Novo Nordisk A/S , the largest manufacturer of diabetes products, encountered a smaller rise in revenue in 2014 for the second consecutive year as the impact of Obamacare continued to put pressure on price increase in the company’s largest market.
Ascendis Pharma A/S of Denmark has issued 6.9 million shares in the United States at $18 per share, generating net proceeds of $111.5 million. In early trading on 3 February 2015 the shares traded at $19.08 on the Nasdaq, representing a 6.0% premium.
Canada-based EnGene Inc, which has developed a gene-based technology to treat autoimmune diseases, has raised $11.5 million in a Series B investment round. The funds will be used to advance the lead product which is intended to treat ulcerative colitis.
NightstaRx Ltd, a one-year old gene therapy company, has received £5 million in new venture finance to expedite the development of a treatment for choroideremia, an inherited cause of progressive blindness. This brings total funding for the company to £17 million.
Autolus Ltd, an oncology spin-out from University College (UCL) London, has raised £30 million in a Series A financing from Syncona LLP in order to develop a new generation of engineered T cell therapies. The funding, which is significant for a start-up, reflects the expectations of the founders that the new T cell technology will revolutionise the treatment of cancer. Besides Syncona, the other founder is UCL Business Plc, the technology transfer arm of UCL.
Belgium-based Bone Therapeutics SA has announced an initial public offering of its shares on the Euronext exchange in Brussels and Paris with the intention of raising up to €28.9 million to support two pivotal studies of its lead product for the repair of bone fracture.
NovaBiotics Ltd of Aberdeen, UK has raised £5 million through a private share placement with the Oxford-based Woodford Investment Management LLP in order to support the development of antifungal and antibacterial treatments for respectively nail infections and cystic fibrosis.
Roche has reached agreement to acquire Trophos SA, a small French company with a clinical-stage product for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare, genetic neuromuscular disease that is usually diagnosed in children.The same drug is being tested in multiple sclerosis.
Roche has acquired rights to an early-stage beta-lactamase inhibitor for use in combination with new or existing antibiotics to treat infections resistant to current drugs. In 2013, Roche in-licensed another asset that targets multi-drug resistant pathogens.
Shire Plc is to strengthen its rare-disease franchise with an agreement to acquire NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc of Bedminster, New Jersey for $5.2 billion. The transaction, announced on 11 January, has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.