ArGEN-X NV, which is developing antibody therapeutics for cancer and autoimmune diseases, has raised €40 million in an initial public offering on the Euronext stock exchange in Brussels. If over-allotment options are exercised in full, total proceeds will rise to €44 million.
Shire Plc has urged its shareholders not to act in response to a new cash and share takeover proposal from AbbVie Inc that values the company at about £51.15 per share, up by 11% from £46.26 per share earlier. The proposal is AbbVie’s fourth for the Dublin-based company.
Life Sciences Partners (LSP) BV of the Netherlands is leading a €4.4 million Series A financing round for privately-held Mint Solutions Holding BV which has developed technology for verifying that drugs administered in a hospital correctly match their prescriptions.
A division of the US National Institutes of Health is to support the creation of a new database that will enable the study of the interaction of more than 1,400 Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs and drug-like compounds with more than 30 epigenetic enzymes.
Premaitha Health Plc, which is developing a prenatal test for genetic disorders such as Down’s syndrome, has made its debut on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in a transaction that involved a reverse takeover, a name change, a reverse split and additional finance.
Abzena Plc, which provides services to companies developing biopharmaceuticals, has conditionally raised £20 million through the placement of new shares in conjunction with its forthcoming listing on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor developed by Topotarget of Denmark to treat patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL), a rare and fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Arzerra (ofatumumab), a monoclonal antibody that targets CD20, has been approved in Europe for a new use in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia – this time as a first-line combination therapy for those who are ineligible for fludarabine chemotherapy.
Roche is set to strengthen its breast cancer franchise with the acquisition of privately-held Seragon Pharmaceuticals Inc of San Diego, California. Seragon has new technology for treating estrogen-driven cancers.
Nicox SA of France is acquiring Boston, Massachusetts-based Aciex Therapeutics Inc with new shares valued at $65 million and contingent value rights potentially worth $55 million. The acquisition will significantly expand the company’s ophthalmic portfolio.