Today Stories

LNC Therapeutics, a French biotech company specializing in gut microbiome-based drug discovery, today announced that it has signed an exclusive license agreement with Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA ) for its Christensenella patent family. Christensenellais a recently discovered family of gut bacteria. Considered a keystone taxon in the human gut microbiome, it represents a major opportunity in the fight against obesity, metabolic disorders and other high-impact diseases. Christensenella and microbiome modulation is an innovative approach with the potential to unlock a wide range of therapeutic applications. By securing a license for the Christensenella patent, LNC has bolstered its strategy for developing innovative therapeutic approaches based on this new family of bacteria. "…

eXmoor pharma and MeiraGTx are delighted to announce an extension to their strategic collaboration.   eXmoor is providing process development services from its Commercialisation Laboratories at Future Space, Bristol. Two streams of work have focused on development of the MeiraGTx adherent and suspension cell process platforms and have demonstrated yield improvement as well as scale up towards commercial supply.   This collaboration is the next step in the relationship following eXmoor’s assistance in the design and implementation of MeiraGTx’s new Gene Therapy Facility in central London. Managing director of eXmoor, Angela Osborne said “The synergy with the Consultancy business keeps our Lab Team focused on the end game of GMP manufacturing and I’m very pleased that we can b…

The European specialty pharmaceutical company launches its new name to support its strategic vision   Neuraxpharm, a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce its new name, having rebranded from NuPharm Group. This exciting next chapter for the company positions Neuraxpharm as a single and differentiated CNS-oriented firm within the European pharmaceutical industry. Neuraxpharm develops and commercializes branded and generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of disorders that affect the central nervous system (CNS). With over 100 CNS molecules, the company offers a wide range of effective, differentiated and affordable CNS treatment options to patients, healthcare professionals and industry partners. Neuraxpharm has a direct presence in Germany, Spai…

·        Deal includes global rights to pegfilgrastim biosimilar, Pelmeg® with a potential global market worth $4.5bn1 ·        Mundipharma acquires 100% ownership from parent company Infarco ·        As a leader in biosimilars in Europe, today’s deal deepens Mundipharma’s biosimilars platform beyond commercial excellence to development ·        Mundipharma estimates that through its existing partnership with Celltrion – Remsima® and Truxima® have saved healthcare systems approximately €330m2   Cambridge, UK, 10th October 2018.  The Mundipharma global network of independent associated companies has today added development capabilities to…

Hatfield, UK | Porto, Portugal | 08 October 2018 – Bial and Eisai have today announced new sub-analysis data from the Euro-Esli study, that confirms that the effectiveness of eslicarbazepine acetate monotherapy is significantly greater compared with eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive therapy in adults with focal-onset epilepsy based on clinical practice.[1] Whilst this may be expected, given that patients managed on monotherapy will tend to be less refractory to treatment, it provides real-world substantiation for the value of eslicarbazpine acetate as monotherapy in newly diagnosed patients. The data, which add to the body of evidence on eslicarbazepine acetate as monotherapy were published today in Acta Neurologica Scandinavica.1   The Euro-Esli study presents the largest clini…

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) today announced the initiation of two global clinical research programs for brazikumab, an investigational drug being studied for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). INTREPID (Crohn's disease) and EXPEDITION (ulcerative colitis), will evaluate the safety and efficacy of brazikumab and will investigate the role of biomarkers in determining a predictive response of brazikumab in patients with IBD. They are the first active comparator studies of an IL-23 inhibitor therapy in IBD to evaluate biomarkers as potential predictors of treatment response and the first randomized comparison of an IL-23 inhibitor versus HUMIRA® (adalimumab) in Crohn's disease and ENTYVIO® (vedolizumab) in ulcerative colitis. Despite advancements in IBD treatments, up to 80 percent of patien…

GW Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: GWPH, "GW," and the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform, announced today the pricing of an underwritten public offering by the Company. GW will issue 1,900,000 American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), representing 22,800,000 ordinary shares of GW, at a price to the public of $158.00 per ADS on the Nasdaq Global Market, raising gross proceeds of approximately $300 million (before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses).  GW has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 285,000 ADSs at the public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions.  Closing of th…

