The Week in Biopharma, April 25-29
CDMO
- Pluristyx and Accelerated Biosciences Enter Clinical Manufacturing Partnership (USA)
- Scorpion Biological Services Unveils New Biomanufacturing Facility (USA)
- Societal CDMO Inks Manufacturing and Packaging Agreement with NCI (USA)
- Catalent Expands Nasal Drug Development and Manufacturing Capabilities (USA)
- Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing Expands Fill-Finish Operations (USA)
- FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Breaks Ground for BioProcess Center in RTP (USA)
- Onyx Scientific Opens Second Facility in Sunderland, (UK)
- Genezen Completes Clinical cGMP Manufacturing Facility (USA)
- NorthX Biologics Signs Collaboration Agreement with Abera (Sweden)
- Lonza and Integral Molecular Announce New Collaborative Strategy (Switzerland/USA)
- ProteoNic and NecstGen Partner to Improve Viral Vector Manufacturing (the Netherlands)
- Dec Group and Extract Technology to Expand UK Facility (UK)
CRO
- Sygnature Discovery buys Peak Proteins to bolster drug discovery business (UK)
- Symeres buys Organix to enter lipids market and grow in the (USA)
AI
- Charles River and Valo Unveil Logica AI-Powered Drug Solution (USA)
- BenevolentAI Begins Trading On Euronext Amsterdam (UK)
Biopharma
- BMS Wins FDA Approval of Heart Failure Drug Camzyos (USA)
- Genocea‘s Atlas no longer holding up sky, as biotech moves for sell off (USA)
- Finch’s C. diff drug cleared of FDA hold, but loose ends leave timing for phase 3 restart unclear (USA)
- AstraZeneca kicks off work on 1,500-person R&D center in Kendall Square (USA)
- ‘Serious missteps’: All Blue makes case for $773M Zymeworks buyout in wake of flagging stock (Canada)
- Sanofi moves patients out of Ukraine warzone in ‘Herculean effort’ to preserve MS trials (Ukraine)
- After filing earlier this month HilleVax grabs more than $150M (USA)
- Belite Bio nets $30 million-plus as it continues rapid motion (USA)
- Hemoglobin Oxygen Therapeutics LLC files its IPO and plans to resurrect a medicine with a checkered past (USA)
- Centrexion’s knee pain drug fails two PhIII studies, but ex-Pfizer CEO Kindler’s biotech might still ask for FDA nod (USA)
- Praxis Shares Tumble as FDA Slaps Hold on Experimental Epilepsy Drug (USA)
- Myovant Sciences Announces European Commission Approval for ORGOVYX® (relugolix) for the Treatment of Advanced Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer (Switzerland)
- MDA Celebrates FDA Approval of Alexion’s Ultomiris for Treatment of gMG (USA)
- Biocytogen Enters into Antibody Agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (China/Germany)
- Moderna Finalizes Plan for Long-Term Strategic Partnership with The Government of (Canada)
- Sio Gene Therapies warns of ‘significant’ layoffs after ditching final two assets (USA)
- Pfizer’s phase 3 DMD gene therapy test resumes after FDA hold, but decision on advanced patients still pending (USA)
- After Amgen deal, Plexium maintains momentum with AbbVie neurological partnership (USA)
- Lilly’s tirzepatide clears high bar set by Novo’s Wegovy in obesity (USA)
- After failing to secure more funds, SwanBio lays off staff (USA)
- Syncona-backed biotech launches in bid to shield heart cells from heart attacks (UK)
- Kelonia Therapeutics: Gene therapy outfit emerges from stealth with big ambitions. First stop — CAR-T (USA)
- CytoTronics launches to tackle drug discovery and phenotypic screening (USA)
- Nektar Therapeutics Initiates Strategic Reorganization Plan (USA)
- RVAC Medicines to Expand R&D and Mfg. Capacity (China/Singapore)
- GV, Sanofi drive British biotech OMass to $100M series B, fueling work on undruggable targets (UK)
- Future shaky at Solid Bio as it shaves off 35% of workforce, chief operating officer plans exit (USA)
- BridgeBio strategy head departs amid company’s 2nd round of layoffs this year (USA)
- Caladrius and Cend merge into tumor-focused Lisata Therapeutics (USA)
- Cytovia inks SPAC merger to get natural killer cells prospects into the clinic (USA)
- Zolgensma for dementia? AviadoBio gains orphan tag for one-dose gene therapy (UK)
- Spying synthetic lethal promise, Pfizer bets $25M on Zentalis, will support cancer trials (USA)
- Seagen Plots New Biologics Plant to Amp Up Antibody Drug Production (USA)
- Amgen opts to DARP-out after seeing early data from $550M Molecular Partners biobucks collab (USA)
- After phase 2 flop, BerGenBio posts new data on COVID-19 prospect (Norway)
- Editas sees clinical promise with new FDA pediatric disease tag for another blood disorder (USA)
- Investors fork out $76M for Pheast’s cancer therapies (USA)
- Pfizer-Valneva’s Lyme disease vaccine performs even better in children (USA)
- Protagonist sinks as high dose of oral Entyvio rival fails in ulcerative colitis (USA)
- University of Tokyo, Astellas Enter Second Phase of Strategic Partnership for Co-creation of Innovative New Medicines and Medical Solutions (Japan)
- Catalent Acquires Erytech’s Commercial-Scale Cell Therapy Mfg. Facility (USA)
- Another setback for Axsome as migraine med expected to get a no from FDA (USA)
- Vivo Capital seeds new venture with $60M to take Arrowhead therapies to (China)
- Roche delays DMD drug deadline, decides to rejig MS trials because of Ukraine war (Switzerland)
- Phase 2 deja vu for gossamer bio after ulcerative colitis med flops (USA)
- Black Diamond runs into rocky terrain, trims 30% of workforce and cuts precision oncology program (USA)
- Weeks after Sanofi flop, Roche’s rival breast cancer drug flunks phase 2 test (Switzerland)
