Novartis has become the latest company to invest in experimental treatments for cancer that target immune checkpoint proteins on T cells. It is doing this with the acquisition of CoStim Pharmaceuticals Inc of Boston. Financial details weren’t disclosed.
Actavis Plc, an Irish-American generic producer, has made an agreed bid to buy Forest Laboratories Inc, a specialty pharmaceutical company, for about $25 billion, comprising 70.9% in stock and 29.1% in cash.
Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) SA of France has raised €41 million in additional equity financing from existing and new shareholders in order to support its geographical expansion and the clinical development of its portfolio of radiopharmaceuticals.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Vimizim from BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc to treat a rare congenital enzyme disorder that can lead to problems with bone development, growth and mobility.
Summit Plc is proposing to raise up to £21 million in a private share placement directed at institutional and other investors in the US and Europe. The funds will advance compounds for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and C. difficile infections.
Paris-based Sofinnova Partners has seen another company from its Sofinnova Fund VI make an initial public offering of shares in the US – this time for Flexion Therapeutics Inc which is developing products for pain.
Rhenovia Pharma SAS has raised €540,000 in a Series B financing round from existing investors to support development of its technology for predicting the safety of new pharmaceutical compounds in patients with neurological diseases.
Circassia Ltd, which is testing a novel immunotherapy for four major allergies, has announced plans to float on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. At an estimated £175 million, the initial public offering would be one of the UK’s largest.
Innate Pharma SA of France has purchased rights to an immune checkpoint inhibitor from Novo Nordisk A/S of Denmark that is ready for Phase 2 development in oncology. Checkpoint inhibitors are currently attracting a lot of interest because they have shown an ability to thwart tumours.
Uniqure BV of the Netherlands, which is the first company with a licensed gene therapy, expects to raise about $81.9 million from an initial public offering of its shares on the Nasdaq over-the-counter market in the US.