The Week In Biopharma, July 18– 22
Contract Research (CROs)
- Amazon, Fred Hutch Collaborating on Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trial (USA)
- RegeneRx Partner Signs LOI with Global Ophthalmology CRO for Two Phase 3 Clinical Trials in Neurotrophic Keratitis (USA)
Contract Development and Manufacturing (CDMO)
- ilumivu Announces Completion of Venture Funding from The Pisgah Fund (USA)
- Acuamark Diagnostics Secures $11.3 Million Series A Funding to Advance Innovative Assays for Improved, Cost-Effective Early-Cancer Detection (USA)
- Beckman Coulter and Scopio Labs Partner to Accelerate Adoption of Hematology Digital Cell Morphology Platform (USA/Israel)
- With new CEO, Invitae lays off more than 1,000 employees, slims international footprint (USA)
- Geneseeq, Brazilian Hospital Partner on Co-establishment of In-house NGS Lab (Canada)
- Alpenglow Biosciences and CorePlus partner together to bring 3D Spatial Biology to clinical research and development (USA/Australia)
- Solarity and Lyniate Initiate Strategic Partnership (USA)
- ValGenesis and EIS Partner to Deliver Best-in-Class Digital Validation Solutions for Life Sciences Companies across the U.S. and Europe (India/USA)
- KromaTiDv Launches dGH™ Cell Prep Kit (USA)
- WuXi Biologics Plans to Build a Comprehensive CRDMO Center in Singapore (China)
- MilliporeSigma Breaks Ground on Company’s First Lateral Flow Membrane Production Facility in the (USA)
- Samsung Biologics to purchase land for its second Bio Campus (South Korea)
- Carl Zeiss Meditec and Precise Bio Announce Partnership in the Development and Commercialization of Tissue-Based Implants for Ophthalmology (Germany/USA)
- Celegence acquires Qdossier to bolster its regulatory consultancy services and solutions for the pharmaceutical industry (USA/The Netherlands)
- Cytiva scoops up former Bayer plant in Michigan as part of $1.5B expansion push (USA)
Biopharma
- After failed Alzheimer’s launch, Biogen writes off the remaining value of its Aduhelm inventory (USA)
- No pain, only gain for Vertex: FDA greenlights late-stage trial for nonopioid pain drug (USA)
- Astellas Unveils Plans to Open New Biotech Campus in South San Francisco (USA)
- Liminal BioSciences Announces Discontinuation of Fezagepras Development (Canada)
- Anixa Biosciences Announces Notice of Allowance of Additional Patent on Breast Cancer Vaccine Technology (USA)
- Incannex Receives Ethics Approval to Commence Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Multi-Use Anti-Inflammatory Drug IHL-675A (Australia)
- Vicebio launched by medicxi to advance the Molecular Clamp technology and develop next generation RSV vaccine (UK)
- Roche scraps 5 trials while CEO admits Alzheimer’s drug a ‘high risk project’ (Switzerland)
- X4 joins handful of biotechs sending staff out the door in ‘strategic prioritization’ (USA)
- Servier takes aim at US oncology market, doubling R&D lab space in Boston (USA)
- Vertex to tackle liver disease with Verve, putting up $60M to partner on gene editing program (USA)
- Functional cure setback triggers layoffs at Assembly Biosciences – hepatitis B specialist (USA)
- Seattle Biotech Atossa Therapeutics Eyes Acquisition of Unnamed Company (USA)
- ZyVersa Therapeutics to Become a Publicly Traded Biopharma Company via Merger with Larkspur Health Acquisition Corp. (USA)
- HyBryte™ Phase 3 FLASH Study for the Treatment of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma Published in JAMA Dermatology (USA)
- Arcaea, The Beauty Company Pioneering Innovation Through Expressive Biology, Announces Acquisition of Gadusol Laboratories (USA)
- Eiger Receives European Approval for Zokinvy® (lonafarnib) for Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome and Processing-Deficient Progeroid Laminopathies (USA)
- Biogen pays $900M to resolve whistleblower’s MS kickback suit as competition drags on sales (USA)
- Daiichi Sankyo willfully infringed Seagen patent in creating Enhertu, court rules (Japan)
- Adial at a clinical fork in the road after flunking phase 3 trial for its alcohol addiction med (USA)
- Equipped with fresh $100M, CAMP4 heads up trail to the clinic, hoping partners will soon tag along (USA)
- Deka Biosciences Breaks Ground on New Facility (USA)
- Novavax Announces Expanded Agreement with SK bioscience to Manufacture COVID-19 Vaccine Containing Omicron Variant and Manufacture the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine in Prefilled Syringes (USA/South Korea)
- Antengene Announces Research Collaboration with Celularity to Evaluate the Potential Therapeutic Synergy of Combining Antengene’s Best-in-Class Bispecific Antibody with Celularity’s Natural Killer Cell Platform (China/USA)
- In another Lynparza flop, AstraZeneca, Merck pull the plug on a colorectal cancer trial (UK)
- Inovio cuts workforce as COVID program weighs down future growth (USA)
- Cartography Biosciences gets on the map with $57M and an itinerary for next-gen cancer therapies (USA)
- Hansa Biopharma announces $70 million non-dilutive product finance transaction with NovaQuest to support continued development of the company’s antibody-cleaving enzyme technology platform (Sweden)
- Enterome signs major strategic R&D collaboration with Nestlé Health Science to develop and commercialize new AllerMimics™ and EndoMimics™ immunotherapies for food allergies and inflammatory bowel disease (France/Switzerland)
- COSELA®, the World’s First Comprehensive Myeloprotection Drug against Chemotherapy Damage, Wins Approval in (China)
- Biogen, targeting $1B in savings, employs 300 fewer staffers in Massachusetts than it did in September: report (USA)
- Sesen slams brakes on phase 3 bladder cancer program to save cash as it looks for off-ramp (USA)
- Personalized cancer therapy biotech PACT Pharma lets go of nearly 100 staffers (USA)
- New COVID Vaccine Developed by University of Washington Scientists (USA)
- Job Research Foundation Announces 5th Round of Funding: $400,000 in Grants Available to Researchers Investigating Causes/Treatments of Rare Multisystem Immunodeficiency Disorder (USA)
Artificial Intelligence
- Theator Extends Series A Funding with Additional $24M for a Total of $39.5M (USA)
- ForSight’s cataract eye surgery robot claims $55M VC round (Israel)
- With hopes of paving new path for cancer treatment, Eli Lilly-backed Auron raises $48M (USA)
- Big Pharmas Amgen, BMS shield BigHat from stormy market with $75M funding (USA)
- Synchron implants mind-reading device in first US patient in paralysis trial (USA)
- Delfi Diagnostics Announces $225 Million Series B Financing to Develop Globally Accessible Portfolio of Liquid Biopsy Tests (USA)
