Two pioneers in cell biology, John Gurdon of the UK and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan, have been awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in showing that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.
AstraZeneca Plc is to pay $35 million upfront for exclusive rights to a Phase 2 compound designed to treat complications associated with end-stage renal disease and chronic kidney disease. Potential development milestones are valued at $237.5 million.
Affimed Therapeutics AG of Germany has raised €15.5 million in venture capital to finance the early clinical testing of two bispecific antibody products developed to treat lymphomas. The Series D funding is being lead by existing investors.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd is to pay $60 million upfront to buy the privately-owned US developer of vaccine technology, LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals Inc. The acquisition will give Takeda a candidate product to prevent norovirus gastroenteritis.
ArGEN-X BV of the Netherlands has taken the unusual step of out-licensing its lead preclinical antibody compound to a Shanghai-based company which will take it into human studies in China and thereafter develop it.
Ablynx NV said that its antibody-fragment therapeutic, ALX-0061, has met the efficacy endpoint at week 12 in a Phase 1/2 trial of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The compound targets the interleukin-6 receptor.
Janssen Biotech Inc is in-licensing a Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor for rheumatoid arthritis from Astellas Pharma Inc – a second US pharma company to secure access in recent months to a new small molecule compound for this disease.
Ipsen SA’s haemophilia alliance with Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals Inc has come under strain following the US company’s failure to raise external financing. Ipsen announced on Wednesday that the ‘parties continue to explore various options.’
Merck Serono SA has announced the creation of a third spin-out company – this time focused on therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and tau protein-related pathologies. This follows its parent company’s decision to downsize and to close the Geneva office.
Ablynx is set to receive €6.5 million upfront under a new collaboration with Merck & Co to develop and commercialise candidate antibody therapeutics that target a voltage gated ion channel, with an option to develop an antibody against a second target.