As UK’s departure from the EU is fast approaching, stakeholders are preparing for the disruption a hard Brexit might cause. While EMA is scaling back activities, pharma companies are stockpiling meds.

Antiviral drug discovery company ReViral announced the successful completion of a of a US$55m Series B financing. The funding will go toward clinical studies for its respiratory tract infection treatment.

The global market value of biodegradable plastics has passed the US$1.1bn mark in 2018, a report by IHS Markit says. More than half of the demand comes from Western Europe, driven by increasing regulation.

Swiss pharma giant Novartis announced that its monoclonal antibody for migraine prevention Aimovig (erenumab) has received market approval in the EU. It is the first treatment of its kind to be available here.

A financing agreement with the European Investment Bank will allow the French cancer specialist Nanobiotix to borrow up to €40m through loan – money the company needs to boost its research, development and innovation activities.

The EU Court of Justice has ruled that plants created using novel genome editing methods will be classed as genetically modified organisms and therefore have to follow the strict EU guidelines for GMOs.

Irish Nabriva Therapeutics plc has acquired San Diego-based antibiotics developer Zavante Therapeutics for 8.2 million shares plus US$97.5m in milestone payments.

US gene editing expert Sangamo Therapeutics is set to acquire French biotech TxCell in an all-cash buyout of €72m on a debt- and cash-free basis.

Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi) has signed a €387 deal with Swiss drug developer Novimmune for a late stage antibody targeting a rare haematology disorder.

European biotechs Morphosys and Galapagos have handed over their joint atopical dermatitis programme MOR106 to Novartis for up to €945m. The Swiss pharma giant aims to strengthen its commitment to lead immuno-dermatology, the company said.