The Week in Biopharma, March 7-14

CDMO 
CRO 
  • Emmes Acquires CRO Casimir (USA) 
  • MCRA Acquires Vorpal Technologies K.K. to Further Expand its Global Advisory Services in Japan (Japan) 
  • Celerion Expands Early Phase Clinical Pharmacology Units (USA) 
  • M&B Sciences Inc Acquires Clara Health and Announces Goal to Become a Leader in Patient Recruitment and Retention in Clinical Trials (USA) 
  • Flow Eighteen38 Expands Production and Biophysical Capabilities (Portugal) 
  • Veristat deepens European ties with acquisition of SFL (Switzerland) 
AI 
  • Creyon joins wave of AI biotechs with $40M to create ‘on demand’ RNA-based medicines (USA) 
Biopharma 
  • AbbVie and Gedeon Richter Enter Co-Development and License Agreement (USA) 
  • Novartis, Carisma Ink Mfg. Pact for HER 2 Targeted CAR-M Cell Therapy (USA) 
  • Concert tunes pipeline by selling off CNS assets to startup Terran Biosciences (USA)
  • Immunome’s COVID-19 antibody cocktail back on track for phase 1 after FDA lifts hold (USA) 
  • Capricor culls COVID-19 vax work but eyes phase 3 for Duchenne therapy (USA) 
  • Histogen seeks to tear up COVID-19 R&D pact and go solo, accuses Amerimmune of failing to push on into phase 2 (USA) 
  • Harpoon drug sunk by modest activity, challenging tolerability, forcing pivot from prostate cancer prospect (USA) 
  • Oxford Biomedica broadens its viral vector capabilities with the launch of Oxford Biomedica Solutions, a full scope AAV business in Boston, following closing of its deal with Homology (USA)
  • CARsgen Completes cGMP Commercial Manufacturing Facility (USA) 
  • MorphoSys cans US R&D to consolidate work in Germany, taking $254M charge (Germany) 
  • Selecta back in phase 1 gene therapy saddle after clinical hold lift, plans to reboot ‘expeditiously (USA) 
  • Moderna doses 2nd arm of phase 2 booster study combining Spikevax with omicron-busting shot (USA) 
  • Roche-partnered Scenic Biotech snags $31M to study 3 rare disease drugs (the Netherlands)
  • Morningside rolls up a pair of biotechs to birth clinical-phase inflammatory disease player (China) 
  • Venatorx hits goal in antibiotic phase 3, clearing path to FDA (USA) 
  • LiVeritas™ Biosciences Launches Mass Spectrometry Outsourcing Solutions (USA) 
  • Pfizer Initiates Pediatric Phase 2/3 Study of Oral COVID Treatment (USA) 
  • Amgen Breaks Ground for New NC Biomanufacturing Facility (USA)
  • Twist’s antibodies to wind up with Kriya’s AAV gene therapies in new pact (USA) 
  • J&J’s long-acting injectable push barrels forward as it adds 2nd large molecule to Midatech pact (USA/UK) 
  • Sanofi, scarred by Roche scrap, hits goal in once-weekly hemophilia A trial and plots race to regulators (France) 
  • DoD Gives $1.1M to Seattle Startup that will Help Find New Antibodies Against COVID-19 Variants (USA) 
  • Cytiva to provide bioprocessing training at Indian incubation centre (India)
  • Chimeric Enters Clinical Partnership with Be The Match BioTherapies (Australia) 
  • Intellia’s CRISPR-engineered cell therapy secures FDA orphan drug status after AML trial launch (USA) 
  • Sanofi deploying $1B to turn France into ‘pioneer mRNA nation’ (France) 
  • Moderna picks Kenya for mRNA facility (Kenya) 
  • UCB expands innovation footprint with new state-of-the-art gene therapy facility (Belgium)
  • HUTCHMED Earns $15M AstraZeneca Milestone (China) 
  • FDA Approves Legend, Janssen CAR-T Therapy for Multiple Myeloma (USA/Belgium) 
  • SalubrisBio’s bispecific heart failure drug boosted by $32M cash injection (USA) 
  • Microbiotica nabs $67M to push 2 microbiome therapies through clinic (UK) 
  • Novartis eyes next-gen AAV gene therapies in $1.75B Voyager biobucks pact (Switzerland/USA) 

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