The Dutch biotech company, Pharming Group NV, has raised €12 million in a private share placement, sweetened with warrants, with existing and new institutional investors. The proceeds will support the manufacture of Ruconest, which is awaiting FDA approval.
The German vaccine developer CureVac GmbH has secured a licensing agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Johnson & Johnson Inc) to develop an influenza vaccine based on its messenger RNA technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Pharmalink AB, a Sweden-based specialty pharmaceutical company, has raised SEK96 million (€11.1 million) in a Series C round to advance the clinical development of products to treat patients with cancer and renal disease.
The fortunes of biotech, at least in the US, have shifted. Gone is the gloom and in its place has arrived something close to euphoria, driven by a wave of initial public offerings (IPOs).
Merck & Co Inc has announced a further contraction of its business in order to become better focused and more flexible. The plan includes new redundancies of about 8,500, in addition to pending, previously announced staff cuts.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Brintellix (vortioxetine), an inhibitor of serotonin reuptake, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The developers are H. Lundbeck A/S and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.
Cell Medica Ltd has further extended its global footprint with the opening of a manufacturing facility in Germany which will support the commercial launch of its lead cell product for the prevention and treatment of cytomegalovirus infections.
Ablynx NV and Merck Serono have expanded a partnership dating from 2008 to focus on early discovery across a range of therapeutic areas with the goal of identifying antibody-derived therapeutic proteins for later stage development.
Merck Serono has changed course and decided to continue development of its MUC1 antigen-specific immunotherapy against non-small lung cancer focusing on a patient subgroup. The Phase 3 trial is being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment with the FDA.
Galapagos NV and AbbVie Inc have reached an agreement to co-develop small molecule drugs to treat cystic fibrosis. The goal is to identify compounds that can correct defects and/or restore the activity to the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator protein.