Today Stories

Collaboration will combine Moderna's mRNA technology with CytomX's Probody® Platform to generate and develop therapeutics for oncology and non-oncology conditions CytomX to receive $35 million upfront payment with the potential for additional research, milestone, and royalty payments CAMBRIDGE, MA and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2023 / Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, and CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTMX), a leader in the field of conditionally activated oncology therapeutics, today announced a collaboration and licensing agreement to create investigational mRNA-based conditionally activated therapies utilizing Moderna's mRNA technologies and CytomX's Probody® therapeutic platform. Th…

OriCiro's synthetic biology and enzyme technologies will support Moderna's expanding portfolio of therapeutics and vaccines Acquisition will bolster Moderna's suite of platform technologies CAMBRIDGE, MA and TOKYO, JAPAN / ACCESSWIRE / January 4, 2023 / Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, and OriCiro Genomics K.K., a pioneer in cell-free DNA synthesis and amplification technologies, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement through which Moderna will acquire OriCiro for $85 million. "With this acquisition, we obtain best-in-class tools for cell-free synthesis and amplification of plasmid DNA, a key building block in mRNA manufacturing," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "…

– Gilead Receives Rights to Exclusively License EVOQ’s NanoDisc Technology to Develop and Commercialize Immunotherapy Products for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus – FOSTER CITY, Calif. & ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) and EVOQ Therapeutics, Inc. (EVOQ) today announced a collaboration and licensing agreement to advance EVOQ’s proprietary technology for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lupus. EVOQ’s NanoDisc technology is designed to enable lymph-targeted delivery of disease-specific antigens and has the potential to change the paradigm for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Under the agreement, Gilead and EVOQ will collaborate on preclinical development. Gilead has the option to exclusively license rights to EVOQ’s NanoDisc techn…

Cambridge, UK, 31st December 2022, Astex Pharmaceuticals, UK, congratulates Harren Jhoti, PhD, FRS, FMedSci, its co-founder, President and CEO on being honoured in the 2023 King’s New Year Honours list.  Dr Jhoti has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Cancer Research and Drug Discovery. Dr. Jhoti co-founded Astex in 1999 to pioneer the development of fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD), a ground-breaking new approach now widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, and which the company has used to help discover two new marketed cancer medicines, Kisqali and Balversa. As a passionate advocate for the UK life sciences sector, Dr. Jhoti has been a prominent figure highlighting the strength of the life sciences ecosystem in Cambridge as well as more…

Follows positive top-line clinical data readout from HERIZON-BTC-01 pivotal trial in biliary tract cancers DUBLIN and VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) and Zymeworks Inc. (Nasdaq: ZYME) today announced that Jazz has exercised its option to continue with its exclusive development and commercialization rights to Zymeworks' zanidatamab in key markets, including the U.S., Europe and Japan, pursuant to the license and collaboration agreement entered into in October 2022. The decision to exercise this option follows positive top-line clinical data from HERIZON-BTC-01, a pivotal trial in previously treated HER2-amplified biliary tract cancers (BTC), which demonstrated that 41.3% (95% CI: 30.4, 52.8) of enrolled patients with HER2-amplified and ex…

-- Acquisition Complements Kite’s Existing In-House Research Capabilities -- -- Provides Kite with Rapid Manufacturing Processes, ‘ Armored’ CAR T Technology Platform, and Access to Certain Future Innovations Through a Sponsored Research and License Agreement with the University of Pennsylvania -- -- Cell Therapy Researchers Who Founded Tmunity to Consult as Senior Scientific Advisors for Kite -- SANTA MONICA, Calif. & PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kite, a Gilead Company (Nasdaq: GILD), and Tmunity Therapeutics (Tmunity), today announced that the companies have signed an agreement in which Kite will acquire Tmunity, a clinical-stage, private biotech company focused on next-generation CAR T-therapies and technologies. The acquisition of Tmunity complements Kite’s existing in-house cel…

