Neurology specialist Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. (Milan) has raised gross proceeds of CHF 27m through a private placement of new shares via an accelerated book-building process.

© Roche

Though not reaching the overall surival endpoint in Phase III, the European Commission has granted label extension for Roche’s checkpoint blocker Tecentriq in two types of metastatic bladder cancer.

French microbiota specialist Da Volterra has received an EIB loan to speed up development of treatments that prevent antibiotic resistance and hospital acquired infections.

A normal alveolus (left) and a damaged injured alveolus in the acute phase of acute respiratory distress syndrome (right), © David Darling

A team of US and German researchers has found that neutrophils secrete a regulatory RNA  into lung tissue that protects against harmful inflammations. 

Healthcare investor Vesalius Biocapital has created a new investment vehicle in collaboration with the Portuguese National Promotional bank (IFD) aimed at investing in Portuguese life science companies.

Electron micrograph of invading HI-virus (red). ©CDC

British T cell receptor specialist Immunocore Ltd will receive a US$40m investment from the the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation  to develop immunotherapies that fight tuberculosis and HIV.

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Federico Pollano
After having set up a R&D hub for the biomanufacturing of clinical trial supplies in Gdansk, Polpharma is expanding its European footprint with a €100m investment in Warsaw. Several take-overs previously made the company a one-stop shop for biomanufacturing. European Biotechnology spoke with Federico Pollano, Director Contract Manufacturing and Business Development at the CDMO and bio­similars maker, about Polpharma’s strategy and expansion of biologics production. 
Entrance hall of the EMA, © EMA

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) published the results of its September meeting.

Santera's shares 58% down after EMA decision © Wikimedia Commons, Mattbuck

The European Medicine Agency’s CHMP has rejected a type II extension application to Santhera Pharmaceutical’s coenzyme Q10 analogon idebenone (Raxone) as treatment for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Raxone was approved under exceptional circucumstances in September 2015 to treat visual impairment in patients with the rare eye disease LHON.

Sophia Genetics' CEO Jurgi Camblong, © EPFL Innovation Park

Artificial intelligence (AI) specialist Sophia Genetics SA (St. Sulpice, Switzerland) raised US$30m in a series D round to foster global expansion of its cancer diagnostics annotation platform SOPHiA AI.