which will strive to identify creative ideas for improved in vivo PK/PD sensor platforms supporting the continuous, real-time measurement…

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) today announced the outcome of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Joint Arthritis Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee on tanezumab. There was a single voting question focused on whether the proposed risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) for tanezumab will ensure its benefits outweigh its risks, and the Committee voted 1 in favor and 19 against. Tanezumab 2.5 mg administered subcutaneously (SC) every eight weeks is being evaluated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis (OA) pain in adult patients for whom use of other analgesics is ineffective or not appropriate. Tanezumab is an investigational monoclonal antibody in a new class of medicines called nerve growth…

ProBioGen AG is delighted to announce the signing of a service agreement for Nobelpharma’s highly relevant vaccine project. Earlier work confirmed already the versatility and benefit of ProBioGen’s vaccine development platform, consisting of the proprietary, well-proven AGE1.CR.pIX® suspension cell line and its high performance cell culture medium, for the propagation of Nobelpharma’s virus strain. Now, ProBioGen applies state-of-the-art technologies and a deep expertise to perform the upstream and downstream process development for Nobelpharma's highly relevant vaccine for large scale manufacturing. The duck cell line AGE1.CR.pIX was designed to serve the industrial, GMP-compliant production of a wide variety of viruses in large bioreactors and is free of any adventitious agents. It has a…

PrecisionLife today announces that it has acquired its long-term Danish technology development partner GenoKey ApS, bringing together the leaders in combinatorial analytics and large-scale genomic analysis, and enabling PrecisionLife to continue its expansion as an AI-enabled precision medicine company. Financial details of the paper-based transaction were not disclosed. PrecisionLife’s platform, which includes technology developed with GenoKey, enables the company to gain unique insights into genes associated with disease, as biomarkers and as targets for drug discovery. PrecisionLife’s business model maximizes the impact of its platform by partnering with others as well as building a pipeline of proprietary assets in chronic diseases. In addition to its expertise and IP, PrecisionLife wi…

Basel, Switzerland/London, UK, 22nd March 2021 – Celonic Group, a Swiss-German contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), and University College London, UK, are excited to announce their partnership for the production of therapeutic protein candidates using Celonic’s CHOvolution® cell expression platform. The goal is to establish stable high-performance cell lines for the expression of recombinant human proteins and variants for planned proof of concept clinical trials.  This partnership allows UCL access to Celonic’s CHOvolution®, an industry-leading cell line development platform.  CHOvolution® is based on CHO-K1 host cell line and is suitable for a broad range of applications – from non-GMP R&D testing to GMP development and commercial market supply. Professor Howar…

Merck Sharp & Dohme to participate in previously announced private placement Gross proceeds of Merger and private placement total approximately $39.8 million Leeds, UK – 22 March 2021 - 4D pharma plc (AIM: DDDD) ("4D" or the "Company"), a pharmaceutical company leading the development of Live Biotherapeutic products (LBPs), a novel class of drug derived from the microbiome, is pleased to announce that its business combination with Longevity Acquisition Corporation, details of which were announced on 22 October 2020 (the "Merger"), has now become effective. 4D pharma’s existing Board of Directors and management team will continue to lead the combined company. 4D will continue its operations in the discovery and development of Live Biotherapeutic products. The cash of $14.8 million hel…

Envision Pharma Group (“Envision” or the “Company”), a leading global technology-enabled scientific communications company, is pleased to announce the acquisition of doDOC Corp., a leader in document collaborative review, editing, and authoring.   doDOC is an innovative, best-in-class, Software as a Service (SaaS)-based platform that enables simultaneous collaboration in the review, editing, and authoring of documents among multiple users. Designed for the pharma and life sciences industries, it offers significant industry-specific advantages over general document authoring solutions in the market today. While customers will have the choice to deploy doDOC standalone, the solution will be seamlessly integrated with Envision’s leading medical affairs platform, iEnvision. This unlocks the hu…

Financing includes leading life-science investors Gilde Healthcare, Forbion, Novartis Venture Fund and Eli Lilly and Company. Amphista Therapeutics, a leader in next generation targeted protein degradation (TPD) approaches, today announced the closing of a $53 million (£38 million) Series B financing round. The round was co-led by Forbion and Gilde Healthcare. Additional investors in this round include Novartis Venture Fund, and Eli Lilly and Company, joining existing investor BioMotiv and founding investor Advent Life Sciences. The proceeds will be used to accelerate the company’s growing pipeline of potent and selective bifunctional molecules, known as ‘Amphistas’ to the clinic and to extend its proprietary TPD platform. Amphista’s CEO Nicola Thompson said, “This financing round, led by…