2cureX, a company pioneering the use of 3D tumoroids for drug sensitivity prediction in patients with cancer, announced today the signature of an IndiTreat® distribution agreement for Switzerland and Austria with pedoc Medical. At the same time, the company unveiled the decision to include Iceland in their Nordic direct operations. IndiTreat is now actively promoted in 20 countries in Europe and the Middle East – reaching the stated geographic rollout goal for 2022. Entering the attractive Swiss and Austrian IVD markets 2cureX and pedoc Medical have signed an agreement by which pedoc Medical becomes the distributor of IndiTreat® products in Switzerland and Austria. Under the terms of the collaboration, pedoc Medical will promote IndiTreat® to oncology professionals, sign supply agreements…

Sanofi gains exclusive license to Innate’s B7H3 ANKETTM program and options for two additional targets; Upon candidate selection, Sanofi will be responsible for all development, manufacturing and commercialization Paris, December 19, 2022 Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY) and Innate Pharma SA (Euronext Paris: IPH; Nasdaq: IPHA) announced today an expansion of their collaboration, with Sanofi licensing a natural killer (NK) cell engager program targeting B7H3 from Innate’s ANKETTM (Antibody-based NK Cell Engager Therapeutics) platform. Sanofi will also have the option to add up to two additional ANKETTM targets. Upon candidate selection, Sanofi will be responsible for all development, manufacturing and commercialization. Innate and Sanofi signed a first NK cell engagers collaboration in 2016 for the g…

New collaboration leverages MyEyeDr.’s 850+ offices across the US to refer patients into ophthalmology and other therapeutic area clinical trials, expands Parexel’s Community Alliance Network to bring trials to patients where they are BOSTON and DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parexel, one of the world’s largest clinical research organizations (CROs) providing the full range of Phase I to IV clinical development services, today announced a formal agreement with MyEyeDr., a leading vision healthcare organization, to refer its patients into existing and future ophthalmology clinical trials. Parexel and MyEyeDr. are currently collaborating on recruitment for a diabetic retinopathy clinical trial with future plans to expand into additional therapeutic areas such as endocrinolog…

For the first time, Lilly will supply API at a significantly reduced price along with pro-bono technical assistance, enabling EVA Pharma to manufacture and supply insulin to at least one million people in lower income countries INDIANAPOLIS and CAIRO, Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and EVA Pharma announced today a collaboration to deliver a sustainable supply of high-quality, affordable human and analogue insulin to at least one million people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), most of which are in Africa. In a first for Lilly, the company will supply its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for insulin at a significantly reduced price to EVA Pharma. Lilly will also provide a pro-bono technology transfer to…

BRUSSELS (Belgium) and BOSTON, Massachusetts (USA), December 13th, 2022 (22:01 CET) — UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company (EURONEXT BRUSSELS: UCB), and Praxis Precision Medicines, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced a strategic collaboration, based upon Praxis’ PRAX-020 program, for the discovery of small molecule therapeutics as potential treatments of KCNT1 related epilepsies. “We are excited to partner with UCB, a global leader in epilepsy drug development, as we work together toward a novel approach for the treatment of KCNT1 related epilepsy, which has no approved therapies currently,” said Marcio Souza, president and chief executive officer of Praxis. “Our internal research efforts give us confidence that small molecules can selectivel…

Dublin, Ireland – 13 December 2022 – ICON plc, (NASDAQ: ICLR) a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organisation, has been recognised with a number of coveted business and industry awards over the second half of 2022 for delivering clinical research services, alongside specialist collaborations on data, analytics and digital healthcare. The awards include the Best Contract Research Organisation – Full-Service Providers from Scrip, marking the second consecutive time after a win in 2021. Winners are chosen by an independent panel of industry experts, each chosen for their knowledge, objectivity and credibility. ICON’s innovation capabilities were recognised as the company won the Data Analytics/Business Intelligence category in the Fierce Biotech Innovation Awards –…

RAHWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, is commencing today, through a subsidiary, a cash tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Imago BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMGO). On Nov. 21, 2022, Merck announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Imago. Upon the successful closing of the tender offer, stockholders of Imago will receive $36 in cash for each share of Imago common stock validly tendered and not validly withdrawn in the offer, without interest and subject to deduction for any required tax withholding. Following the purchase of shares in the tender offer, Imago will merge with and into a subsidiary of Merck, with Imago surviving the merger. As a result, Imago will become…

