Essex Woodlands, one of the world’s largest healthcare funds, is to take a controlling 51% interest in a new joint venture that will manage a portfolio of medical technology products currently owned by Smith & Nephew Plc of the UK.
Probiodrug AG has secured €15 million from venture capitalists and private investors to support its programme for glutaminyl cyclase inhibitors, the lead compound of which is set to move towards clinical proof of concept in Alzheimer’s disease.
The Swedish speciality pharmaceutical company, Pharmalink AB, has raised SEK35 million (€3.93 million) in a share placement with its existing investors including Sweden’s Industrifonden, to support the late-stage development of two products.
BioInvent International AB is to discover antibodies and provide research services to Les Laboratoires Servier under a licensing and collaboration deal announced on 4 January that has a potential value of €11 million as well as future royalties.
A new Swedish company, Galecto Biotech AB, has received venture funding to develop small-molecule modulators of the galectin family of proteins that could potentially treat fibrosis, inflammation and other diseases.
Apogenix GmbH of Germany has received €2.3 million from the German government to explore a new indication for its lead cancer product, APG101, which is a fusion protein. The new indication is myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
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.