Evotec AG is to gain rights to a group of infectious disease assets from Sanofi SA in a transaction that will see the German company become a research hub for the development of medicines for diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
Spain-based Minoryx Therapeutics s.l. has spun out a platform technology into a new company, enabling it to focus on its lead programme MIN-102 for the treatment of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, a genetic disorder affecting the nervous system.
With two products on the market and four wholly-owned compounds in late-stage development, Denmark’s Zealand Pharma A/S has positioned itself to grow as an independent biopharma company.
Lundbeck A/S continued to bear the fruits of a rolling restructuring programme as earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) as a percentage of revenue in 2017 grew to 25.6%, up from 14.7% a year earlier. This was just above the company’s target of 25%.
Novartis has expanded an alliance with Science 37 Inc of the US to launch up to 10 clinical trials over the next three years that will be conducted at a participant’s home or a physician’s officer rather than at a formal clinical trial site. Science 37 is a mobile technology and clinical trial company.
Verona Pharma Plc has reported positive top-line data from a Phase 2a trial of its inhaled drug for patients with cystic fibrosis, a rare inherited disease that causes impaired lung function and premature death. The data showed an improvement in lung function that was statistically significant.
Novartis has announced a collaboration with Pear Therapeutics Inc to develop digital therapeutics for patients with schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis using mobile and desktop software. The new products would deliver clinically-proven treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy.
AstraZeneca Plc has spun out six compounds from its early-stage pipeline in inflammation and autoimmunity into a new company in order to share the cost of development with a group of financial institutions. The stand-alone company has Series A funding of $250 million.
A zinc finger nuclease gene editing technology is to be used to develop ex vivo cell therapies for cancer, under a new research collaboration between the Gilead Sciences company Kite and Sangamo Therapeutics Inc.
Targovax ASA ended 2017 with a cash balance of NOK 261.6 million (€27.1 million), aided by a capital increase in the third quarter, which enabled the company to sustain heavy investments in its oncolytic virus and peptide vaccine platforms.