Novartis is to sell its blood transfusion diagnostics unit, acquired in 2006 as part of Chiron Corp, to the Spain-based company Grifols SA for $1.7 billion. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2014.
Shire Plc has taken steps to strengthen its portfolio of drugs for rare diseases with the acquisition of the Nasdaq-listed ViroPharma Inc of the US which has a marketed product for the prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). The deal is valued at $4.2 billion.
Evotec AG has joined forces with one of the new Johnson & Johnson Inc innovation centres to identify targets for Alzheimer’s disease with a view to discovering and developing potential therapies that could affect early-stage disease.
Biocartis NV has raised €30 million in a Series E equity fundraising ahead of the 2014 launch of a suite of molecular diagnostic products aimed at the global oncology market. The round was entirely supported by existing investors.
ArGEN-X BV has recruited a new venture capital investor to its cohort of financial supporters enabling it to prepare to move a novel antibody fragment with potential for autoimmune diseases into the clinic.
Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP) has raised €192 million for its fourth BioDiscovery fund, increasing its investment capacity by almost 25% relative to its previous fund. Altogether EdRIP has now raised €450 million for life science.
Vienna-based Hookipa Biotech AG has raised €20 million from institutional investors to bring a vaccine candidate for cytomegalovirus into the clinic and to build a pipeline of products for oncology and infectious disease.
Galecto Biotech AB has raised SEK 40 million (€4.5 million) in follow-on funding from its existing investors to progress its portfolio of candidate molecules that modulate galectins, a family of proteins.
Cytos Biotechnology Ltd of Switzerland said that it will seek shareholder approval for a rights issue valued at up to CHF 17.6 million (€14.3 million) in order to take its lead immunotherapy for allergic asthma through Phase 2b proof of concept.
AstraZeneca Plc has selected a microRNA target from a collaboration with California-based Regulus Therapeutics Inc which will be used to develop a new oncology therapeutic. The target is one of three being investigated under a 2012 collaboration between the two companies.