Zealand Pharma A/S has received €3 million in milestone payments from the Helsinn Group of Switzerland following progress in the early-stage development of a new peptide drug for the treatment of diarrhoea induced by chemotherapy.
AstraZeneca Plc has struck deals with companies operating in China and Japan giving it access to novel compounds in the therapeutic areas of oncology and diabetes. The separate deals involve preclinical and clinical assets.
ArGEN-X BV of the Netherlands has been awarded €1.3 million from a regional Belgian agency to support development of its preclinical antibody portfolio. This follows funding of €27.5 million from a recent Series B venture capital round.
Agennix AG, which has a late-stage product for non-small cell lung cancer and severe sepsis in development, has completed a €27.5 million rights issue with participation from existing shareholders. The issue will secure the company’s operations into 2013.
Forbion Capital Partners has raised $50 million for a second co-investment fund whose purpose is to invest in several portfolio companies that are close to an exit. The firm’s first co-investment fund closed in 2010 with commitments of €54 million.
Privately-owned Molecular Partners AG of Switzerland has expanded its relationship with Johnson & Johnson Inc with an agreement to research potential products for a number of immunological diseases using its protein technology.
The UK speciality pharmaceutical group, Sinclair IS Pharma Plc, is to pay £21 million to acquire Advanced Bio-Technologies Inc, giving it full rights outside the US to the topical silicone gel product, Kelo-cote, for scar reduction.
Early-stage life science projects received another boost on Wednesday with the launch of a new technology fund by the venture capital arm of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). The new fund, EMBL Technology Fund II, has raised €40 million in a first closing.
A new UK start-up company, TopiVert, is set to receive £8 million in venture capital from the Imperial Innovations Group Plc and SV Life Sciences. TopiVert will develop topical drugs for inflammatory diseases of the eye and gut.
CircuLite Inc, which is preparing to launch in Europe what is said to be the world’s smallest blood pump, has raised $30 million in a Series D financing from a syndicate of venture capitalists led by Forbion Capital Partners and new investor Ronald O. Perelman.