Finance, Grants, Deals

Funds for Stargardt therapy

Country
Spain

SpliceBio SL, a clinical-stage genetic medicines company in Spain, has received $135 million in Series B financing to advance a new therapy for Stargardt disease, an inherited condition that can lead to the progressive loss of vision and blindness. The financing was co-led by EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from the Roche Venture Fund and existing investors. It will help finance an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of the company’s lead gene therapy candidate SB-007.

Funding for French start-up

Country
Italy

A French start-up company located in Strasbourg has been awarded €11.25 million in seed funding to develop neuroplastogens, a class of small molecule drug, for depression and neuropsychiatric disorders. Elkedonia SAS received the funding from a syndicate co-led by Kurma Partners and including Angelini Ventures, the venture capital arm of Angelini Industries of Italy.

NodThera starts obesity trial

Country
United Kingdom

The Philadelphia, US, based biotech company NodThera Ltd has started dosing patients in a trial of a small molecule drug for obesity that targets a protein in an inflammasome complex in the brain. The Phase 2 study will enrol 160 patients who are obese and may or may not also have type 2 diabetes. The trial will be carried out over 24 weeks with headline data expected in the second quarter of 2026. Although it is small, the trial is being positioned to test a relatively new concept: whether it is possible to change the course of obesity by correcting underlying metabolic dysfunction.

Lilly partners with Camurus

Country
Sweden

Eli Lilly and Co has entered into an exclusive licencing agreement with Sweden-based Camurus AB to use its technology to deliver incretin products to people with obesity and diabetes over extended periods – thereby reducing frequent administration. Based in Lund, Camurus has developed a technology called FluidCrystal that consists of a lipid-based liquid combined with a dissolved active ingredient. Upon injection, the medical compound is slowly released and gradually degrades in a patient’s tissue.

Sanofi to acquire Blueprint

Country
France

Sanofi SA is to acquire Blueprint Medicines Corp, expanding its immunology pipeline with a marketed product for systemic mastocytosis, a rare blood disorder that can affect multiple systems in the body. Sanofi is to pay $129 per share in cash for the US company, representing a deal value of $9.1 billion at the transaction close in the third quarter. This figure could rise to $9.5 billion if one of the company’s clinical programmes meets specific development and regulatory milestones.

Indivior to quit UK market

Country
United States

Indivior Plc, a company that is developing medicines to treat opioid use disorders, has announced plans to consolidate the trading of its shares on Nasdaq in the US. Consequently, it has initiated a delisting from the London Stock Exchange which will take effect on 25 July. “A single primary listing on Nasdaq best reflects the profile of Indivior’s business,” David Wheadon, the company’s chairman, said in a statement on 2 June.

Immunic completes public offering

Country
United States

Immunic Inc has raised $65 million from a public share offering to advance its pipeline of small molecule therapies for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The offering consists of warrants to purchase stock in the company which can be exercised at different periods up until 3 June 2030. It closed on 3 June. Immunic could receive up to an additional $130 million if the warrants are exercised in full for cash. The financing was co-led by BVF Partners and Coastlands Capital with Leerink Partners as the bookrunner.

Molecular glue medicines

Country
United States

Orionis Biosciences has announced a second strategic collaboration with Genentech to discover and develop a new class of monovalent molecular glue medicines for cancer, in a deal worth $105 million upfront and more than $2 billion in potential milestone payments.

GSK expands liver portfolio

Country
United Kingdom

GSK Plc is to expand its portfolio of products for the treatment of liver disease with the acquisition of an asset to treat and prevent the progression of steatotic liver disease (SLD), formerly known as fatty liver disease. Announced on 14 May, the deal features an upfront payment of $1.2 billion for the asset with potential for additional success-based milestones of $800 million. The liver disease affects a significant percentage of the global population and is mainly driven by obesity, type 2 diabetes, and alcohol intake, according to a 2024 review in The Lancet

Finance for Azafaros

A consortium led by Jeito Capital of France has raised €132 million in new funds for Azafaros BV of the Netherlands enabling it to advance an experimental compound for rare metabolic disorders into Phase 3. Co-leading the Series B round was Forbion, whose operating partner Carlo Incerti is chair of the company’s board of directors. Joining the board as a new member will be Audrey Cacaly, a principal at Forbion Growth, which is a fund supporting late-stage assets.