Denmark’s Novozymes has acquired microbial research company Organobalance GmbH. The German company owns a large collection of microbial strains, some of which date back to the 1920s, and has strong capabilities in microbial screening and assay technology.
14.09.2016 – The summer slump on the stock markets is over: AC Immune has confidently priced its long-awaited Nasdaq IPO. The Swiss Alzheimer’s specialist is expecting to raise up to US$68m (€60.5m) overseas.
13.09.2016 – Diabetes major Sanofi is joining forces with Verily – formerly Google Life Sciences – to launch Onduo. The joint venture will develop a comprehensive diabetes management platform.
09.09.2016 – iBionext’s healthcare VC fund iBionext Growth has announced a first closing of €46m. All in all, iBionext aims to take in around €100m to reinvest in biotech and medtech companies.
07.09.2016 – Furniture giant Ikea and renewables expert Neste have joined forces to deliver bio-based plastics based on Neste’s bio-based polymer. The partners urge other companies to join the initiative.
06.09.2016 – DBV’s needle-free patch technology is being put to the test in a a proof of concept trial for a pertussis vaccine developed by BioNet-Asia. Researchers from the Geneva University Hospital are supervising the study.
05.09.2016 – Why do people grow old? Italian researchers took a close look at centenarians and found that low levels of the peptide hormone Adrenomedullin may significantly contribute towards good microcirculation and thus longevity.
01.09.2016 – The causes of Alzheimer’s disease are still largely unknown. But now, an antibody developed by the University of Zurich has significantly reduced the brain amyloid plaques typical for Alzheimer’s Disease in a Phase Ib clinical trial.
30.08.2016 – Swiss biopharma company Ferring has acquired the exclusive development and commercialisation rights to Seikagaku’s Phase III chemonucleolytic leg pain treatment for €85m.
Adocia said it would discontinue its diabetic foot ulcer programme after its lead product BioChaperone PDGF disappointed in Phase III. The French company will turn the focus on its earlier-stage products.