EFPIAPharmaceutical associations have responded with sharp criticism to the adoption of the revised general pharmaceutical legislation by the EU Council of Ministers in the form of a directive and a regulation. They argue that the measures are not suitable for bringing Europe back to the forefront of pharmaceutical research and will make the EU an unattractive location for investment.
Bristol Myers SquibbIn the race to replace MSD’s mega blockbuster pembrolizumab with a more effective bispecific VEGF x PD-(L)1 antibody, German company BioNTech SE has struck a good deal. BioNTech is now developing its Phase III programme BNT327, acquired with the US$950m takeover of Chinese company Biotheus Co Ltd, with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in return for a payment of US$11.1bn.
Invest in Scotland, FlexBioScotland’s biotechnology sector is celebrating a major milestone with the launch of the nation’s first open-access 300-litre fermenter – a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that will support early-stage companies to develop bio-based products at scale.
MichaelVi - stock.adobe.comGerman researchers have identified a promising new target to stop the inflammatory response in ulcerative colitis—a breakthrough that could help prevent the progression to colorectal cancer. Phase II clinical trials of a corresponding monoclonal antibody, licensed by Roche, are expected to begin soon.
ECThe European Commission has promised to create a new public-private fund to bridge the ‘valley of death’ phase for technology companies facing expansion. In addition, the EU wants to reduce its lag in the number of technology unicorns compared to the United States and China with a start-up and scale-up strategy.
Norwegian Mycelium ASFoodtech startup Norwegian Mycelium A/S has raised €1.25m in a financing round led by Nippon Beet Sugar Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Nitten), Japan’s largest beet sugar producer, to scale-up its mycoprotein platform.
Adobe Stock - TechArtTrends For nearly two decades, Roche AG has been searching for a next-generation sequencing method in personalised medicine to overcome the limitations of short read lengths in existing sequencing technologies. Following beta testing, the company plans to launch its new Sequencing by Expansion (SBX) technology commercially next year.
C4X DiscoveryC4X Discovery Holdings Ltd has received a €8m milestone payment from the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi for its preclinical IL-17A inhibitor. This payment is based on a licence agreement from 2021, under which the British company could receive up to €414m, including royalties.
Adobe Stock.com - BoontharikaPharmacologists at the University of Göttingen, Germany, have reported a simple way to target and silence individual mitochondrial mRNAs in vivo.
SLASBritish company Wildcat Laboratory Solutions Ltd and Hamburg-based mo:re GmbH have received the New Product Award from the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) in recognition of new technologies with potential to drive industry transformation. The award for the most promising start-up was conferred upon Swiss firm Oryl Photonics SA.