Takeover in Wuppertal: Aicuris Anti-Infective Cures AG, which specializes in active ingredients for infectious diseases, is being acquired by Japanese pharmaceutical company Asahi Kasei for almost €800 million (around US$920 million). The company, founded by former Bayer employees Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff and Holger Zimmermann using substances from Bayer, had obtained its own approval and is currently in late-stage clinical development with active ingredients that are currently being presented with positive data at scientific conferences.
Sitryx adds another BigPharma and partners with Boehringer Ingelheim in autoimmune push
Latest NewsOxford-based immunology specialist Sitryx has entered into a new agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim aimed at advancing a novel small-molecule programme in autoimmune and inflammatory disease. The deal could be worth USD500 million in total, but the breakdown of the payments in upfront and milestones was not disclosed in detail.
Japan’s Asahi Kasei buys antiviral specialist Aicuris in €780 million deal
Latest NewsTakeover in Wuppertal: Aicuris Anti-Infective Cures AG, which specializes in active ingredients for infectious diseases, is being acquired by Japanese pharmaceutical company Asahi Kasei for almost €800 million (around US$920 million). The company, founded by former Bayer employees Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff and Holger Zimmermann using substances from Bayer, had obtained its own approval and is currently in late-stage clinical development with active ingredients that are currently being presented with positive data at scientific conferences.
argenx expands VYVGART into ocular MG as profitability signals franchise maturity
Latest Newsargenx delivered two significant updates on the same day: positive Phase 3 results in ocular myasthenia gravis (oMG) and its first full year of operating profitability. Together, the announcements show a company expanding its lead medicine into a new patient population while doing so from a position of financial strength.
Novo Nordisk partners with MIT spinout Vivtex in deal worth up to $2.1bn to advance oral biologics for obesity
Latest NewsDenmark’s Novo Nordisk has signed a collaboration with Boston-based Vivtex Corporation to develop next-generation oral biologic medicines for obesity, diabetes and associated metabolic diseases. Vivtex is eligible to receive upfront payments, research funding and milestone payments totalling up to $2.1 billion (approximately €1.78bn), as well as tiered royalties on net sales of any resulting products.
GSK buys 35Pharma for $950m, targeting next-generation pulmonary hypertension therapy and the TGF-β superfamily
Latest NewsGSK will pay $950m for Montreal-based 35Pharma to secure HS235, an investigational activin signalling inhibitor that has completed Phase I trials in healthy volunteers and is set to begin studies in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension due to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PH-HFpEF).
Skin in the AI game: Beiersdorf Ventures invests in AI biology platform Turbine
Latest NewsAs a co-investor in the USD 25 million Series B round, Beiersdorf AG is signalling that artificial intelligence is becoming strategically important for skin research. The Hamburg-based group is participating through its venture unit in the AI biotech Turbine, founded in Budapest and now also headquartered in London.
Brainomix extends Series C to £18.8m as Oxford AI imaging spinout pushes into the US
Latest NewsOxford-based Brainomix has added £4.8 million (approximately $6.5m/€5.5m) to its Series C financing, bringing the total round to £18.8 million ($25.4m/€21.5m) and providing fresh capital to accelerate the US rollout of its AI-powered imaging platforms for stroke and lung fibrosis.
Early BioNTech mRNA breast cancer trial delivers surprise in longtime disease control
Latest NewsA study recently published in Nature on the use of mRNA “vaccines” targeting cancer neoantigens in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has generated considerable attention in scientific circles. However, with only 14 patients treated in this Phase I trial, it is far too early to declare a breakthrough. Still, the highly encouraging data breathe new life into a cancer vaccine approach that in recent years had fallen behind antibodies, ADCs and checkpoint inhibitors.
Angelini partners with Quiver on AI-driven discovery in genetic epilepsies
Latest NewsItaly’s Angelini Pharma has signed a multi-year research collaboration and licensing agreement with Massachusetts-based Quiver Bioscience to discover new treatments for genetic epilepsies, including developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs). Under the agreement, Quiver could receive up to $120 million in milestone payments plus royalties if Angelini advances drug targets emerging from the collaboration. Financial terms for the upfront payment were not disclosed. Angelini will also receive exclusive access to data generated during the research term.
Europe accelerates next-generation flu vaccines with €225m innovation procurement push
Latest NewsA group of vaccine developers, biotech firms and public health institutes, including Bavarian Nordic and Sanofi, has secured framework contracts under a €225 million EU initiative to accelerate the development of next-generation influenza vaccines.