Antibiotic projects aimed at tackling multi-drug resistant bacteria are among the novel programmes to have received funding from government institutions and venture capitalists in Europe recently. The following article summarises this seed funding, as well as financing for later-stage biotechnology projects.
SuppreMol GmbH, a 2002 spin-out of the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Germany, has closed a €15.5 million Series C financing round to further clinical studies of its lead product for two autoimmune diseases.
Johnson & Johnson Inc said it will start its previously-announced €1.75 billion offer for Crucell NV before 10 December despite an ongoing investigation into a manufacturing problem at a plant in Korea that has affected two Crucell vaccines.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc has raised its stake to 19% from about 12% in Theravance Inc, a US biopharmaceutical company with whom it has a collaboration in respiratory medicines. The transaction is valued at $129 million.
Zealand Pharma A/S of Denmark has made an initial public offering of its shares on the Nasdaq OMX exchange in Copenhagen, one of the very few European biotechnology companies to seek a public listing in more than a year.
Advent Venture Partners LLP has raised £75 million for a new fund devoted exclusively to life science investments. The fund will invest primarily in early and mid-stage companies in the UK, Europe and the US.
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH has signed a collaboration and licensing agreement with the Vienna-based F-Star Biotechnologische Forschungs-und Entwicklungsges to jointly discover new antibody-derived therapies.
The UK speciality pharmaceutical company, BTG Plc, has announced an agreed bid to acquire Biocompatibles International Plc, which produces drug-eluting bead products, for a combined cash and share bid valued at £177.2 million.
Wilex AG has announced the acquisition of certain diagnostics assets from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics which trade under the name, Oncogene Science. The assets include marketable diagnostic kits and laboratories in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Ablynx NV of Belgium is set to receive €3 million in milestone payments from Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH - its fifth such payment under a three-year old antibody research alliance with the German company. Payments now amount to €15 million.