The Week in Biopharma, April 11-15

CDMO 

• Akron Bio launches plasmid DNA plant in Florida (USA) 

• VectorBuilder to spend $500M to construct gene therapy manufacturing site in (China) 

• Yourway Adds Capacity for Controlled Ambient Storage (USA) 

• Agilex Biolabs Expands U.S. Presence (USA) 

• ApiJect Opens Technology Development Center (USA)

• ReiThera and Exothera to Make Vaccines for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (USA) 

• Wacker and CordenPharma Will Produce mRNA Vaccines for Germany When Needed (Germany) 

• Almac Invests in NMR Technology to Enhance Analytical Services (UK) 

• SGS Quay Pharma Partners with Liveome to Develop & Commercialize LIV001 (UK/Korea) 

• Chimeron Bio Selects Mfg. Partner FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies (USA)

• OPTIMA Pharma Expands U.S. Presence (USA) 

• Aenova Invests in New Building for the Production of Highly Potent Drugs (Germany) 

• Abzena Opens a New Biologics Testing Lab (USA) 

CRO 

• Inotiv, Inc. announces with acquisition of Orient BioResource Center, Inc. (South Korea)  

• CRL’s North American, EU plants will soon use renewable energy (EU/North America) 

• Tjoapack Doubles Packaging Capacity with Completed Netherlands Facility Expansion (the Netherlands) 

AI 

• Click Therapeutics Closes $15 Million Debt Financing from Silicon Valley Bank (USA)

• Exscientia: Drug Discovery Using AI For Sanofi and Self-Owned Pipeline (USA) 

Biopharma 

• BMS and Nektar Shutter Combination Cancer Development Program (USA) 

• CG Oncology’s Bladder Cancer Therapy Impresses at AACR (USA) 

• TG Therapeutics Backpedals on BLA for Lymphoma, Leukemia Treatment (USA)

• FDA Grants EUA for COVID-19 Breathalyzer (USA) 

• Allogene Accelerates Manufacturing Capacity for Upcoming Pivotal Trial (USA) 

• China NMPA Approves Tislelizumab for Patients with Second-Line Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (China) 

• Halozyme to Acquire Antares Pharma in $960M Deal (USA) 

• GSK to Acquire Sierra Oncology in $1.9B Deal (USA)

• Pfizer, BioNTech Seek Approval for Boosters in Children Following Positive Data (USA) 

• Protagonist’s PV Breakthrough Designation on the Line (USA) 

• Be Bio Scores $130M for New Class of Cellular Medicine (USA) 

• Roche Wakes Up to New Competition as FDA Approves Amneal’s Avastin Biosimilar (USA) 

• Magenta Therapeutics Cuts Workforce by 14%, Shifts Focus to R&D (USA)

• Drug Price Watchdog Calls Bluebird Bio’s $2.1 Million Gene Therapy Cost-Effective (USA) 

• Sanofi, AbbVie and Genmab Celebrate Mid-Phase Trial Wins (USA) 

• Merck’s Pneumococcal Vaccine Claims FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation (USA) 

• 10x Genomics Launches Two New Products to Unlock Wider Range of Samples for Single Cell Analysis on Chromium (USA) 

• Lexaria’s Pulmonary Hypertension Clinical Study HYPER-H21-3 Delivers Positive Results (USA)

• Junshi Biosciences and Coherus Announce PD-1 Inhibitor Toripalimab Granted Orphan Drug Designation for Small Cell Lung Cancer in the United States (USA) 

• Kintara Announces Closing of $8.6 Million Registered Direct Offering Priced At-The-Market Under Nasdaq Rules (USA) 

• Evelo hits the brakes on atopic dermatitis drug development after phase 1 failure (USA) 

• YouthBio Therapeutics Exits Stealth Mode (USA) 

• List Bio Raises $48.4M for Global Scale-Up (USA)

• Gift of Life Biologics Closes Seed $6m Funding Round, Illustrating Investor Confidence in Future Demand for Cell & Gene Therapy Starting Material (USA) 

• Innovent Receives NMPA Breakthrough Designation for IBI310, the Anti-CTLA-4 Monoclonal Antibody, Combined with Sintilimab in Advanced Cervical Cancer Treatment (China) 

• Versant Ventures Launches Cimeio Therapeutics with $50 Million Series A (Switzerland) 

• Autigen Announces Collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to Discover and Develop Novel Treatments for Hearing Loss (USA) 

• Statera Biopharma and Coeptis Therapeutics Announce Strategic Agreement for Rights to Entolimod (USA)

• Lyra Therapeutics Announces Closing of $100.5 Million Private Placement (USA) 

• Appili Therapeutics Announces New Late-Stage Clinical Program ATI-1801 to Treat Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (USA) 

• FDA Grants Fast Track Designation for Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Phase III Osteoarthritis Program (Australia) 

• ProQR slashes 30% of workforce following phase 2/3 blunder (the Netherlands) 

• Swissmedic Grants Conditional Marketing Authorization for Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine (Switzerland)

• Achilles Therapeutics Expands UK and U.S. Manufacturing Capabilities (UK/US) 

• Evotec Achieves Program Designation in BMS Collaboration (Germany) 

• San Rocco Therapeutics, LLC (“SRT”)v Pushes Clinical Trial for a Curative Treatment for Beta-Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease (USA) 

• Caladrius Biosciences Treats First Patient in the Phase 1b Trial of CLBS201 for the Treatment of Diabetic Kidney Disease (USA) 

• Personalis Announces Issuance of Additional US Patent Related to the NeXT Personal™ Platform (USA)

• Aurion Biotech Raises $120 Million from Deerfield Management, Petrichor, Flying L Partners, Falcon Vision/KKR, and Visionary Ventures (Japan) 

• Receptor Life Sciences Raises $9.7M for Clinical Trial to Test Inhaled CBD as Anxiety Treatment (USA) 

• UW Medicine Lands Funding to Launch Tuberculosis Research Center (USA) 

• Carlyle’s acquisition of Abingworth brings $2 billion to fuel life science investments (UK) 

• Juniper Biologics Acquires Cell-Mediated Gene Therapy Tg-C Ld for Treatment Of Knee Osteoarthritis (Singapore)

• HanAll Biopharma and Daewoong Pharmaceutical Invest in Turn Biotechnologies to Expand Growth Initiative (South Korea) 

• Trishula Therapeutics Announces Promising Early Phase 1b Data of TTX-030, an Anti-CD39 Antibody (USA) 

• SciRhom Starts CMC Development of its First Drug Candidate for Clinical Development (Germany) 

• Standard BioTools Launches Hyperion+ Imaging System, the New Standard in High-Plex Spatial Imaging (USA) 

• Agile Therapeutics Receives $4.7M After Selling Net Operating Loss Tax Benefits Through New Jersey Economic Development Program (USA)

• BioNTech and Matinas BioPharma Announce Exclusive Research Collaboration to Evaluate Novel Delivery Technology for mRNA-based Vaccines (Germany/USA) 

• Rockwell Medical Expands Partnership with DaVita (USA) 

• Resonetics Announces Acquisition of EaglePicher Medical Power (USA) 

• AACR: Exuma aims to be first to the clinic with under-the-skin cancer CAR cell therapy without complex manufacturing (Cayman Islands) 

• Early wrap up for Veru’s COVID trial spurs doubling of share price, race to regulators (USA)

• CarthroniX Completes Convertible Note Financing (USA) 

• Sapience Therapeutics Presents Late-Breaking Data at AACR 2022 (USA) 

• Seagen scores $41.8M in Enhertu patent case against Daiichi Sankyo (USA)