Paris-based life sciences venture capital firm Sofinnova Partners has closed the largest early-stage healthcare VC fund in Europe.

With €600m from a directed share issue in its coffers, BICO finalises the acquisition of QInstruments, a specialist in advanced sample preparation automation.

The European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, initiated by the EU, has raised more than €200m that will be used to drive the transformation towards a bio-based economy.

German CureVac N.V. has withdrawn its application for market approval of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate and will focus on the development of a second-generation vaccine.

Bad news for Swiss drug discovery company Idorsia: Its Fabry disease hopeful lucerastat failed to reduce neuropathic pain in patients.

Leading industry leaders, SMEs representatives and academia are joining in Vienna, Austria, at the 14th European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy (EFIB), from 6th to 7th of October, organised by EuropaBio and conference partners.

Pharma giant AstraZeneca has submitted data to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for  Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of its antibody duo AZD7442.

Lengnau will become the newest site in Thermo Fisher Scientific’s biologics manufacturing network. The site is to be completed in 2022 and its staff of 200 will join the company.

BionTech SE, which has been very successful in the field of corona vaccines, is starting phase II tests with its colorectal cancer candidate BNT122.

Advent France Biotechnology’s has launched a second biotech seed fund with a first close at €86m. Since 2017, the French state fund has financed 15 startups in France, Spain, Belgium and Ireland with €68m.