Today, Novozymes and Chr. Hansen have entered into an agreement to create a leading global biosolutions partner through a statutory merger of the two companies. The combination is expected to unleash the full potential of biological solutions and generate significant value for all stakeholders and society at large. COPENHAGEN, Denmark – December 12, 2022. The proposed combination of Novozymes A/S ("Novozymes") and Chr. Hansen Holding A/S ("Chr. Hansen") will create a strong biosolutions group with a broad biological toolbox and a diversified portfolio across markets. Uniting two strategically complementary biosolutions companies will accelerate their already best-in-class performance. Novozymes and Chr. Hansen together will meet customers’ growing demands for efficient, scalable, and susta…

New Space Will Be Three Times Larger and Increase Testing Capabilities BURLINGTON, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2022-- Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a leading global life sciences company, today announced that it has begun operations at a new, larger anatomic pathology and histology (APH) laboratory in Los Angeles, expanding the company’s global central laboratory capabilities. Labcorp is investing in its APH services as a key component of its global growth and expansion strategy. The new laboratory is a dedicated Center of Excellence focused on APH laboratory testing solutions. The larger laboratory will expand capabilities, such as digital pathology with the use of artificial intelligence (AI), multiplex immunohistochemistry (IHC) and other innovative technologies supporting clinical trials and…

The CNS specialist continues its strong expansion course in Europe and increases its presence from two to 20 countries in just six years Naarden and Düsseldorf – December 7, 2022 – Neuraxpharm Group (Neuraxpharm), a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, announces the establishment of Neuraxpharm Netherlands. The expansion into the Dutch market allows Neuraxpharm to continue on its pathway to become the number one CNS specialist in Europe. Neuraxpharm Netherlands will provide differentiated and specialty generics in the Netherlands, a strategically important CNS pharmaceutical market in Europe. To date, Neuraxpharm Netherlands has launched two products: Dimethyl Fumarate to treat multiple sclerosis and Lacosamid…

Collaboration leverages HotSpot's Smart Allostery™ drug discovery platform for the development of the first and only small molecule IRF5 (interferon regulatory factor 5) inhibitor for the potential treatment of autoimmune diseases HotSpot to receive an upfront cash payment of $40 million with potential for further milestones and royalties NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. and BOSTON, Dec. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and HotSpot Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering the discovery and development of small molecule allosteric therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced an exclusive worldwide collaboration and option to license agreement for HotSpot's discovery-stage IRF5 program for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. "This collaborati…

Milton Keynes, UK. (6 December 2022) – Medical Research Network, a leading Clinical Trial Organization, was presented with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, International Trade at a company meeting last night. The award, established by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 1965, celebrates the country’s most exciting and innovative companies, and is Britain’s most prestigious business award. The International Trade category is awarded to companies who have achieved spectacular growth and commercial success overseas. The presentation took place at a company-wide meeting held at the Wyboston Lakes Resort, near the MRN headquarters in Milton Keynes. MRN executives from France, Germany, Spain, and Japan were there to watch the presentation in person, while executives from the MRN office in Chicago wa…

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Akouos, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKUS). The acquisition expands Lilly's efforts in genetic medicines to include Akouos's portfolio of potential first-in-class adeno-associated viral gene therapies for the treatment of inner ear conditions, including sensorineural hearing loss. "Akouos brings more top-tier talent and an important pipeline to Lilly's Institute for Genetic Medicine that will further accelerate our work to advance genetic medicines for people living with difficult-to-treat diseases," said Andrew C. Adams, Ph.D., senior vice president of genetic medicine at Lilly and co-director of the Institute for Genetic Medicine. "We look forward to supporting an…

LONDON, UK, 30 November 2022 – Otsuka Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd. announces that the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) has authorised Lupkynis® (voclosporin) for use in combination with mycophenolate mofetil for the treatment of adult patients with active class III, IV or V (including mixed class III/V and IV/V) lupus nephritis (LN). The MHRA decision applies to England, Scotland, and Wales (Great Britain). Voclosporin is the first and only oral CNI licensed in Great Britain (GB) specifically for the treatment of active LN in adult patients.  “The MHRA’s authorisation of Lupkynis represents a significant development for lupus nephritis patients in Great Britain, offering voclosporin as a new combination treatment option for eligible patients.” said Ryan Gynne, Managing…