News

European group to tackle cancer stem cells

Country
Belgium

A consortium led by Merus BV of the Netherlands is set to receive €5.9 million from the European Union’s FP7 programme to develop a prospective antibody-based therapy and screening tools for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Roche to collaborate on nuclear medicine

Country
Switzerland

Roche has announced a new collaboration with Macrocyclics, a member of the Areva group, to continue development of a novel chelating agent for use in radioimmunotherapy. This is the second collaboration between the two companies.

French nuclear medicine company raises €4.8 million

Country
France

Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) SA of France has raised €4.8 million in a placement of its shares with existing and new investors in order to finance an expansion of its manufacturing capacity for radioactive agents for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging. Funds will also be used to investigate a second indication for the company’s radiopharmaceutical for cancer, Lutathera.

Alzheimer’s disease finding reported

Country
United Kingdom

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have reported identifying a pathway that generates aberrant forms of proteins said to be at the root of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

BTG raises capital, makes two acquisitions

Country
United Kingdom

BTG Plc has raised a gross £106.3 million in a share placement with institutional investors to partially fund two North American acquisitions that will strengthen the British company’s presence in the hospital market.

Agennix announces liquidation

Country
Germany

Agennix AG said that its shareholders have voted in favour of liquidating the company in light of management’s inablity to find a buyer following the failure of its lead product, talactoferrin, in a late-stage trial for non-small cell lung cancer in 2012.

Novo acquires Xellia Pharmaceuticals for $700 million

Country
Norway

Novo A/S, the financing entity that is at the apex of Denmark’s pharmaceutical industry, has acquired all the share capital of Xellia Pharmaceuticals AS of Norway for about $700 million. One of the sellers was Britain’s 3i Group Plc.

SuppreMol gets additional series D financing

Country
Germany

SuppreMol GmbH, which specialises in autoimmune diseases, has raised €9.5 million as the second part of a €16 million series D financing for the Phase 2 development of its lead autoimmune drug candidate.

Wellcome Trust funds cancer prognosis project

Country
United Kingdom

The Wellcome Trust is allocating £2.7 million to a UK project that will use new gene sequencing technology to identify mutations that predispose patients to cancer and then to integrate this information into routine patient care.

Elan restructures in a bid to remain independent

Country
Ireland

Elan Corporation Plc has announced a further restructuring and a share repurchase plan in a bid to win over shareholders who are being wooed by the US investment group Royalty Pharma in an unsolicited takeover bid.