News

Novo acquires Xellia Pharmaceuticals for $700 million

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Novo A/S, the financing entity that is at the apex of Denmark’s pharmaceutical industry, has acquired all the share capital of Xellia Pharmaceuticals AS of Norway for about $700 million. One of the sellers was Britain’s 3i Group Plc.

Country: Norway

SuppreMol gets additional series D financing

Tuesday 21 May 2013

SuppreMol GmbH, which specialises in autoimmune diseases, has raised €9.5 million as the second part of a €16 million series D financing for the Phase 2 development of its lead autoimmune drug candidate.

Country: Germany

Wellcome Trust funds cancer prognosis project

Monday 20 May 2013

The Wellcome Trust is allocating £2.7 million to a UK project that will use new gene sequencing technology to identify mutations that predispose patients to cancer and then to integrate this information into routine patient care.

Country: United Kingdom

Elan restructures in a bid to remain independent

Monday 20 May 2013

Elan Corporation Plc has announced a further restructuring and a share repurchase plan in a bid to win over shareholders who are being wooed by the US investment group Royalty Pharma in an unsolicited takeover bid.

Country: Ireland

Activists applaud stem cell breakthrough

Saturday 18 May 2013

Advocates of stem-cell research have applauded the recent report that US scientists have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body.

Country: United States

Atlas Venture names Amgen, Novartis as strategic partners

Saturday 18 May 2013

Atlas Ventures of the US has entered into new partnership agreements with Amgen and Novartis in connection with the closing of its ninth investment fund Atlas IX. The two companies are limited partners of the fund, and will participate in the creation of new startup companies.

Galápagos and AbbVie extend JAK1 alliance

Friday 17 May 2013

AbbVie Inc (formerly part of Abbott Laboratories) is expanding its collaboration with Galápagos NV of Belgium to take the Galápagos JAK1 inhibitor, GLPG0634, into Crohn’s disease. The molecule is already being investigated for rheumatoid arthritis.

Country: Belgium

Sanofi reports on JAK2 inhibitor in MF

Friday 17 May 2013

Sanofi SA said that its JAK2 inhibitor for myelofibrosis met its primary endpoint in a Phase 3 pivotal study. The placebo-controlled study was conducted in 24 countries under a Special Protocol Assessment with the US Food and Drug Administration.

Country: France

Algeta cancer treatment approved by FDA

Wednesday 15 May 2013

A new radiopharmaceutical developed by Algeta ASA of Norway to treat men with prostate cancer that has spread to the bones has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The product (radium-223) is an alpha-emitting nuclide.