Ipsen SA is to acquire the Canadian pharma company Clementia Pharmaceuticals Inc giving it a late-stage drug candidate for two rare bone disorders. The acquisition comes at a time when the French company is enjoying strong demand for its specialist portfolio which includes oncology drugs as well as two products for growth hormone deficiencies.
Galapagos NV moved a step closer towards the market as its lead product, filgotinib, for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) successfully completed a Phase 3 trial, and two other late-stage studies of the same drug neared the finishing line.
A study of circadian rhythms in human fat have shown that fat cells have their own internal clocks which affect critical metabolic functions. This goes some way towards explaining how a misalignment of these rhythms with each other and the environment can contribute to obesity and poor health, according to a research group from the University of Surrey, UK.
Ipsen SA expects to achieve its medium-term financial targets early, as sales of its speciality products continue to generate demand in both the US and Europe. The company reported strong growth in 2018 when group sales rose by 16.6% to €2.2 billion and operating profit advanced by 30.8% to €519.4 million.
“The momentum of the business is strong as we enter 2019 and are on track to deliver our 2020 financial targets to exceed €2.5 billion in sales and 30% margins, one year earlier,” David Meek, the chief executive, said in a statement on 14 February.
Cellular senescence, or the process by which normal cells stop dividing in response to stress or damage to their DNA, can be both beneficial and harmful. It can be beneficial in assisting wound-healing and preventing the excessive growth seen in cancers. On the other hand, it can drive ageing and age-related diseases by changing the tissue environment. This happens when the senescent cells trigger a cascade of chemical signals that cause inflammation and damage to local cells and tissue. This cascade is known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).
A gene therapy intended as a one-time treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been successfully administered to a patient in the UK, marking the start of one of the first clinical trials of its kind. The therapy consists of a recombinant non-replicating adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector encoding a human complement factor.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has been told it will have to continue servicing the lease covering its former London headquarters even as it completes plans for a move to Amsterdam. The move to Amsterdam follows the UK’s 2016 vote to leave the EU.
The UK High Court ruled on 20 February that the move “was not required as a matter of law.” Therefore the agency’s rental contract remains in force along with the landlord’s right to collect rent. The case was brought by the property company Canary Wharf Ltd.
The EMA is reportedly studying its options for an appeal.
AstraZeneca Plc delivered a 4% increase in product sales in 2018 – the first annual increase since 2009 – prompting the company to declare a return to growth after years of patent expiries and efforts to rebuild its pharmaceutical pipeline.
Driving the increase were higher sales of the lung cancer drug Tagrisso, the diabetes medicine Farxiga and the antiplatelet Brilinta. In addition, the company generated more than $600 million each from Lynparza and Imfinzi, both new cancer medicines.
A venture capital syndicate led by Netherlands-based Life Sciences Partners (LSP) is providing $180 million to Arvelle Therapeutics GmbH, a recently created Swiss company, which has exclusive rights to develop and commercialise a new epilepsy drug in Europe.
The Series A funding is reportedly one of the largest rounds of its kind for a European-focused biopharmaceutical company. Besides LSP, the syndicate includes Andera Partners, NovaQuest Capital Management, BRV Capital Management and H.I.G. BioHealth Partners.
Grey Wolf Therapeutics Ltd, an Oxford, UK based immuno-oncology company, has raised £10 million in a Series A financing round to advance new small molecule drugs for cancer. The financing was provided by Andera Partners (formerly Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners) and Canaan Partners of the US.