Three of six new meds to be approved in Europe are orphan drugs and have been backed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) this month.
Good news for EMD Serono, the US arm of German Merck: Its PD-L1 blocker avelumab is the first drug that received FDA approval to treat the rare skin cancer Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC).
With around 2,500 attendees, Barcelona hosted the most successful BIO Europe Spring conference in the history of the EBDs partnering event. Southern Europe demonstrated its growth ambitions in the life sciences.
Scottish and Canadian researchers have identified a protein essential for the toxoplasmosis parasite to be transmitted. Targeting it might give rise to new treatments other parasitic diseases like malaria.
British inhaled anti-infectives specialist Pulmocide has bagged US$30.4m (€28.8m) from new and existing investors to bring its anti-RSV and anti-aspergillosis compounds into clinical testing.
The investment groups Q-Growth Fund and Biolty purchased the majority of the Valencian biotechnology company Institute of Genomic Medicine (Imegen) for €10m.
British Cell Medica has closed a 60£ (€68,8m) Series C financing to advance its pipeline of virus-specific Natural Killer T (NKT) cells in oncology and viral infection.
According to main investor Sofinnova Partners, the Euronext IPO of Avantium, the front runner in renewable chemistry, was oversubscribed multiple times resulting in a market capitalisation of €277m.
Transgene has started Phase II efficacy testing of its therapeutic cancer vaccine TG4010 and Bristol-Myers Squibbs checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab) in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Belgian cell therapeutics specialist TiGenix NV announced positive top-line one-year results from its CAREMI stem cell study in acute myocardial infarction.