Kiadis Pharma NV of the Netherlands has raised €5 million in new funds from a private placement of its shares which will help finance a Phase 3 study of its lead cell therapy for immune reconstitution, which was submitted for review by the European Medicines Agency on 26 April.
Bonesupport Holding AB, a Swedish orthobiologics company, has announced plans to raise SEK 500 million (€51.2 million) on Nasdaq Stockholm in order to expand sales of its bioceramic bone graft substitutes that are used to treat bone infections and trauma.
Merck KGaA has taken steps to bolster its immuno-oncology portfolio with the signing of an option and collaboration agreement with F-star Biotechnology Ltd to develop five bispecific antibody compounds. A bispecific antibody is an engineered molecule that binds to two different antigens.
Bicycle Therapeutics Ltd has raised £40 million in a Series B financing round to bring its first peptide-based therapeutic into the clinic. The financing was led by Vertex Ventures, along with Cambridge Innovation Capital and the Longwood Fund.
Belgium-based Argenx NV has made its debut on the Nasdaq over-the-counter market in the US, capping what has been nearly a decade of successful antibody discovery and development. On 17 May, it announced the pricing of an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares that was set to yield $100 million.
A group of biotech entrepreneurs, led by a former executive at Novartis, has announced plans to raise €50 million for a fund that will invest in Italian life science. The fund is being managed by AurorA-TT, a technology transfer company set up in Milan earlier this year.
Belgium-based Celyad SA, which used to go by the name of Cardio3 BioSciences SA, has secured a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Novartis giving the Swiss company rights to US patents for the production of allogeneic CAR T cells.
The Oxford, UK oncology company Immunocore Ltd has identified a lead compound in its second discovery collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline Plc which is expected to have potential for treating triple negative breast cancers, oesophageal, gastric and ovarian cancers.
Less than a year after its founding, GammaDelta Therapeutics Ltd has received an investment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, which sees promise in the UK company’s T cell platform as a source for new immunotherapies.
AstraZeneca Plc has taken steps to bolster its respiratory portfolio with a licensing deal for a preclinical drug candidate that is being developed for patients with moderate to severe asthma.