Privately-owned Okairos AG of Switzerland has raised €16 million in a Series B financing round to support development of its portfolio of T-cell vaccines against a range of infectious diseases. The round was led by Versant Ventures of the US.
Sanofi Pasteur will pay $55 million upfront to acquire privately-owned, VaxDesign, which develops in vitro models of the human immune system. There is an additional $5 million payment linked to the achievement of certain, undisclosed goals.
The two-year-old Netherlands-based company, arGEN-X BV, has received a €1.5 million grant to accelerate preclinical development of an antibody that targets interleukin 6 (IL-6), a cytokine that plays a role in autoimmune indications.
Sanofi-Aventis SA has agreed to pay $33 million upfront to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts for access to its oncology research. Sanofi will be working with Dana-Farber’s Belfer Institute of Applied Cancer Science.
The privately-owned German biopharmaceutical company, Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH, has raised €53.8 million in a Series C financing to perform a Phase 3 trial of its lead cancer vaccine in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.
Johnson and Johnson is making an offer to acquire all the shares it doesn’t already own of Crucell NV for about €1.75 billion or at €24.75 per share. J&J currently owns 17.9% of Crucell.
Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd has raised CHF 20 million (€15.4 million) through the issue of new, registered shares and zero coupon six-month, mandatory convertible notes to the Biotechnology Value Fund (BVF) LP of San Francisco, California
Genmab A/S has entered into a research collaboration with Seattle Genetics Inc to research and possibly co-develop monoclonal antibody conjugates for solid tumours. Financial details were not disclosed.
The Pharming Group NV is set to receive $15 million upfront from Santarus Inc as part of a commercialisation deal for North America for Rhucin, its recombinant protein for hereditary angioedema. Pharming is planning an FDA filing soon.
The Zurich-based investment management firm, Nextech Invest Ltd has raised €26 million for its third fund, which invests in companies developing novel oncology products. This brings the total raised for oncology since 1999 to €121 million.