·         Arix co-leads a $58 million Series A investment in new Group Business, VelosBio Inc., bringing core portfolio1 to 15 companies Arix commits $11 million (£8.4 million)2 for 11.2% ownership stake Co-investment with strategic partner Takeda and leading venture capital investors Arix further strengthens position in oncology; investment in VelosBio increases oncology portfolio3 to 5   Arix Bioscience plc (LSE: ARIX) (“Arix” or the “Company”), a global healthcare and life science company supporting medical innovation, today announces that it has invested in new Group Business, VelosBio Inc. (“VelosBio”), a next-generation oncology company, developing novel antibody-drug conjugates (“ADCs”) to treat haematological cancers and solid tumours…

WuXi Biologics (2269.HK), a leading global open-access biologics technology platform company offering end-to-end solutions for biologics discovery, development and manufacturing and I-Mab Biopharma ("I-Mab"), a biotech company focusing exclusively on innovative biologics in immuno-oncology and auto-immune diseases, jointly announce today that I-Mab has expanded strategic collaboration with WuXi Biologics and licensed proprietary WuXiBody™ Platform to develop three bispecific antibodies. WuXi Biologics will also be the exclusive partner to develop and manufacture these bispecifics. Under the terms of the agreement, I-Mab has rights to use the proprietary WuXiBody™ Platform to research, develop and commercialize three bispecific antibodies generated from I-MAB's proprietary pipeline. WuXi B…

Nutriband Inc. (OTCQB: NTRB), is pleased to announce it has signed the definitive acquisition agreement to acquire Carmel Biosciences, Inc.  The acquisition is expected to be valued at approximately $2,700,000 and will be paid in company stock in the amount of 350,000 restricted common shares. According to the deal, Nutriband will acquire the NDA and ownership rights to FDA approved Prexxartan™, the ownership and rights to develop and market Carmel's pipeline including CAR-509, CAR-510, CAR-511 and CAR-512 currently in Pre IND phase plus rights to Carmel's clinically tested nutraceutical line.  This includes MET-191, a nutritional supplement which has demonstrated benefit of lipid management, appetite control, and weight management, while improving factors that contribute to the…

On the occasion of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 73), Royal Philips (NYSE :PHG , AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced the successful development of the 'Augmented Infant Resuscitator (AIR)' – an add-on device for conventional neonatal bag-valve-mask (BVM) resuscitators that helps caregivers to effectively resuscitate asphyxiated newborn babies. Developed in collaboration with the Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech) at Massachusetts General Hospital Global Health, the Philips Augmented Infant Resuscitator aims to reduce neonatal mortality, especially in parts of the world that are underserved in terms of healthcare. It is expected to be available in limited volume in selected markets prior to scaling up availa…

Valent U.S.A. LLC and Nufarm Americas, Inc. announced today the two companies have signed a 5-year distribution agreement extending Nufarm Americas' position as exclusive distributor of a broad portfolio of Valent branded products.  The agreement covers all Valent products for the professional turf and ornamental (T&O), aquatic, and industrial vegetation management (IVM) markets in the United States.  This agreement continues the distribution partnership Valent and Nufarm established in 2014. "This agreement between Valent and Nufarm ensures continued innovation, service, and support to our T&O, IVM, and aquatics customers, said Matt Plitt, executive vice president and chief operations officer for Valent.  "The history of the two organizations working together is so…

Thursday 20th September saw the ninth PM Society Digital Awards take place at The Brewery in London. 450 guests sat down to dinner before the winners were announced by the voice of the Lotto Alan Dedicoat and comic host Ramesh Ranganathan. There was an even spread of winners across the categories, echoing last year’s trend with no one agency or company sweeping up more than 2 Golds. This year the evening ended with the announcement of the first Pharma Digital Partner award which was won by Norgine’s Kym Jacks Bryant who beat finalists Mary Andrews from GSK and Kasper Kofod from Novo Nordisk.  Best Digital Project or Account Manager this year was won by Four Health’s Sam Bradford Smith and the Best Agency Digital Team was from Insypher. This year 3 agencies stood out at the top of th…

