GMO world market adoption is further growing. GMO cultivation area in 2016 increased to 185.1 million hectares versus 2015 (179.7m hectares), 3% up globally, and from 116,870 in 2015 to 136,363 hectares, 17% up, in the EU.
With an impressive 11.7% growth in sales compared with 2015, the Swiss biotech sector has grown more strongly in 2016 than the years before. However, after three years of growth, Swiss biotech companies collected almost CHF100m less than in the previous year, according to the most recent Swiss Biotech Report.
The Biotechnology in Germany is a growth engine. According to a new report, all key figures such as employees, turnover and R&D expenditure were at an all-time high in 2016.
The french biotechnology company Vivet Therapeutics has raised €37.5 million in a Series A financing round. Amongst others, Novartis Venture Fund and Roche Venture Fund were involved.
The Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund leads a financing consortium that collected €20m for French cancer therapy developer Imcheck. The Marseille-based company also presented its new CEO.
The French biotech said that its lead therapeutic candidate demonstrated the first reduction in HIV reservoirs ever observed in chronically infected HIV patients. Following the news, the companys share price more than doubled.
British respiratory disease specialist Verona Pharma plc (VRNA) has raised US-$77.8m (€73,96m) at NASDAQ through the issuance of 5,768,000 American Depositary Shares (ADS) – each ADS representing eight ordinary shares – at a price of US-$13.50 per ADS.
Epigenomics and minority shareholder Cathay Fortune International Company have agreed for Cathay to take over the Berlin-based diagnostics company for €7.52 per share – a premium of almost 50%.
Belgian-Dutch antibody developer Argenx N.V. seeks to raise US$74.7m in a US IPO. The company, which is already listed on Euronext wants to use the proceeds to push development of its autoimmune and cancer drugs.
Four orphan drugs, three biosimilars, and one monoclonal antibody therapy have been recommended for EU market approval by the European Medicines Agencys CHMP this month.