Roche has announced plans to jointly develop an early-stage monoclonal antibody against cancer with Genentech Inc and its wholly-owned Swiss unit, GlycArt Biotechnology AG. The molecule was discovered by GlycArt, a spin-out of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. GlycArt was acquired by Roche in July 2005.
An international consortium led by Crucell NV of the Netherlands has received a contract valued at up to $70 million from the US National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop a multivalent vaccine against the Ebola and Marburg viruses. The NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of the world’s largest funders of medical research.
Ark Therapeutics Group Plc has been told by the UK National Health Service that its diagnostic test for detecting early stage peripheral autonomic neuropathy in the feet of diabetic patients has been accepted for reimbursement.
MediGene AG is spinning out its technology platform for producing monoclonal T-cell receptors in a further concentration of its business on a small group of drug candidates which are already in the clinic.
Roche has announced plans to invest CHF 215 million (€136 million) in a new diagnostics facility near Munich, Germany, in order to increase its production of immunodiagnostic tests for doctors and researchers. The Swiss multinational said that immunodiagnostics is a growing market.
Intercell AG of Austria said that it has received €40 million from Novartis under a vaccine-development agreement signed in July 2007, bringing total payments under the deal up to €270 million.
Silence Therapeutics Plc, which is developing siRNA-based therapies and a delivery platform, reported that its half-year revenue for the period ended June 2008 fell to £124,338 from £1,268,837 a year earlier. However, it said that its turnover for the full year would be similar to the £4 million sales it generated in 2007, “thereby ensuring a healthy year-end cash balance.”
Pharming Group NV of the Netherlands said that it plans to submit a biologic licence application (BLA) with the US Food and Drug Administration for its lead drug, Rhucin, by the end of 2008.
The UK regenerative medicine company, Intercytex Group Plc, is moving forward with a pivotal Phase 3 trial of its lead product for chronic wounds and anticipates filing a biologic licence application for the product with the US Food and Drug Administration in the second half of 2009.
Antisoma Plc has ended its financial year with a profit and reported progress across all of its drug development programmes which focus on major indications in the field of oncology.