Camstent Ltd, which is developing a bacteria-resistant polymer coating for medical devices, has raised £850,000 from a combination of existing and new investors to bring its first product to market – a polymer coated catheter designed to prevent urinary tract infections.
Bayer AG has raised its non-binding offer to buy Monsanto Co for a third time since May to $127.50 per share. A report in The Wall Street Journal on 5 September indicates that the two companies are having constructive talks.
Preliminary data from a national immunisation programme in the UK for the meningitis B vaccine Bexsero has shown the vaccine to be effective in infants up to the age of one year. Bexsero is currently the only meningococcal B vaccine licensed in Europe.
In keeping with the widespread interest in precision medicine, OncoDNA SA, a privately held company that identifies cancer treatment options for doctors and patients, has raised €7.7 million in an equity placement.
Cell Medica Ltd has strengthened its hand in the field of T cell therapy with a new collaboration around T cell receptor technology. Having recently expanded a partnership with Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, US, and acquired the Delenex Therapeutics AG antibody company in Switzerland, the company has now entered into a partnership with University College London (UCL) to develop genetically engineered T cell receptor products for cancer.
A review of patients who had experienced a stroke and were treated with an experimental stem cell therapy has shown the therapy to be safe and linked to improved neurological function. Data from a two-year follow-up of the patients were published in The Lancet on 20 August.
Ablynx NV has reported a 39% increase in revenue to €53.5 million for the first half year and a narrowing of its operating loss to €2 million from €7.4 million. The main events of the period were favourable clinical trial results from two products that use the company’s technology platform, which is derived from the llama.
AstraZeneca Plc is divesting a portfolio of small molecule antibiotics in line with its strategy of generating out-licensing revenue and tightening its therapeutic focus. In a deal announced on 24 August, the UK company said it will sell rights to the portfolio to Pfizer Inc which has a focus on infectious disease.
H. Lundbeck A/S, the Danish specialist in brain diseases, reported a 5% increase in first half year revenue to DKK 7.5 billion (€1.01 billion), powered by a 33% increase of sales in the US. The company also secured an operating profit, after a large loss the previous year from a write-off.
The London-based private equity firm Cinven Ltd is acquiring the US medical services company Bioclinica Inc for a reported $1.4 billion as an investment for its sixth capital management fund.