Entries by Georg Kääb

NLS and Kadimastem: Swiss-israeli merger in ALS

NLS Pharmaceutics secures US$2m equity funding and signs US$25m equity facility to support merger with Kadimastem (Israel) to combine expertise in aiming to become a leader in regenerative medicine in neurodegenerative disorders.

Zürich, 31 March 2025 –

Antimicrobial resistance: Q&A with CARB-X about the fight against AMR

Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) is an industry alliance to support research and development projects in AMR. Since its inception in 2016, CARB-X has supported 114 R&D projects across 14 countries, leading to 18 projects advancing into or completing clinical trials. EBM talked to CARB-X Executive Director Kevin Outterson.

Swedish TIRmed Pharma raises 4,3m€ against atopic dermatitis

TIRmed Pharma secures 4,3m€ to advance immunomodulatory treatment options for atopic dermatitis into clinical development. Stockholm-based TIRmed Pharma has closed this funding round, led by Sciety and its investment network, Sciety Venture Partners. The capital shall support the company’s progress toward clinical development of its novel treatment for atopic dermatitis.

Switzerland needs more efforts in biomedicine

In February 2025, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) announced that the Masterplan in Biomedicine will be discontinued. This sends a troubling signal at a time of growing protectionism and potential trade conflicts. While other nations are actively collaborating with industry to secure the future of their pharmaceutical sectors, Switzerland is abandoning the only federal initiative aimed at improving conditions for biomedical research. The organisation scienceindustries calls for a renewed effort by the government to develop a new master plan.

Morphosys’ antibody still shining – for J&J

The case of the psoriasis antiinflammation antibody guselkumab is a story of deals and cooperation and selling and buying royalties to fuel other innovation paths. J&J is right in the middle of the game and has now full ownership while expanding the indications further.

USD410m Mega Series A for yet another GLP-1 play?

Verdiva Bio, a London-based biotech, has raised an extraordinary US$410m in its oversubscribed Series A round, making it potentially the largest Series A ever raised by a U.K.-based biotech company, according to CEO Khurem Farooq.

Qiagen joins Newborn genomic screening of NHS

The aim of this unique initiative, part of the so-called Generation Study, is to sequence the genomes of 100,000 newborns in England to enable the early detection of over 200 selected conditions and to accelerate the treatment of rare diseases.