Roche’s US arm Genentech has licenced Affimed NV’s ROCK platform to add multivalent antibodies, which could activate the innate immune system, to its cancer pipeline.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) will tender £30m (€33.2m) to tackle the suffering and devastation caused by heart and circulatory diseases.

About 25% of the people who suffer from haemophilia A have no therapeutic options, because their immune system forms antibodies against clotting products that can stop bleeding. Researchers and companies in the growing US$15.8bn haemophilia market are feverishly exploring new ways to identify patients at risk and offer them alternative treatments. A series of mergers and acquisitions have changed the playing field for established markets and players.

Orphan drug leader Shire plc (Dublin), has received the FDA’s approval for its antibody lanadelumab-flyo, which prevents hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks.

Blocking the extracellular matrix (ECM) enzyme leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) dampens inflammation but promotes changes in the airways of mice with allergic asthma due to accumulation of the ECM degradation product PGP.

Novo Nordisk and Evotec have joined forces to find new drugs in the lucrative diabetes and obesity markets.

Parexel International Corporation today announced the appointment of Greg Rush as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

French Genkyotex SA has secured an €7.5m gross financing to expand the scope of its Phase II product GKT831 in Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC).

Roche AG’s ALK blocker Alecensa (alectinib) has been granted market approval by China National Drug Administration as first line NSCLC monotherapy in patients with ALK-positive non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

 BioNTech AG has partnered with Pfizer to develop a mRNA-based flu vaccine.