Second-generation chimeric antibody receptors (CARs), © Sue Seif

Swiss Novartis AG has received US market authorisation for its first-in-class CAR-T cell therapy Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel-T). As severe cytokine storms seemed to be generally linked to CAR-T therapies such as Kymriah, the FDA also authorised Roche’s anti-IL-6R antibody Actemra (tocilizumab) as first-in-class treatment to manage them.

Production at BI, @ Boehringer Ingelheim

The US Food and Drug Administration has granted US market authorisation to Boehringer Ingelheim’s biosimilar anti-TNFa-antibody adalimumab.

Apeiron Biologics' CEO Hans Loibner, © Dr. Hans Loibner/Apeiron Biologics AG

Supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a  €25m loan to the Austrian pediatric cancer specialist Apeiron Biologics AG to boost its pipeline of antibodies, fusion proteins and low molecular weight checkpoint inhibitors. 

the EU patent package initially was aimed at establishing a unitary patent that is valid across the European Union. As Spain and Italy resisted to adopt the rules because unitary patents will be only translated into few languages, reducing overall cost, the initial plan failed. Furthermore,  the unitary patent and the UPC may make European companies more vulnerable due to the fact that a single proceeding in one country can annul their patent claims in all EU countries. © Audiovisual library of the EC.

In mid-June, the German Federal Constitutional Court asked the German President not to sign legislation designed to implement the EU Unified Patent Court (UPC, EU Agreement 16351/12) and Unitary Patent (EU Regulation 1257/12). Now, there are hints for a further delay. The constitutional complaint behind the delay, rumoured to be brought up by a German life sciences IP expert, has led to a stop of hiring German judges for the UPC.

Genmab logo, © Genmab A/S

Danish Genmab A/S’ anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab has met the endpoint of progression-free survival in an interim analysis of Genmab’s pivotal Phase III study aimed at receiving FDA approval as first-line therapy in multiple myeloma. 

Merck Ventures has joined the Series A investor syndicate of the British immuno-oncology specialist Macrophage Pharma Ltd.

Scientists at Swedish Karolinska Institute have identified a factor that supports growth of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons, the nerve cells that degenerate during of Parkinson’s disease.

Peptides that trigger immune system dampening Treg responses in liver stem cells use nanocarriers as transport vesicles, © Topas Therapeutics GmbH

Evotec’s immunology spin-out Topas Therapeutics has inked a multi-year R&D collaboration with pharma major Eli Lilly. The initial focus of research, which will be financed by Eli Lilly, is on identification of  antigens that specifically induce a T regulatory cell response in inflammatory and auto-immune disorders.

Medivir's headquarters in Stockholm, © lakemedelsvarlden.se

Medivir AB has exclusively licenced Greater China development and commercialisation rights of its preclinical candidate drug MIV-802 to Chinese drug developer Ascletis Bioscience Co. Ltd.

A slide of tissue sections to be stained and incubated with antibodies to see which proteins are expressed, © Nature, doi:10.1038/509645a

Using a national supercomputer, Swedish researchers have analysed how protein expression of the 315 known cancer genes translates into cancer overall survival.