News

AstraZeneca Plc has reached out to a UK biotech, Aptamer Group Ltd, to explore the use of aptamer technology in developing candidate drugs for kidney disease. Specifically, the two companies will explore the feasibility of developing aptamer drug conjugates to deliver therapeutic molecules to the kidney.

Hookipa Pharma Inc is to receive a milestone payment from Gilead Sciences Inc for successfully designing and delivering 14 research grade vectors for a potential treatment for infections from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The size of the payment was not disclosed, but it comes just seven months after a licencing deal between the two companies took effect.

Eli Lilly and Company is to acquire Loxo Oncology Inc, a developer of cancer therapies targeting genetic abnormalites, for $8 billion. The transaction was announced only days after Bristol-Myers Squibb Co said it was taking over Celgene Corp for $74 billion, also an oncology-directed deal.

The agreed deal will take place via a tender offer by Lilly for all of the outstanding shares of Loxo for $235 per share in cash, representing a premium of approximately 68% over Loxo’s closing stock price on 4 January.

The UK artificial intelligence company Exscientia Ltd has raised $26 million in a Series B financing round while simultaneously securing a drug discovery partnership with Roche. It said the funds will enable it bring its first compounds into the clinic within the next 12 months.

The Switzerland-based company Oculis SA has raised a further CHF15.5 million from investors and in-licensed an ophthalmic product from Novartis as part of its drive to develop a portfolio of topical treatments for eye diseases. The fundraising and product acquisition were both announced on 4 January.

Exonate Ltd, a spin-out of the University of Nottingham, has raised further money from the venture capital community to support its candidate eye drop for treating retinal neovascular diseases. The latest round raised £1.5 million for a total to date of £9 million.

The UK company is supported by Uniseed of Australia, the University of Bristol Enterprise Fund, Angel CoFund and a number of other investors.

Sanofi SA is investing €80 million in BioNTech AG equity, substantially increasing its commitment to the German company’s messenger RNA technology. Simultaneously the two companies have agreed to co-develop the first product from a research collaboration dating from 2015.

In the first major pharma transaction of 2019, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co has announced plans to acquire Celgene Corp in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $74 billion. The deal will combine the two companies’ oncology and inflammation franchises along with a large development portfolio featuring cell-based gene therapies for cancer.

The Belgium-based cell therapy company Promethera Biosciences SA has raised €10 million from the Japanese conglomerate Itochu Corp as part of an ongoing Series D financing round to advance its portfolio of experimental medicines for chronic liver failure, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis.

As part of the financing, Tajio Enoki, head of the medical business team in the energy and chemicals unit of Itochu, will join Promethera’s Board of Directors.

Novartis is proposing to acquire the contract manufacturer CellforCure of France in order to boost capacity for the manufacture of cell and gene therapies. Financial terms of the proposed transaction were not disclosed.