Today Stories

Switzerland, January 15th 2020 – Oviva, the leading digital provider of Type 2 diabetes treatment in Europe, has raised $21m in Series B funding. MTIP led the round, joined by Earlybird as new investors. Existing investors AlbionVC, F-Prime Capital, Eight Roads Ventures and Partech all participated. The new capital will be used to further develop Oviva’s technology and expand in Europe to serve the millions of patients not accessing treatment today. It brings the total amount raised by Oviva to date to $34m. Oviva offers an evidence-based digital solution to stop the progression of and reverse Type 2 diabetes and obesity-related conditions. Patients receive tailored nutrition advice and personalised coaching via their phone. Oviva’s technology-supported treatment has consistently demonstra…

BIOGEN TO ACQUIRE NOVEL CLINICAL STAGE ASSET WITH APPLICATION IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND PARKINSON’S DISEASE FROM PFIZER INC PF-05251749 is a CNS-penetrant regulator of circadian rhythm with potential to address behavioral and neurological symptoms across various psychiatric and neurological diseases  Biogen to pay Pfizer $75 million upfront plus potential milestones of up to $635 million, and royalties  PF-05251749 complements the Company’s pipeline of potential disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) today announced an agreement to acquire from Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) PF-05251749, a novel CNS-penetrant small molecule inhibitor of casein kinase 1 (CK1), for the potential treatment…

MONACO, PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO, AND NEW YORK, NY, USA, January 14, 2020: Lyfebulb, a patient empowerment platform that connects patients with industry to support user-driven innovation toward solutions in chronic disease, and Helsinn, a Swiss pharmaceutical group focused on building quality cancer care, announce the 11 Patient Entrepreneurs chosen as finalists for the Lyfebulb-Helsinn Cancer Innovation Summit & Award to be held on January 30, 2020. The following inspirational finalists represent companies that have been founded by cancer patients, cancer survivors or those with loved ones affected by cancer: Alexander Börve, PhD of First Derm Jakub Chudik of ConquerX Russell LaMontagne of Boston Immune Technologies and Therapeutics Robert Manning of CureMatch Gilles Pagès, PhD of InfA…

Ashfield Pharmacovigilance Inc. becomes part of Ergomed’s PrimeVigilance division, bolstering its market-leading position as a global independent specialist pharmacovigilance provider and establishing a platform for the broader Ergomed services business in the US Combined business expands PrimeVigilance’s geographic coverage in the strategically important US market and strengthens global service offering Acquisition adds over 40 new clients to PrimeVigilance and a strong order book of contracted future revenues of $9.8 million Ashfield Pharmacovigilance Inc. reported $11.6 million revenue and $0.9 million adjusted EBITDA in the year to 30 September 2019 and is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings   London, UK – 13 January 2020: Ergomed plc (LSE: ERGO) ("Ergomed" or the "Compa…

Newcastle University is investing £280,000 with Arrayjet, the UK’s leading provider of microarray instrumentation technology, as part of its plan to establish a pioneering microarray centre for the northern half of the United Kingdom. The centre will be used by other university departments, as well as external life science and biotechnology research partners. The funding for the new centre was secured through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 18ALERT fund.  This is designed to enable Universities to put in place cutting edge technology, whilst strengthening collaborations with Industry.  The centre is the brainchild of William Willats, Professor of Molecular Agri-Diagnostics at Newcastle University, whose own research investigates how plants respond and ada…

Almirall has an option right to acquire Bioniz Therapeutics, Inc. which will give full global rights to BNZ-1 BNZ-1 is a multicytokine inhibitor that selectively blocks the activity of three cytokines of the same family: IL-2, IL-9 and IL1-15, currently in phase 1/2 development for refractory Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma If Almirall exercises the option, it will also enter into a broader research agreement with Bioniz NewCo, using its multiple cytokine inhibitor platform with the objective to deliver at least 3 IND-approved candidates Almirall, S.A. (ALM) has announced today the execution of an option agreement to acquire Bioniz Therapeutics, Inc. a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company based in Irvine, California, which develops first-in-class peptide treatments that selectively inhibit…

