Novartis is to acquire MorphoSys AG for €2.7 billion in cash in order to gain access to pelabresib, a late-stage drug for the treatment of myelofibrosis, a blood cancer caused by genetic abnormalities in bone marrow stem cells. The deal, announced on 5 February, unites two companies with a long history of collaboration in the development of antibody therapeutics.
IMU Biosciences Ltd, a two-year old UK company, has raised £11.5 million from private investors to create a map of the human immune system using artificial intelligence. The goal is be able to monitor the presence of immune disorders early and guide the development of targeted drugs, also known as precision medicines. The Series A financing was announced on 24 January and led by Moulton Ventures Plc. It also included LifeX Ventures and several individuals.
BlueRock Therapeutics LP has exercised an option and gained exclusive rights to a cell therapy derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) for the treatment of primary photoreceptor diseases. The product, OpCT-001, was developed in collaboration with Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics Inc, a manufacturer of human iPSCs and iPSC-derived cells, and Opsis Therapeutics LLC.
Sanofi SA is to acquire an experimental biologic for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a rare disease of the lungs and liver, in a deal valued at up to $2.2 billion. The asset is currently being developed by Inhibrx Inc, a Nasdaq-listed company in the US, which has a pipeline of four main assets. Sanofi will acquire INBRX-101, a recombinant fusion protein which is in a registrational trial for patients with AATD. The deal was announced on 23 January.
A group of European venture funds led by Forbion of the Netherlands has raised €75 million in Series A financing to support the launch of a new biotech company based in Oslo Norway. Calluna Pharma AS will develop antibody therapeutics for the treatment of inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. It has been created from a merger of Oxitope Pharma BV of the Netherlands and Arxx Therapeutics AS of Norway. Besides Forbion, the financing syndicate includes the Norwegian funds Sarsia Management, p53 Invest AS and Investinor AS. The venture finance was announced on 23 January.
An experimental chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy intended for the treatment of multiple sclerosis received a fast track designation from the US Food and Drug Administration on 19 January, indicating its potential to address a major medical need. The therapy is being developed by Kyverna Therapeutics Inc, a biotech company incorporated in 2018 and located in Emeryville, California, US.
The UK government, through its Innovate UK agency, has increased its five-year funding commitment to the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, an incubator for researchers and small companies working on novel advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). Announced on 8 January, the new financial award is £80 million which represents a 35% increase from the previous five year period.
A new financing round for Revagenix Inc has drawn attention to the ongoing need of the healthcare community for novel antibiotics to overcome resistance to current therapies. On 5 January, Revagenix announced the completion of a Series B financing round along with the appointment of three new investment professionals to its board of directors. The size of the Series B round wasn’t disclosed. It will complement existing US government funding to support the company’s lead programme.
A syndicate of investors led by Sunstone Life Science Ventures has awarded €10 million to Resalis Therapeutics Srl of Italy to advance a non-coding RNA-based compound into the clinic for obesity. The goal is to develop a treatment that could be combined with currently approved glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) medicines and achieve weight reduction that is longer lasting than at present, while preserving muscle mass. In connection with the financing, Claus Andersson, general partner of Sunstone, will join the Resalis Board of Directors.
Galapagos NV continued to advance its plan to bring the manufacture of cell therapies closer to patients under an agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc to supply services to a new production site in California, US. Announced on 4 January, the collaboration is the latest iteration of a strategy being rolled out by Paul Stoffels, a former chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson Inc, who became the Galapagos CEO on 1 April 2022.