With the launch of Servier Ventures announced in January and a €200 million commitment to biotech investment, Servier is stepping up its engagement in early-stage innovation in oncology and neurology. European Biotechnology Magazine spoke with Alexis Vandier, Global Head of Servier Ventures, about the fund’s strategy, investment focus, and Europe’s role in the global biotech ecosystem.
BioOrbit: record seed round for in‑space drug manufacturing
Latest NewsCan in‑space manufacturing help cancer patients take complex medicines at home? For a technology that aims to do just that, UK‑based BioOrbit has just raised £9.8m (around €11.3m) – the “world’s largest” seed round of for in‑space manufacturing.
Valneva reels in €84m in fresh financing to shore up vaccine pipeline
Latest NewsValneva SE, the French specialty‑vaccine developer, has completed an €84m reserved offering, adding a useful cash buffer just as the group enters a high‑risk window for its Lyme disease and shigellosis‑vaccine candidates.
Inside Servier’s new €200M venture fund
Background, Latest NewsWith the launch of Servier Ventures announced in January and a €200 million commitment to biotech investment, Servier is stepping up its engagement in early-stage innovation in oncology and neurology. European Biotechnology Magazine spoke with Alexis Vandier, Global Head of Servier Ventures, about the fund’s strategy, investment focus, and Europe’s role in the global biotech ecosystem.
Chiesi in US$1.9bn deal to buy KalVista and its angioedema drug
Latest NewsItalian pharma group Chiesi has struck a near‑US$1.9bn deal to acquire KalVista Pharmaceuticals, bringing the US biotech’s first‑in‑class oral treatment for hereditary angioedema into its rare‑disease portfolio.
Coultreon bags US$125m for autoimmune pipeline
Latest NewsBelgian Coultreon Biopharma has raised US$125m in a big‑pharma‑backed Series A round to push its first‑in‑class SIK3 inhibitor into Phase II after an ongoing Phase I programme in autoimmune disease
Astorg spins off Thermo Fisher’s microbiology arm
Latest NewsPan-European private‑equity firm Astorg has agreed to acquire Thermo Fisher Scientific’s global microbiology business for about US$1.08bn, carving it out into a standalone platform focused on antimicrobial susceptibility testing and microbiology diagnostics. The investment is being made through Astorg VIII, the firm’s latest flagship buy‑out fund.
CureVac takes Moderna to court over mRNA vaccine patents
Latest NewsCureVac has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Moderna of patent infringement over its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax. The German biotech claims that Moderna used its proprietary methods for stabilising messenger RNA without authorisation and is seeking monetary damages framed as royalties on Spikevax sales.
Evonik: €80m for biopharma CDMO capacity in Slovakia
Latest NewsEvonik is investing €80 million in its fermentation plant in Slovakia, pushing the Group’s structural transformation forward with a major investment in biotechnology. Alongside spider‑silk proteins from Amsilk, the site is set to offer a broader CDMO portfolio for the pharmaceutical industry.
Kurma Partners closes Biofund IV at €215M, giving European biotech a fresh specialist pool of capital
Latest NewsKurma Partners has closed Biofund IV at €215 million, giving European biotech founders a meaningful new source of capital even though the vehicle came in below the €250 million target Kurma set when it launched the fund in October 2024. At first close, Kurma had raised €140 million and said Biofund IV would back 16 to 20 companies, building on the strategy it used in earlier funds.
Epitopea wins UK approval for therapeutic vaccine trial
Latest NewsCryptiVax-1001 is set to enter first-in-human testing in advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer, a setting with few durable treatment options.