The Week in Biopharma, April 18-22

CDMO 

• BioConnection Raises Capital from Investors (the Netherlands)

• Asahi Kasei to Acquire Bionova Scientific (USA) 

• Bora Pharmaceuticals to Expand Operations (Taiwan/Canada) 

• KBI Biopharma Opens New Commercial Manufacturing Facility (USA) 

• Catalent Bolsters Biologics Capabilities (USA) 

• GC to Acquire US CDMO BioCentriq (USA)

• BioCina Awarded Grant to Advance RNA Vaccines and Therapeutics (Australia) 

• Cambrex Completes Large-Scale U.S. API Expansion (USA) 

• Akron Bio Expands Gene Therapy and Vaccine Production Capabilities (USA) 

• Asymchem Completes Construction of Two New Production Sites (China) 

• Heat Biologics to Build New Biodefense Biologics Manufacturing Facility (USA)

• Cryoport Acquires Cell&Co BioServices for €6.2M (France) 

• BioVectra Breaks Ground on Expansion of Charlottetown Facility (Canada) 

• Delpharm Invests €28M on Sterile Line to Manufacture Prefilled Syringes (France) 

• High Purity New England (HPNE) Launches Third Facility (USA) 

CRO 

• Reify raises $220M to bridge trial diversity gaps, setting valuation at $4.8B (USA) 

• Thread ties a bow on acquisition of ‘crowdsourcing’ trial tech firm Cureclick (USA) 

• Thermo Fisher Scientific Opens Bioprocessing Manufacturing Site in Ogden, Utah (USA) 

AI 

• VantAI Inks Second Big Protein Degrader Collab in as Many Weeks (Germany) 

• LabGenius: Graphcore IPUs faster for AI-based drug discovery than GPUs (UK) 

• OpGen’s Subsidiary Ares Genetics Commercially Launches New Sequencing and Analysis Services Globally (USA) 

• Absci Expands Drug Discovery Capabilities with Opening of Absci AI Research Lab in New York City (USA) 

• X-Chem’s New AI-Powered Ecosystem to Accelerate Drug Discovery (USA)

• Virtual Science AI Launches Virtual Advisory AI (USA) 

Biopharma 

• Vallon looks for escape route a month after sole clinical asset fails in clinic (USA) 

• Astellas Abandons Tumultuous Gene Therapy Program, Loses $390M (USA)

• Biogen Gives Up on EU Approval of Aduhelm Following CHMP Opinion (USA) 

• Paxlovid, Remdesivir Win New Recommendations from WHO  

• Louisiana AG Sues UnitedHealth Group Over Alleged Medicaid Fraud (USA) 

• Savara Announces Debt Refinancing of $26.5M Credit Facility With Silicon Valley Bank (USA) 

• SCYNEXIS Announces Pricing of $45 Million Public Offering of Common Stock, Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants (USA)

• Quanterix Granted Breakthrough Device Designation from U.S. FDA for NfL Test for Multiple Sclerosis (USA) 

• Integrated Oncology Network Acquires California Cancer Associates for Research & Excellence (USA) 

• Labcorp Launches Convenient Home Diagnostic Test Collection Service in Collaboration With Getlabs (USA) 

• Centers across the world improve the accuracy, ease of myocardial perfusion imaging with digital SPECT and Deep Learning technologies (USA) 

• Prothena and Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery collaborate on new Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics (USA)

• Bristol Myers Squibb Implements Veeva Vault CTMS (USA) 

• Ilya Pharma Acquires Nordic Bioanalysis (Sweden) 

• Genentech-led team uncovers how cancer cells resist T-cell attack in potential boon to immunotherapy (USA) 

• Octant Bio sets sail for new era of drug discovery with $80M funding, Bristol Myers partnership (USA) 

• Who’s who of biopharma execs backs tiny Xinvento Dutch startup’s bid to treat rare disease (the Netherlands)

• Déjà vu: Ampio’s stock sinks as FDA rejects COVID-19-ravaged osteoarthritis trial (USA) 

