A group of biotech entrepreneurs, led by a former executive at Novartis, has announced plans to raise €50 million for a fund that will invest in Italian life science. The fund is being managed by AurorA-TT, a technology transfer company set up in Milan earlier this year.
Belgium-based Celyad SA, which used to go by the name of Cardio3 BioSciences SA, has secured a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Novartis giving the Swiss company rights to US patents for the production of allogeneic CAR T cells.
The Oxford, UK oncology company Immunocore Ltd has identified a lead compound in its second discovery collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline Plc which is expected to have potential for treating triple negative breast cancers, oesophageal, gastric and ovarian cancers.
Less than a year after its founding, GammaDelta Therapeutics Ltd has received an investment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, which sees promise in the UK company’s T cell platform as a source for new immunotherapies.
AstraZeneca Plc has taken steps to bolster its respiratory portfolio with a licensing deal for a preclinical drug candidate that is being developed for patients with moderate to severe asthma.
The management of Stada Arzneimittel AG, Germany’s leading generics producer, has accepted a €4.1 billion offer for the company from two private equity firms, Bain Capital Private Equity LP of Boston Massachusetts, US and Cinven Partners LLP of London, UK.
Nanobiotix SA, which is developing technology for enhancing radiotherapy treatments, has raised €25.1 million in a private share placement to finance its portfolio and the expected European market launch of its lead product NBTXR3.
Switzerland-based Symetis GmbH has made a major step onto the US medical device market after agreeing to be acquired by Boston Scientific Corp. The deal, announced on 30 March, consolidates the two companies’ technologies for treating valvular heart disease.
Cardian Ltd, a new spin-out from Imperial College London, has received £1.5 million in seed funding to commercialise a device for monitoring patients with heart failure and help physicians manage their care. The device does not need batteries or a power line.
UK-based Abzena Plc is proposing to raise about £25 million through a private share placement to finance the expansion of its technology services to companies in the US and Europe. The company is listed on the AIM market, which is part of the London Stock Exchange.