Frankfurt, Germany – 7th January 2020: PharmaLex Group, one of the most experienced and most successful specialist providers of Development Consulting, Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance, Epidemiology & Risk Management, and Quality Management & Compliance worldwide, have completed the merger with CompliMed in the United Kingdom. CompliMed is the UK’s leading Healthcare Compliance Consultancy specialising in the ABPI Code of Practice. Their services include training, e-learning, outsourcing, audits, SOPs, medical review and final signatory support. By joining forces with CompliMed, PharmaLex will extend its services in healthcare compliance, further enabling its customers to maximise promotional effectiveness whilst complying with legislation and codes of practice during their en…

GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) has announced the completion of the divestment of travel vaccines Rabipur (tradename Rabavert in the US) for the prevention of rabies, and Encepur for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis, to Bavarian Nordic. Consistent with the terms of the agreement first announced on October 21st 2019, GSK has received an upfront payment of EUR308 million (£263m), and in due course will receive further milestone payments for a total consideration of up to EUR955 million. The decision to divest these brands supports GSK’s strategic intent to increase focus and reinvest in growth assets, innovation and a simplified supply chain in its vaccines business. About Rabipur (Tradename Rabavert in US and Canada)Rabipur is a well-established life-saving vaccine (rab…

Happy New Year! Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2020 from everyone at PharmiWeb!

PARIS – December 23, 2019 – Sanofi announced today that it intends to commence a tender offer (the “Offer”) today to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Synthorx, Inc. (“Synthorx”) for $68 per share in cash, without interest thereon and net of any applicable withholding taxes. The Offer is being made pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 7, 2019 (as it may be amended from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”), by and among Synthorx, Sanofi and Thunder Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Sanofi (“Purchaser”). The Offer is scheduled to expire one minute past 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, unless the Offer is extended in accordance with the Merger Agreement and the…

Freeline, a biotechnology company focused on developing curative gene therapies for chronic systemic diseases, today announces Syncona Ltd (“Syncona) has made an $80.0 million (£61.1 million)[1] commitment in a Series C financing and has funded the first tranche of this commitment, amounting to $40.0 million (£30.6 million)[2]. This financing augments the previous £88.4 million Series B investment and the £34.8 million Series A investment previously made into Freeline by the founding investors, led by Syncona. The first $40 million tranche will enable Freeline to expand its team, continue to develop its robust manufacturing platform, including commercial supply capability, generate further data in its clinical programmes for Haemophilia B and Fabry Disease, and continue to progress its pip…

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK – 16th December 2019 – Newcells Biotech are excited to announce that they are Phase II contract winners of the NC3Rs-funded CRACK IT Challenge (named ImmuLiver). They have been awarded a further funding to continue development of their human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) model of the human liver that is metabolically and immunologically competent for the routine assessment of Yellow Fever vaccine attenuation. Current in vitro liver models lack immune competency. A functional liver model that can accurately recreate the complexity of the organ is needed to assess viscerotropism (the tendency to attack or affect the viscera) and reduce the use of animals in the testing of new vaccine products. “We are creating a user-friendly, in vitro human liver sinusoid sys…

Generative modelling artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be used to optimise advanced compounds, to speed up the identification of promising drug candidates for an undisclosed Almirall drug discovery program. This tackles one of the key challenges in drug design: rapid identification of molecules which simultaneously satisfy multiple bioactivity and drug-like criteria for clinical testing. Through this collaboration, Almirall will leverage Iktos’s AI precision and agility to truly make a difference in patients' lives. Almirall, S.A. (ALM), a leading skin-health focused global pharmaceutical company, and Iktos, a company specialized in Artificial Intelligence for novel drug design, today announced a collaboration agreement in Artificial Intelligence (AI) , where Iktos generative…

