News

GlaxoSmithKline Plc has withdrawn its marketing authorisation application in Europe for the combination melanoma treatment trametinib/dabrafenib.

Nanobiotix SA, which produces nanoparticles designed to increase the efficacy of radiotherapy, has increased its capital with a €28.1 million offering on the NYSE Euronext Paris exchange. Proceeds will be used to advance its lead cancer agent – a medical device.

A new medicine and two imaging agents have been recommended for marketing in Europe under the European Union’s conditional licensing procedure – a procedure that enables medicines to reach patients on the basis of a limited data package.

Horizon Discovery Group Plc has raised £68.6 million with an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market, well in excess of the originally targeted £25 million. Horizon will use the funds to expand the sales of its genomics research tools.

Evotec AG has announced the acquisition of a small asset management company, Bionamics GmbH, to help it accelerate the translation of academic innovations into assets for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Zealand Pharma A/S had revenue of DKK 6.6 million (€0.9 million) for 2013, wholly made up of royalty payments on sales of its first marketed product, Lyxumia (lixisenatide), for Type 2 diabetes. Revenue in 2012 was DKK 223.6 million and milestone based.

The European Medicines Agency is inviting pharmaceutical companies to participate in a pilot project under which it will evaluate ‘adaptive licensing’ as a way of getting new medicines to patients earlier, under certain controlled situations.

A Phase 3 trial of a MAGE-A3 cancer vaccine has failed to significantly extend disease-free survival in patients with non-small lung cancer – the first and second co-primary endpoints, according to the developer GlaxoSmithKline Plc.

The UK government has decided to commit £55 million for the construction of a cell therapy manufacturing centre to support the commercialization of cell therapies, attract inward investment, and boost exports. The investment was announced on 19 March.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is set to gain access to new targets for the development of checkpoint inhibitors against cancer under a licensing deal with Five Prime Therapeutics Inc carrying an upfront payment of  $20 million.