AAVantgarde Bio has closed a $141M (€122M) Series B financing round led by Schroders Capital, Atlas Venture, and Forbion. New investors included Amgen Ventures, Athos Capital, CDP Venture Capital, Columbia IMC, Neva SGR, Sixty Degree Capital, XGen Venture, and Willett Advisors. Existing investors Longwood Fund and Sofinnova Partners also participated.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk slash obesity drug prices
Latest NewsEli Lilly and Novo Nordisk cut US obesity drug prices under Trump’s MFN plan, offering Zepbound, Wegovy and others via Medicare, Medicaid and LillyDirect.
QIAGEN acquires Parse Biosciences Inc for US$225m
Latest NewsBiotech leader QIAGEN NV announced the acquisition of Parse Biosciences for US$225M upfront, plus up to US$55M in milestone payments, expected to close by the end of 2025.
Unlock the Power of Structural Biology
Sponsored PublicationsIn this interview Dr. Martin Stieler, founder and CEO of BIMOVIS, introduces his company and the importance of structural biology in biotech and pharmaceutical industries, and highlights how BIMOVIS helps unlock the full potential of biomolecular insights to advance drug development and strengthen R&D pipelines.
Boehringer Ingelheim in US$570m deal with CDR-Life
Latest NewsBoehringer Ingelheim has licenced global rights for CDR111, an antibody-based trispecific M-gager to treat autoimmune diseases from CDR-Life, Inc. CDR111 is an antibody-based T-cell engager designed to selectively target and deplete B cells, with the goal of achieving immune system reset.
Evolving Antibody Innovation: New frontiers in cancer R&D
Sponsored PublicationsFifty years after the invention of hybridoma technology, biologics have become a cornerstone of oncology drug discovery and development. From the first monoclonal antibody approval in 1995 to today’s complex antibody formats and cell-based therapies, biologics are reshaping cancer drug discovery. Yet, despite remarkable progress, the urgent need for novel targets that can exploit recent technological developments remains high.
AAVantgarde secures $141m Series B funding
Latest NewsAAVantgarde Bio has closed a $141M (€122M) Series B financing round led by Schroders Capital, Atlas Venture, and Forbion. New investors included Amgen Ventures, Athos Capital, CDP Venture Capital, Columbia IMC, Neva SGR, Sixty Degree Capital, XGen Venture, and Willett Advisors. Existing investors Longwood Fund and Sofinnova Partners also participated.
How T3 scaled faster in Basel’s biotech labs
slider, Sponsored PublicationsT3 Pharmaceuticals shows how a biotech can move from first experiments to a major international deal keeping pace – and roots – in the Basel Area. The team built, tested and scaled inside Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area’s Main Campus. Flexible private labs, certified shared facilities and an on-site expert community cut friction at every step. The result: faster iteration, smarter use of capital and a clear path from seed to global relevance — all inside Europe’s densest life sciences cluster.
Novo and Pfizer in Metsera takeover battle
Latest NewsDanish Novo Nordisk A/S has made an unexpected takeover bid for US biotech Metsera, Inc. This challenges the already agreed acquisition by Pfizer Inc. Novo offers US$6.5bn in cash, plus up to US$2.5bn in milestone payments. The total potential value is around US$9bn. Pfizer previously offered US$4.9bn plus US$2.4bn in milestones.
Data-driven excellence: the cornerstone of clinical research
BackgroundEssential areas such as study planning, interpretation, regulatory guidance, and key study design decisions remain human responsibilities, although AI increasingly supports routine tasks. X-act gets involved after the preclinical phase supporting clients in all clinical research phases from Phase I to IV and beyond. Their service ranges from initial planning to final analysis, reporting, and regulatory submission. European Biotechnology spoke with Jasmin Atarodi, Managing Director of X-act Cologne Clinical Research GmbH, about the benefits of partnering with experienced data specialists.
NATO elevates biotech to defence priority
Latest NewsThe NATO is clearly priorising biotech to a defence priority with an annual budget of potentially up to €500m for biotech start-ups starting from 2026. At the opening of the first ever NATO Biotechnology Conference, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said: “Between last year and this year, we funded a total of 28 promising biotechnology companies through the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA)”. Rutte indicated that DIANA’s budget could grow significantly in the medium term, potentially up to five-fold.