Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology and Life Sciences
Moderna has submitted a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an amendment to the emergency use authorization (EUA) to allow for a fourth dose of its COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273) in adults 18 years of age and older who have received an initial booster of any of the authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines.
Sobi has announced that the National Medical Products Administration of China (NMPA) has approved Gamifant (emapalumab) for use in China. The indication is for treatment of adult and paediatric (newborn and older) patients with primary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) with refractory, recurrent or progressive disease or intolerance to conventional HLH therapy.
Ginkgo Bioworks has announced the entry into a definitive agreement to acquire FGen AG (“FGen”), a Swiss company specializing in strain development and optimization.
Ignis Therapeutics and STADA’s Britannia Pharmaceuticals Ltd. affiliate have jointly announced that two companies have signed an exclusive licensing agreement under which Ignis Therapeutics will develop and commercialize subcutaneous apomorphine for Parkinson’s disease in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
Kizoo portfolio company Revel Pharmaceuticals has raised $8.4M in Seed financing. The oversubscribed round was led by Kizoo Technology Capital and Starbloom Capital with participation from Tubus LLC. The funds will support Revel as it advances its repair-based enzyme therapy pipeline towards the clinic.
AstraZeneca’s Evusheld (tixagevimab co-packaged with cilgavimab) is authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and is the first antibody combination for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against COVID-19 licensed in Great Britain.
Oppilotech Ltd has announced a co-development drug discovery partnership with the UK’s Evariste Technologies, which will use machine learning and artificial intelligence to establish a first-in-class antibacterial programme.
Alexion, AstraZeneca’s Rare Disease group, has entered into a settlement agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Chugai), resolving all patent disputes between the two companies related to Ultomiris (ravulizumab).
Coriolis Pharma and U-Medico have announced a strategic alliance that includes an equity investment by Coriolis Pharma into U-Medico.
Qbic, an inter-university venture capital fund focusing on the transformation of technological breakthroughs into sustainable businesses, has announced the first close of its third fund at EUR 49 million.