PARIS and San Diego, California – December 9, 2019 – Sanofi and Synthorx, Inc. (NASDAQ: THOR), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on prolonging and improving the lives of people suffering from cancer and autoimmune disorders, entered into a definitive agreement under which Sanofi will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Synthorx for $68 per share in cash, which represents an aggregate equity value of approximately $2.5 billion (on a fully diluted basis). The transaction was unanimously approved by both the Sanofi and Synthorx Boards of Directors. “This acquisition fits perfectly with our strategy to build a portfolio of high-quality assets and to lead with innovation, as you will hear at our Capital Markets Day tomorrow, December 10. Additionally, it is aligned with our go…

AQILION AB is selling its entire stake in the portfolio company Glactone Pharma AB to Daniel Lifveredson Invest AB. The purchase price is divided into a smaller amount as initial payment at the time of takeover and an additional payment based on Glactone Pharma's future performance. Glactone Pharma AB was founded in 2012 as a project company within what was then known as Partners för Utvecklingsinvesteringar inom Life Sciences, P.U.L.S. AB, now known as AQILION AB. Glactone Pharma develops innovative new drug candidates for treatment of late-stage prostate cancer (castration-resistant prostate cancer). The innovators’ idea is based on a naturally occurring molecule that has been shown to bind to and block STAT3, which is overactive in cancer cells, and contributes to the unrestrained grow…

Craigavon, N.I., 6 December 2019 –  Almac Group is delighted to announce Almac has won the “Innovation in Sponsorship” award during this year’s Irish Sponsorship Awards ceremony in Dublin. This award, given annually, recognizes “a distinct new method or unique approach to a sponsorship activation, partnership or initiative” and we received the award in recognition of our unique and innovative £1 million sponsorship agreement with W5, the interactive discovery center in Belfast. As announced previously, this partnership, a first of its kind in Ireland, has resulted in a comprehensive STEM learning program based at W5 that aims to improve access to STEM education and promote exciting career possibilities available through pursuing STEM subjects. As a business employing over 5,600 individuals…

Craigavon, N.I., 04 December 2019 - Almac Group, the global contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organisation, has been awarded $200K by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to develop novel biosynthetic routes with the aim of substantially lowering the cost of selected steroidal Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and enable their use in developing world aid programs. The programme of work will see the development of novel biocatalytic routes to Etonorgestrel and Levonorgestrel APIs by Almac Sciences’ established team of biocatalysis experts based in Ireland.  Etonorgestrel is a highly potent material currently made with mid-twentieth century chemistry which makes it very expensive at almost $200k/kg and therefore unaffordable to women in the developing wor…

Brighton, United Kingdom – 2 December 2019 – Destiny Pharma (AIM: DEST), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel antimicrobial drugs that address clear commercial opportunities and also address the global problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), announces that Daniel Hynes, Director of Preclinical Development at Destiny Pharma, will present on the progress of a two-year China-UK Industrial Research programme researching novel antimicrobial candidates from the Company's XF drug platform for use against dermal and ocular infections at the Partnerships to Tackle the Global Challenge of AMR, UK-China AMR Workshop on 3-5 December, 2019 in Beijing, China. Dr William Love, Chief Scientific Officer and Founder of Destiny Pharma, commented: “We are delighted to…

London UK, 27 November 2019 – The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) today released the UK cell and gene therapy skills demand report. The report shows that the UK cell and gene therapy industry currently supports over 3,000 jobs. Employment in this sector in the UK is set to more than double by 2024 as more therapies are moving towards commercialisation. In seven years, the industry has expanded from 500 jobs in 2012 to over 3,000 and is predicted to reach over 6,000 jobs by 2024. The number of manufacturing and bioprocessing roles in particular, has tripled in the past two years alone, to over 1,700 roles to date. The growth reported today in the cell and gene therapy job sector is testament to the established and growing Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) ecosystem tha…