Following Fresenius’ launch of a €200 million healthcare venture fund in July, we invited Thomas Thestrup, managing director of Fresenius Ventures, to share his perspective in the Autumn issue of European Biotechnology. His argument: Europe has the innovation and the corporate investment expertise to compete globally, but needs more capital from its own healthcare companies to prevent the value created by European science from moving elsewhere. Here’s what he had to say:
Closing AI medicine’s manufacturing gap
slider, Sponsored PublicationsAt the IZB in Martinsried, Invitris is developing a cell-free platform to turn digital sequences into proteins, antibodies and phages within hours. CEO Patrick Grossmann explains why AI is shifting the bottleneck from drug design to manufacturing, how Phactory™ addresses phage production and why microgravity could open new possibilities.
Evaxion reports durable responses; Novartis halts kidney trial; AstraZeneca signs AI deal
Latest NewsBeyond the main headlines, European biotech kept moving this week. This edition of Meanwhile in Biotech covers cancer vaccine follow-up, changes to kidney and obesity trials, and two developments in AI-enabled drug discovery. Here are six updates worth catching up on.
Ambrose expands rare disease pipeline with €161M AM-Pharma acquisition
Latest NewsBritish rare disease specialist Ambrose Healthcare has acquired Dutch biotech AM-Pharma for up to €161 million, adding an enzyme replacement therapy to its pipeline and a development base in Utrecht.
$15 billion deal: Roche bets on China — and questions Germany’s future
Latest NewsThe Swiss pharmaceutical group has agreed to another, deeper ADC partnership with China’s Hansoh Pharma, with potential milestone payments exceeding $15 billion. The deal comes amid mixed developments: While China wants to do more to protect its biotech technologies from flowing abroad, Roche’s new investment decisions in Germany are on hold for now.
Merck to buy siRNA specialist Silence Therapeutics for $1.3 billion
Latest NewsMerck KGaA is acquiring British biotech company Silence Therapeutics for $1.3 billion. The main value driver is an siRNA candidate for polycythemia vera. But the research platform and Berlin site are also part of the package. The deal is another sign that RNA interference is moving beyond a specialist technology into the broader pharmaceutical business. With a premium of 82% over the 30-day volume-weighted average share price, Merck is setting hearts racing in the siRNA community.
From development to commercial reality
slider, Sponsored PublicationsHelping biopharmaceutical innovators build scalable, manufacturable, and commercially viable processes from the start.
Fresenius Ventures’ managing director: Europe has the investors. It needs the capital.
Latest News, OpinionFollowing Fresenius’ launch of a €200 million healthcare venture fund in July, we invited Thomas Thestrup, managing director of Fresenius Ventures, to share his perspective in the Autumn issue of European Biotechnology. His argument: Europe has the innovation and the corporate investment expertise to compete globally, but needs more capital from its own healthcare companies to prevent the value created by European science from moving elsewhere. Here’s what he had to say:
OSE reports positive Phase 2 data, but questions remain
Latest NewsFrench biotech OSE Immunotherapeutics has reported higher one-year survival rates with two combinations of its cancer vaccine Tedopi compared with chemotherapy alone in a Phase 2 lung cancer trial. However, the results are similar to those previously achieved with Tedopi alone, raising questions about the added benefit of combination treatment.
CHMP October decisions: AstraZeneca pulls prostate cancer filing; Orphelia gets a second chance; Ascendis nears EU launch
Latest NewsEach month, the European Medicines Agency’s human medicines committee (CHMP) weighs in on which drugs should reach European patients — and which should not. Here are eight decisions from its October meeting worth knowing.
Nouscom raises €120M to advance cancer prevention vaccine
Latest NewsSwiss biotech Nouscom has raised €120 million in an oversubscribed Series D financing to advance NOUS-209, an experimental cancer vaccine designed to prevent tumors in people with Lynch syndrome, into a global registration-enabling clinical trial. Alongside the financing, the company has released new long-term clinical data showing encouraging signs of cancer prevention.