Novartis has negotiated an exclusive global licencing deal with MorphoSys AG and Galapagos NV for rights to their jointly developed monoclonal antibody for atopic dermatitis, MOR106. The antibody originated in MorphoSys’ laboratories and targets interleukin-17C, a cytokine that has been shown to play an important role in inflammatory skin disorders.
Genmab A/S has deepened its commitment to bispecific antibody technology under a licencing deal with Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH which involves research on multiple new cancer targets. Genmab earns royalties from a marketed monoclonal antibody product for cancer, but in recent years it has been turning to new modalities, such as bispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates, to fill its pipeline.
Germany’s BioNTech AG has reached an agreement with Genevant Sciences Ltd, a new therapeutics company, to develop five products for the treatment of rare diseases using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. The partnership will draw on BioNTech’s expertise in personalised medicine, including RNA therapeutics, with Genevant’s lipid nanoparticle delivery technology.
Novartis reported second quarter net sales of $13.2 billion, up by 7%, and operating income of $2.5 billion, up by 9%, as demand for new products more than offset competition from lower-priced generic medicines.
Abzena Plc, the UK service provider, is to manufacture antibodies for two prospective radiopharmaceuticals being developed by Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd of Australia for the treatment of prostate cancer, one of the four most common cancers in the world.
To address the risk of bioterrorism, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for the treatment of smallpox, an acute contagious viral disease that was declared eradicated in 1980, but could still be reintroduced into the environment at a time of conflict.
“To address the risk of bioterrorism, Congress has taken steps to enable the development and approval of countermeasures to thwart pathogens that could be employed as weapons,” Scott Gottlieb, the FDA commissioner, announced on 13 July.
Forbion Capital Partners of the Netherlands has raised €270 million at the first close of its fourth life science fund, exceeding the target amount of €250 million. Forbion IV will support promising biotech companies predominately in the UK and the EU.
About 20% of the funds will target opportunities in North America.
London, UK-based Abingworth has raised $315 million for its twelfth life science fund bringing the total amount of funds under management to over $1.2 billion. The new fund, Abingworth Bioventures VII, will invest in companies in Europe and the US.
Abingworth invests across all stages of drug development including early and late-stage venture deals, clinical co-development projects and public equities. The typical investment per company is in the range of $15 to $30 million.
A prospective drug for Alzheimer’s disease that failed to show efficacy in late 2017 based on a Bayesian analysis of patient data, has now demonstrated its promise using more conventional statistical methods, according to Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen Inc.
The drug, BAN2401, is a monoclonal antibody targeting beta-amyloid, protein fragments in the brain which are thought to contribute to the neurodegenerative process in Alzheimer’s disease.
A consortium of predominately European investors is providing €47 million to Dynacure SAS of France to bring its candidate antisense oligonucleotide drug into the clinic for the treatment of patients with centronuclear myopathies.
Centronuclear myopathies are genetic disorders characterised by muscle weakness and wasting in the skeletal muscles. Dynacure’s lead product, Dyn101, is intended to treat these disorders by targeting dynamin 2, a protein that is implicated in cell processes such and cell motility and endocytosis.