A UK-based gene therapy company, Freeline Therapeutics, has received a third investment from the UCL Technology Fund, which supports research from University College London. The fund is managed by Albion Ventures in collaboration with UCL Business, the university’s technology transfer office.
Pfizer Inc has completed its $5.2 billion acquisition of Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc, a US company that is developing small molecule therapeutics using an element in nature called boron. Boron is ingested through the consumption of fruits, vegetables, milk and coffee.
Italy-based MolMed SpA has become the seventh company to get a positive recommendation from the European regulator to market an advanced therapy medicinal product, a group that includes cell and gene therapies as well as tissue-engineered products.
As gene editing technologies gain traction in laboratories around the world, companies producing the new technologies are attracting more money from investors. An example is CRISPR Therapeutics which has a number of preclinical projects where it is investigating gene editing for therapeutic use.
Verona Pharmaceuticals Plc, which is developing products for respiratory diseases, has made arrangements to raise £44.7 million with an equity placement sweetened with warrants. The proceeds will be used for a Phase 2b trial of its lead product RPL554 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The share price of Circassia Pharmaceuticals Plc fell by 64.85% to 95 pence in mid-morning trading on 20 June following the announcement that its phase-3 trial of its cat allergy drug failed to meet its primary endpoint.
Woodford Investment Management LLP has raised its stake in Imperial Innovations Group to 21% making it the group’s second most significant investor behind Invesco Asset Management.
Medical device company Mainstay Medical International Plc has raised €30 million in a share placement to new and existing investors to commercialise its implantable neurostimulation device for back pain in Europe and complete a trial for a US regulatory submission.
Sweden-based Medivir AB has engaged professional advisors to investigate the possibility of reorganising the company into two independent businesses in order to deliver more value to shareholders. The announcement was made to the Nasdaq Stockholm stock exchange on 15 June.
Allecra Therapeutics, a three-year old biotech company co-located in Germany and France, has raised €22 million in a Series B investment round to finance the development of an antibiotic combination therapy designed to treat Gram-negative bacteria.