Another great year for Swiss biotech

With an impressive 11.7% growth in sales compared with 2015, the Swiss biotech sector has grown more strongly in 2016 than the years before. However, after three years of growth, Swiss biotech companies collected almost CHF100m less than in the previous year, according to the most recent Swiss Biotech Report.

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German biotech on the rise

The Biotechnology in Germany is a growth engine. According to a new report, all key figures such as employees, turnover and R&D expenditure were at an all-time high in 2016.

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€37.5 million for Vivet Therapeutics

The french biotechnology company Vivet Therapeutics has raised €37.5 million in a Series A financing round. Amongst others, Novartis Venture Fund and Roche Venture Fund were involved.

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Boehringer leads Series A of French Imcheck

The Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund leads a financing consortium that collected €20m for French cancer therapy developer Imcheck. The Marseille-based company also presented its new CEO.      

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Preventing congestion in acute heart failure patients

German Adrenomed AG has decided to start clinical Phase II tests of the very first personalised treatment for the six million patients with acute congestive heart failure. Large trials suggest that the company can stratify patients resistant to diuretics standard therapy by a proprietary companion diagnostics blood test. Adrenomed will assess whether its first-in-class antibody adrecizumab can reverse the congestion that that manifests as pulmonary edema.
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Abivax’ shares jump on new Phase IIa HIV data

The French biotech said that its lead therapeutic candidate demonstrated the first reduction in HIV reservoirs ever observed in chronically infected HIV patients. Following the news, the company’s share price more than doubled.

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Verona Pharma raised US-$77.8m at NASDAQ

British respiratory disease specialist Verona Pharma plc (VRNA) has raised US-$77.8m (€73,96m) at NASDAQ through the issuance of 5,768,000 American Depositary Shares (ADS) – each ADS representing eight ordinary shares – at a price of US-$13.50 per ADS.

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Modus Therapeutics: Clinical development pro

Modus Therapeutics AB, a Karolinska Development portfolio company developing treatments for sickle cell disease, has appointed Ellen K. Donnelly as CEO. Donnelly joins from Pfizer, Inc, where she most recently was responsible for Clinical Operations for the Neuroscience and Pain therapeutic area.

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EuropaBio: Regulatory experience

The European biotech industry association EuropaBio has named John Brennan as its new Secretary General. The life sciences expert will take over his new position in June. 
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Epigenomics in €171m take-over

Epigenomics and minority shareholder Cathay Fortune International Company have agreed for Cathay to take over the Berlin-based diagnostics company for €7.52 per share – a premium of almost 50%.

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