Company News

Roche gains rights to RNA-targeted drug discovery

Country
Denmark

Santaris Pharma A/S of Denmark has entered into a strategic alliance with Roche to discover and develop RNA-targeted medicines using locked nucleic acid technology which has been developed by Santaris.

GW raises $87.9 million on Nasdaq

Country
United Kingdom

GW Pharmaceuticals Plc has raised $87.9 million in a follow-on offering of an earlier initial public offering on Nasdaq. The funds will be used to support the clinical development of a childhood epilepsy product.

Gilde buys majority stake in virology CRO

Country
Netherlands

A fund operated by Gilde Healthcare Partners BV has acquired a majority interest in Viroclinics Biosciences BV, a 2001 spin-out from the virology department at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Lombard Medical to delist in London and pursue US IPO

Country
United Kingdom

Lombard Medical Technologies Plc is planning to delist its shares in London and make an initial public offering on the Nasdaq market in New York. The company said this will give it access to a larger pool of investors familiar with its market.

Switzerland’s Nextech leads US oncology financing

Country
Switzerland

Nextech Invest Ltd of Switzerland has led a $25 million Series B financing round for a young US biotech company that is developing kinase inhibitors for genomically-defined cancer subsets. Blueprint Medicines Corp is located in Cambridge, Mass.

Ibrutinib trial stopped early

Country
United States

A Phase 3 study of an experimental treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma has been stopped early on efficacy grounds. The treatment, Imbruvica (ibrutinib) has been developed by Janssen Research & Development LLC.

Complete response letter for Lemtrada

Country
France

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a complete response letter (CRL) to Sanofi SA saying it can’t approve the company’s supplemental Biologics License Application for Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for relapsing multiple sclerosis.

EMA recommends new tuberculosis drug

Country
United Kingdom

The European Medicines Agency is recommending that Sirturo (bedaquiline) be granted a conditional market authorisation for pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis as part of a combination therapy. The new drug has been developed by Janssen Therapeutics.

AZ to take full control of diabetes assets

Country
United Kingdom

AstraZeneca Plc is to take full control of a portfolio of diabetes assets being managed jointly with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) in order to strengthen its position in the market. The upfront payment to BMS is $2.7 billion with potential milestones of $1.4 billion.

Bayer in agreed takeover bid for Algeta

Country
Norway

The board of Algeta ASA is recommending that shareholders agree to a takeover offer from Bayer that values the company at NOK 362 ($58.7 per share) for a total of $2.9 billion. Bayer is Algeta’s partner for Xofigo, a recently approved radiopharmaceutical.