Aralez Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Aralez" or the "Company") announced today that it and certain of its affiliates have entered into purchase agreements with two separate stalking-horse purchasers to sell their main operating businesses:  an agreement to sell its VIMOVO® royalties and Canadian operations to Nuvo Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Nuvo") in a transaction valued at U.S.$110 million, subject to customary adjustments, and an agreement to sell its TOPROL-XL® Franchise to its secured lender, certain funds managed by Deerfield Management Company, L.P. ("Deerfield"), in a transaction valued at U.S.$130 million, subject to customary adjustments. Deerfield has also provided a commitment to finance Nuvo's transaction with the Company. Each of Nuvo and Deerfield has agreed to serve as "stal…

American Associated Pharmacies (AAP), an independent pharmacy cooperative with over 2,000 pharmacy members, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the remaining 50 percent interest in the joint venture of Arete Pharmacy Network. Arete Pharmacy Network is a quality-focused national Pharmacy Services Administrative Organization (PSAO), concentrated on the success and profitability of independent and community pharmacies. The transaction closed on Sept. 12, 2018. Arete Pharmacy Network was formed in 2016 with a total of 2,250 stores; it has since grown significantly with over 2,800 pharmacies. This makes Arete Pharmacy Network the fourth largest PSAO in the nation. In December 2016, Arete Pharmacy Network further expanded its geographical footprint through the acquis…

Mitra Biotech today announced a partnership with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals focused on advancing Glenmark's proprietary immuno-oncology drug pipeline utilizing Mitra's CANscriptTM platform. CANscript is a human, immune-relevant ex vivo platform that allows drug developers to understand drug performance in human tissue, which in turn allows for an informed approach to clinical development and patient response. CANscript recreates the in vivo tumor microenvironment, maintaining the heterogeneity of the tumor while preserving its immune compartment. This uniquely positions the platform to provide drug developers with answers to mechanistic questions about their immuno-oncology drug candidates and prioritize the most promising candidates for advancement into clinical trials. "Glenmark recogniz…

New life-changing cell and gene therapies for use in health services around the world will be produced in Stevenage by innovative biotech firms as the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) is granted new licences.   The licences, awarded by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), will help these companies collaborating with the CGT Catapult at the Stevenage manufacturing centre develop therapies that can progress faster to clinical trials and commercial supply. More cell and gene therapies are becoming available for patients, and the new licences represent a significant step towards establishing the CGT Catapult’s manufacturing centre in Stevenage as a world-leading hub for the production of advanced therapies. The manufacturing centre, opened in Apri…

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG) announces the acquisition of sanaplasma AG, a source plasma collection company headquartered in Switzerland. The acquisition of sanaplasma AG is expected to increase Shire’s access to plasma in the longer term and add to its European plasma collection network, complementing existing core capabilities in plasma supply and manufacturing. Plasma is essential to the manufacture of immunoglobulin therapies that help treat patients living with certain rare immunological diseases. Immunology is Shire’s largest franchise, with 18% growth on a pro-forma basis in 2017 to $4.4 billion in product sales, primarily driven by increased global demand for subcutaneous and intravenous immunoglobulin brands. This acquisition is expected to support the growth of the Immunol…

IRBM, today announced a new agreement in the peptide therapeutics area with Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth NJ USA, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, continuing their long-standing history of collaboration that began in 2010. “Our R&D peptide group have extensive expertise to help deliver high quality peptide drugs for a wide variety of therapeutic indications,” said Carlo Toniatti, CSO at IRBM. “We are thrilled to be collaborating on this project as part of our mission to advance impactful agents into the clinic.” There has been increasing interest in peptide research over the last 15 years. The pharma industry continues to make significant pre-clinical and clinical investments into peptide-based therapeutic candidates for different therapeutic areas, including met…

Citoxlab, a leading CRO for non-clinical research, today announces an investment and partnership deal with Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology Berlin-Buch GmbH (EPO), a well-recognized CRO providing comprehensive services for preclinical oncology research worldwide.   Founded in 1997, EPO is an AAALAC accredited organization. It provides in vitro and in vivo testing of drug candidates with antitumoral and/or immunostimulatory activities in the oncology field. With state-of-the art facilities of 1,300m2 (12,000ft2) at the Campus Berlin-Buch, EPO offers, in particular, a comprehensive range of well characterized syngeneic tumor models, Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) models and humanized tumor models. More than one hundred large pharma and biotech companies from Europe, Asia and Nort…