• Sanofi Strikes Deal with Mysterious Psychedelics Biotech Terran (USA/France) 

• UK Workers Union Offers GSK Small Window to Avoid Strike (UK) 

• Moderna Speeds Toward EUA in Youngest Kids but FDA May Wait (USA) 

• AstraZeneca Touts Evusheld’s Efficacy in High-Risk Patients (USA)

• Orasis Eyes FDA Approval in Presbyopia After Successful Phase III Trial (Israel) 

• FDA Approves Direct Biologics to Proceed with a Landmark Phase 3 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Trial (USA) 

• Zambon Receives U.S. FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for CMS I-neb® in Patients with Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis (NCFB) (USA) 

• Puraffinity Receives Innovate UK Grant for PFAS Treatment (UK) 

• American Laboratory Products Company Merges with GeneProof (USA/Czech Republic)

• Lexaria Granted Patent for Use of DehydraTECH to Deliver Antiviral Drugs (USA) 

• Dragonfly Therapeutics Expands Research Collaboration with Abbvie (USA) 

• Samsung Biologics Completes Purchase of Samsung Bioepis (USA) 

• Regeneron to Acquire Checkmate Pharmaceuticals in $250M Deal (Germany) 

• Aptar CSP Technologies Launches Activ-Vial System in (China)

• Aptinyx pauses phase 2 trial of higher dose PTSD med to save cash (USA) 

• Windtree’s phase 2 shock med rapidly raises blood pressure—and share price (USA) 

• BioXcel will use $260M finance deal to expand indications for schizophrenia drug (USA) 

• Arcturus’ stock sinks after self-amplifying COVID-19 mRNA vaccine posts 55% efficacy in phase 3 (USA) 

• Satellite Bio lifts off with $110M to fuel development of its implantable tissue therapies (USA) 

• Seagen and NovoCure to Open New Manufacturing and Learning Facilities (USA) 

• Gilead Secures Legal Victory in Battle Against HIV Drug Fraud (USA) 

• XORTX Receives Small and Medium Enterprise Status for the European Union (Germany) 

• Heat Biologics (“NightHawk Biosciences”) Completes Acquisition of Elusys Therapeutics (USA) 

• Domus Diagnostics Announces Prototype SARS-COV-2 Diagnostic Test (USA) 

• Laborie Medical Technologies Acquires GI Supply (USA) 

• Tessera Therapeutics stacks up more than $300M in series C funds to bolster new gene-editing platforms (USA) 

• Imara eliminates 83% of workforce—including chief medical officer—in wake of pipeline wipeout (USA) 

• Axsome moves ‘closer to judgement day’ for stalled depression therapy (USA) 

• Acadia’s non-opioid painkiller flunks midphase test, weakening a potential rival to Vertex (USA)

• Sionna unveils with $111M series B to pursue quest for ‘holy grail’ cystic fibrosis target (USA) 

• J&J Cuts 2022 Sales Projections by $1 Billion (USA) 

• Treefrog Therapeutics Launches A $100,000 Research Grant in Regenerative Medicine (France) 

• AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo Score Priority Review in NSCLC (USA) 

• Acadia’s Star CerSci Acquisition Fails First Test in Acute Pain (USA)

• Extended SpagoPix Patent Protection in (Japan) 

• Albumedix Expands Collaboration with Valneva (UK) 

• Aurion Biotech Raises $120M to Advance Therapy to Treat Common Cornea Condition (USA) 

• With IL-12 prospect nearing clinic, Ankyra inks NCI pact to support cancer pipeline progress (USA) 

• Trevena Announces Receipt of First $15 million Tranche in Connection with its $40 million ex-US Royalty-Based Financing with R-Bridge Healthcare Fund (USA)

• Black Diamond Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Study of BDTX-1535, a MasterKey Inhibitor of EGFR for the Treatment of Glioblastoma and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (USA) 

• Eli Lilly Faces $165M in Charges over R&D Acquisitions in Latest SEC Exchange (USA)