News

Entrepreneurs from Belgium, the Netherlands and the US have joined forces to develop a treatment that might dampen the hyperactive immune responses experienced by patients with Covid-19 associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. These cytokine storms arise when potentially lethal amounts of cytokines and chemokines are released by the body in response to viral infections. The goal is treat these inflammatory reactions efficiently and safely.

Two European cell therapy companies have decided to merge in order to create a pipeline of allogeneic cell therapies directed against both solid and blood-borne tumours. The merger will see Sweden-based Immunicum AB take control of DCprime BV of the Netherlands through the issuance of 74 million shares valued at about SEK 600 million (€59 million). DCprime’s majority shareholder, Van Herk Investments BV, will hold approximately 43% of the combined company. Together, the new entity is expected to have funding to support product development into the beginning of 2022.

AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford have become the third developers to report high levels of efficacy for their experimental vaccine to prevent Covid-19. The partners are now preparing for regulatory submissions, and have reaffirmed a commitment to supply their vaccine globally on a not-for-profit basis for the duration of the pandemic.

Novartis has entered into a licencing and collaboration agreement with Australia-based Mesoblast Ltd to further develop and commercialise remestemcel-L, an allogeneic cell therapy for the treatment of a number of inflammatory disorders. These include acute respiratory distress syndrome, and that associated with Covid-19. Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a type of respiratory failure characterised by the rapid onset of inflammation in the lungs.

A new drug combination has received an emergency use authorisation (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration for adults and children in hospital with Covid-19 and requiring supplemental oxygen or other life support measures. The treatment combines the anti-viral drug remdesivir with baricitinib, a marketed medicine for rheumatoid arthritis.

BioNTech SE of Germany and its partner Pfizer Inc, announced final Phase 3 data for their Covid-19 vaccine on 18 November which showed a vaccine efficacy rate of 95%. The vaccine BNT162b2 is based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. The study met all of its primary efficacy endpoints. The efficacy rate applies to participants without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, the first primary objective, and also to participants with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, the second primary objective.

Moderna Inc said that its candidate vaccine, mRNA-1273, was 94.5% effective in preventing Covid-19 disease in a large Phase 3 study that enrolled more than 30,000 participates in the US. The compound is a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine against Covid-19 encoding for a prefusion stabilised form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It was co-developed by Moderna and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

A new venture fund designed to provide seed funding to start-up companies in the UK life science sector has raised £15 million. Start Codon Fund I LP was created by the Start Codon business accelerator. The limited partner investors in the fund include Novartis International AG and Cambridge Innovation Capital, a venture investor focused on opportunities in the Cambridge University ecosystem.

Germany-based Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH has announced positive results from a Phase 1b study of its lead compound CDR132L, an antisense oligonucleotide, for heart failure. The study was performed in cooperation with Richmond Pharmacology Ltd in London, UK and the results were published in the European Heart Journal on 12 November 2020. In the trial, CDR132L met all the endpoints including safety and tolerability.

Evotec SE posted further revenue gains in the nine months to 30 September on the strength of several new drug discovery alliances and the receipt of milestone payments from existing collaborators. Group revenue increased by 12% to €360.4 million and included gains from both its service and proprietary drug divisions. However operating profit declined by 24% to €35.3 million due to higher spending on sales and R&D, as well as a change in tax credit regulations in Italy.