News and Trends 19 Jun 2019 EU Gives Lynparza Green Light as First-Line Ovarian Cancer Treatment The DNA damage repair drug olaparib (Lynparza), developed by AstraZeneca and Merck, has been approved by the EU as a first-line treatment preventing the return of ovarian cancer after initial chemotherapy. The drug has already been approved by the EU and the FDA as a maintenance treatment for relapsed ovarian cancer, and as a therapy […] June 19, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Jun 2019 Belgian Biotech’s €35M Series B to Fund Potential Type 1 Diabetes Cure The Belgian company Imcyse has raised €35M in a Series B round to develop a potential cure for chronic autoimmune conditions including type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Imcyse will use the money to fund phase II trials of a peptide-based treatment for type 1 diabetes. The funds will also help the company to launch […] June 18, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Jun 2019 Dutch Biotech Boosts Hepatitis B Vaccine Effectiveness Phase II results from Dutch biotech CyTuVax show its enhanced hepatitis B vaccine reduces non-responders by 13%. Around 15% of people receiving vaccines for hepatitis B fail to produce antibodies that protect them against the infection. These non-responders are often given more injections of the vaccine in an attempt to trigger the immune system, but […] June 18, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Jun 2019 Swiss Anti-Aging Treatment Gives the Elderly Healthier Muscles An anti-aging dietary supplement developed by the Swiss biotech Amazentis to combat age-related muscle weakening has improved the health of muscle cells in a first-in-human study. Mitochondria are parts of the cell that generate energy, and are important for muscle movement. As we age, damaged mitochondria begin to build up in muscle cells, possibly contributing […] June 17, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Jun 2019 First Gene Therapy for Beta Thalassemia Will Cost Over €1.5M Zynteglo, a gene therapy developed by the US company bluebird bio for the treatment of beta-thalassemia, will cost European healthcare systems more than €1.5M per patient. Following the approval of the treatment earlier this month, bluebird bio has now released the pricing plan of Zynteglo. Healthcare systems in Europe will need to pay €315,000 upfront, […] June 14, 2019 - 1 minutemin - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Jun 2019 French Biotech Raises €20M to Prevent Hearing Loss The hearing loss biotech Sensorion has issued bonds to raise €20M, which it will use to fund the phase II development for first-in-class drugs treating hearing loss and severe vertigo. The money will pay for phase II trials of Sensorion’s two most advanced treatments, which are small molecule drugs to treat sudden deafness and acute […] June 14, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 14 Jun 2019 This Biotech Reduces Drug Side Effects Using Silica Gel Implants DelSiTech is a Finnish company developing injectable silica gel implants that release drugs slowly over time, causing fewer side effects and helping patients stick to their treatment regimen. Mission: To develop silica gels that slowly release drugs over time to treat conditions including HIV, hepatitis B, retinal disease and cancer. One big problem in chronic […] June 14, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 12 Jun 2019 How Vaccines Could One Day Beat HIV Vaccines are humanity’s biggest achievement against infectious diseases. But could they defeat HIV, a particularly crafty virus? José Luis Cabero, CEO of Spanish biotech AELIX Therapeutics shared his experience developing an HIV vaccine at Labiotech Refresh in Barcelona. The concept of a vaccine is simple — priming the immune system against a pathogen so that […] June 12, 2019 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 12 Jun 2019 Evotec to Reduce the Burden of Tuberculosis Treatment with €21M Grant The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has granted the German biotech Evotec €21M ($23.8M) to discover drug combinations that can reduce the duration of tuberculosis treatment, which normally takes over six months. Evotec will use the money to test different drug combinations for tuberculosis in the preclinical stage. The partnership will last for five years, […] June 12, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jun 2019 Janssen and Genmab Team Up Again for Another Potential Cancer Blockbuster Janssen and the Danish biotech Genmab will collaborate to develop a new antibody that could outperform their blockbuster cancer drug Darzalex in certain types of blood cancer. Genmab will develop the antibody treatment until it completes clinical proof-of-concept studies in the blood cancers multiple myeloma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. At that point, Janssen will […] June 11, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Jun 2019 CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Seal Deal Worth up to €890M The US giant Vertex Pharmaceuticals is expanding an existing collaboration with the Swiss company CRISPR Therapeutics, paying up to €890M ($1B) to develop treatments for genetic diseases causing muscle weakness using the gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas9. The deal includes €155M ($175M) paid upfront, and potential future payments based on achieving developmental milestones. In exchange, Vertex […] June 7, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 7 Jun 2019 This Biotech Transplants Cells into the Eye to Personalize Diabetes Treatments Up north in Stockholm, the Swedish company Biocrine aims to personalize diabetes treatments by screening drugs in pancreatic cells that have been transplanted into the eye. Mission: To test new drugs for type 1 and type 2 diabetes on pancreatic cells transplanted into the eye, where the cells can thrive and be easily monitored with […] June 7, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email