Adaptimmune's management at the announcement that the company's headquarter will be built in Philadelphia, US, in 2015, © Adaptimmune

As cancer immune therapy specialist Adaptimmune’s R&D pipeline has expanded from 9 to 11 candidates and R&D cost rose from US$40.5m to US$63.8m, the company needed more funds.  

Nathalie Moll, @ EuropaBio

In April, Nathalie Moll has taken on her new job as Director General of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). Moll is also Secretary General of Europe’s largest biotech industry group EuropaBio. 

Peter Keen, @ Endomag
Cancer healthcare company Endomag, founded in 2007 as a spin-out from the University College London (UCL) and the University of Houston, has appointed Peter Keen as non-executive director. Keen will focus on supporting the company as it further extends its international reach.

Menarini-Silicon Biosystems Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bologna-based Menarini Group, has completed the take-over of the Cellsearch Circulating Tumour Cell System from Janssen Diagnostics. 

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Help Medicortex to develop a diagnostic kit for brain injury detection.

Lab worker at Ogeda's headquarters in Gosseliers, © Ogeda S.A.

Japanese pharma major Astellas has announced it will take over private Belgian drug developer Ogeda S.A. for €800m.

Daratumumab triggers a person's own immune system to attack the cancer cells, resulting in rapid tumor cell death through multiple immune-mediated mechanisms of action and through immunomodulatory effects, in addition to direct tumor cell death, via apoptosis, © University Utrecht

Genmab A/S has announced that its CD38-targeting Phase II candidate daratumab did not reach the expected ORR in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients. Co-developer Janssen has decided to terminate development in three NHL subtypes. 

Lino Paula from DG Research and Innovation at the Biostep Forum in Brussels, © BIOCOM

The evaluation of the European bioeconomy strategy will take longer than initially planned. According to information given at the Biostep Forum in Brussels, results won’t be available before next year and it is still unclear if there will be an update of the strategy adopted in 2012. Several upcoming expert and stakeholder meetings in 2017 will pave the way for a decision in early 2018. 

EPO headquarters, © EPO
European life sciences industry associations have voiced concerns over the latest addition to the European Patent Office’s ambitious Early Certainty Initiative. While cutting the time for determining patentability to six months from filing, and streamlining the duration of the opposition procedure from 26 down to 15 months have been widely applauded, they warn that plans for a one-size-fits-all plan that limits examination time to 12 months will harm the life sciences sector. 
Gavin Reccia, © Gavin Recchia

The decision of the European Patent Office to examine all patent applications within 12 months can unintentionally block companies from filing for life sciences patents in Europe, says Gavin Recchia, Principal of one of Australia’s largest patent attorneys’ firms.