Interview 1 May 2017 This Founder is using Synbio to Revolutionize Genetic Medicine Oxford Genetics founder and CEO Ryan Cawood told me about his company’s improvements to DNA design for better biologicals. Last month at Synbiobeta, I caught up with Ryan Cawood, who created one of the most successful synthetic biology companies around, Oxford Genetics. “Our direction actually took off from this conference,” he told me. “We saw […] May 1, 2017 - 5 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Apr 2017 EMA designates uniQure’s gene therapy for hemophilia a priority Following a Breakthrough Designation from the FDA earlier this year, the Dutch biotech has scored the European equivalent for AMT-060. Since its claim to fame, Glybera, fell from grace to become a commercial failure, uniQure has been on the rebound. The company recently has undergone several management shakeups and a strategy review, and it just made the decision to withdraw […] April 25, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Apr 2017 Goodbye Glybera! The World’s First Gene Therapy will be Withdrawn The excitement about the therapy was undercut when it became clear Glybera would be a commercial failure. In October, it will officially be dead. uniQure has announced that it will not go for the renewal of its marketing authorization for Glybera in Europe, which is set to expire in October this year. Since Glybera missed approval in the […] April 20, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Apr 2017 UPDATE: Novartis broadens CAR-T onslaught with FDA endorsement UPDATE (19/04/2017): CTL019 has been granted Breakthrough Designation by the FDA for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Novartis and Kite have been in a tight race to bring the first CAR-T therapy to market: Novartis has staked out acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) while Kite has gone for DLBCL. With this “tacit endorsement,” Novartis is encroaching on […] April 19, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 10 Apr 2017 “Alzheimer’s is the Last Unclaimed Therapeutic Space,” says TauRx exec The Alzheimer’s field has been hit with a number of failures. I spoke to the COO/CBO of TauRx, whose alternative approach may yet succeed. Pharma is throwing all it can at the problem of Alzheimer’s Disease without any success to show for its efforts. Now the sixth leading cause of death across all age groups, […] April 10, 2017 - 7 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 6 Apr 2017 Fear & Loathing in GMOs: How do you change concerned minds? The house was packed to hear Joyce Tait of the Innogen Institute and Mark Lynas, an environmental writer, speak about smarter approaches to GM regulations. The second day of SynBioBeta yesterday started early, but fuelled by a passion for synthetic biology (on which a number of speakers commented), attendees packed into the lecture hall for a fireside chat on GMO regulation with Joyce […] April 6, 2017 - 5 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Apr 2017 UPDATE: First Woman CEO of a Global Drug Maker starts at GSK today GSK has punched a hole in the glass ceiling with its appointment of a new female CEO, Emma Walmsley. It’s up to her to reinvigorate the company. Emma Walmsley may be the most powerful woman in corporate Britain. The Oxford grad and L’Oreal veteran has just been crowned CEO of the pharma giant GSK: a marketing […] April 3, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 29 Mar 2017 More “FDA Love” for Cannabis Company with Orphan Drug Designation Last year was a doozy for biotech, but it was spectacular for GW Pharmaceuticals. Its streak continues with more special treatment. GW Pharmaceuticals, which is developing epilepsy treatments from marijuana, is making a name for itself not just as “that company” turning a recreational drug into medical ones; the company was also one of 2016’s surprise successes — its […] March 29, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 Mar 2017 Why did Biotech Beat Pharma to Bring the First Gene Therapy to Market? Pharma would seemingly best biotech in any competition. A few CEOs explain why it left the honor of “The First Gene Therapy” to biotech. On July 20, 2012, the western world’s first gene therapy, Glybera, received marketing authorization from the EMA. The treatment was designed and developed by uniQure as one-off treatment for Lipoprotein Lipase Deficiency (LPLD), a […] March 28, 2017 - 5 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 23 Mar 2017 Meet the CEO of this Intrepid Spanish Biotech exploring Epigenetics Located right here in Barcelona, Oryzon is one of the world’s few epigenetics biotechs. I sat down with CEO Carlos Buesa to talk about its approach. Since its foundation in 2000, Oryzon has gone on to become the leader in epigenetic medicine and focuses on oncology. Most recently, the company announced the success of its lead […] March 23, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 22 Mar 2017 Watch a Partner at Spain’s Largest VC talk Investment Strategy At BIO Europe Spring, we met Karen Wagner, a General Partner at Ysios, the VC dominating Spain’s investment scene. She told us what’s on the firm’s radar. Spain’s largest VC has positioned itself in Barcelona, having identified the city’s potential to be the next biotech hub in Europe. It has funded key biotechs in Spain, including Sanifit, which claimed the […] March 22, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 21 Mar 2017 Rethinking Profits: Can a Socially Conscious Model work in Biotech? As biopharma continues to weather a maelstrom of public scrutiny for its prices and profits, I asked executives about alternative models. Conventional wisdom in biotech is that the non-profit model can’t work in the industry: it takes a decade and billions in cash to develop a drug, with no guaranteed success. No investor would sink […] March 21, 2017 - 7 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email