Today Stories

GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) has announced the completion of the divestment of travel vaccines Rabipur (tradename Rabavert in the US) for the prevention of rabies, and Encepur for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis, to Bavarian Nordic. Consistent with the terms of the agreement first announced on October 21st 2019, GSK has received an upfront payment of EUR308 million (£263m), and in due course will receive further milestone payments for a total consideration of up to EUR955 million. The decision to divest these brands supports GSK’s strategic intent to increase focus and reinvest in growth assets, innovation and a simplified supply chain in its vaccines business. About Rabipur (Tradename Rabavert in US and Canada)Rabipur is a well-established life-saving vaccine (rab…

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

PARIS – December 23, 2019 – Sanofi announced today that it intends to commence a tender offer (the “Offer”) today to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Synthorx, Inc. (“Synthorx”) for $68 per share in cash, without interest thereon and net of any applicable withholding taxes. The Offer is being made pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 7, 2019 (as it may be amended from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”), by and among Synthorx, Sanofi and Thunder Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Sanofi (“Purchaser”). The Offer is scheduled to expire one minute past 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, unless the Offer is extended in accordance with the Merger Agreement and the…

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…

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK – 16th December 2019 – Newcells Biotech are excited to announce that they are Phase II contract winners of the NC3Rs-funded CRACK IT Challenge (named ImmuLiver). They have been awarded a further funding to continue development of their human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) model of the human liver that is metabolically and immunologically competent for the routine assessment of Yellow Fever vaccine attenuation. Current in vitro liver models lack immune competency. A functional liver model that can accurately recreate the complexity of the organ is needed to assess viscerotropism (the tendency to attack or affect the viscera) and reduce the use of animals in the testing of new vaccine products. “We are creating a user-friendly, in vitro human liver sinusoid sys…

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., 6 December 2019 –  Almac Group is delighted to announce Almac has won the “Innovation in Sponsorship” award during this year’s Irish Sponsorship Awards ceremony in Dublin. This award, given annually, recognizes “a distinct new method or unique approach to a sponsorship activation, partnership or initiative” and we received the award in recognition of our unique and innovative £1 million sponsorship agreement with W5, the interactive discovery center in Belfast. As announced previously, this partnership, a first of its kind in Ireland, has resulted in a comprehensive STEM learning program based at W5 that aims to improve access to STEM education and promote exciting career possibilities available through pursuing STEM subjects. As a business employing over 5,600 individuals…

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…

St Gallen, 26 November 2019: Iron Deficiency Day is an international event which raises awareness of the serious impact of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia.1  Since its launch in 2015, Iron Deficiency Day has aimed to educate people globally about the importance of iron for the body and what can happen if iron levels are not properly managed. It encourages people to become better informed and take control over their health. Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia is estimated to affect one in three people worldwide2, yet despite the serious consequences and high prevalence of iron deficiency,3 it is still an under-recognised condition. Stefan Schulze, President of the Executive Committee and COO from Vifor Pharma said: “At Vifor Pharma we strive to help patients around the…

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…

Gatwick, UK, 20 November 2019 – Novo Nordisk and UNICEF announced a new partnership today to help prevent childhood overweight and obesity worldwide with an initial focus on interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean. Under this partnership, the United Nations children’s agency and the global healthcare company will combine efforts to enhance knowledge and awareness on how to prevent overweight and obesity and address their root causes. The partnership will initially cover a period of three years. “Childhood overweight and obesity can contribute to ill health, stigmatisation and even reduced educational attainment,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “With partners like Novo Nordisk, we want to ensure that preventing childhood obesity and overweight becomes a broader soci…

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…