News and Trends 21 Apr 2021 Vazkepa Gets EMA Nod for Cardiovascular Disease, But Hurdles Remain Last month’s EU approval of Vazkepa — a treatment derived from fish oil and branded as Vascepa in the US — has added much-needed ammunition to the arsenal of doctors battling cardiovascular disease. Yet other similar treatments are returning lukewarm results and the possibility of approvals being withdrawn hangs in the air. Icosapent ethyl, a […] April 21, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Mar 2021 Covid-19 Vaccine Approvals Bring Hope and Challenges for Adenoviral Technology The rise of adenoviral Covid-19 vaccines highlights the potential of companies using similar technology in other fields like cancer or gene therapy. However, complex challenges remain, such as circumventing immunity to adenoviral treatments. Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson’s candidate became the first single-shot Covid-19 vaccine to get the EMA green light. The vaccine is […] March 25, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 24 Mar 2021 How to Negotiate a Successful Research Collaboration Agreement Negotiating the terms of a research collaboration can be a minefield. Life sciences attorney Lori Waldron shares her extensive experience helping biotech and pharma companies negotiate agreements. Amid a dramatic increase in funding research and development in the medical biotech sector, both larger pharmaceutical companies looking to diversify their portfolios and startups looking for a […] March 24, 2021 - 9 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Mar 2021 Galapagos and Gilead Soldier On After Inflammatory Disease Flops Clinical and regulatory setbacks have left the star biotech duo Gilead and Galapagos smarting and their stock value bruised in recent months. Yet the pair claim to be well capitalized to weather the storm and determined to do so together. The two companies forged an unusual blockbuster agreement in 2019, valued at around €4.5B ($5.1B), […] March 4, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Feb 2021 Cannabinoids in Focus after GW Pharmaceuticals Snapped up for €6B This month’s €6B acquisition of the UK heavyweight GW Pharmaceuticals by Jazz Pharmaceuticals has been hailed as a major validation of the medical cannabinoid industry. The deal is the largest to date in the medical cannabinoid field. Jazz’s offer valued GW’s shares nearly 50% higher than their previous day’s close. The acquisition is expected to […] February 18, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 13 Jan 2021 How Much Control Should Investors Have Over Your Biotech Company? While getting funding from a star investor can be great for business, many biotech entrepreneurs dread the possibility of investors taking control in a situation that eerily resembles a hostile takeover. But it needn’t be that way at all. Biotech founders often complain that investors, especially VCs, demand too much control over company operations. This […] January 13, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 21 Dec 2020 Late-Stage Success Raises Hopes to Tackle Alzheimer’s via Inflammation Paris-based AB Science has scored a rare late-stage clinical triumph in the Alzheimer’s disease field with a drug that puts brakes on inflammation in the brain. Last week, AB Science reported successful results from a phase IIb/III clinical trial testing its drug masitinib in patients with mild to moderate symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Although the company […] December 21, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Dec 2020 Covid-19 Leaves Lasting Impact on Hematology at ASH 2020 Conference Under the heavy shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, last week’s annual conference of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) displayed the achievements of many innovative treatments for blood conditions, including gene and cell therapies. A sweeping new wave of Covid-19 infections that is forcing new lockdowns across the northern hemisphere is already reshaping the biotech […] December 17, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Dec 2020 EU Launches Pharma Strategy, Raising Both Hopes and Questions The public’s response has been cautious after the European Union unveiled a pharmaceutical strategy last week designed to spur domestic innovation and the production of affordable, state-of-the-art therapies. Amid a boom in biotech funding driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Commission (EC) is scrambling to bring its sometimes fragmented pharma regulatory framework up to […] December 4, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 Nov 2020 uniQure Stocks Up With First Phase III Results of Hemophilia B Gene Therapy Gene therapies for the rare blood clotting disorder hemophilia B have taken a step closer to the market as Dutch developer uniQure became the first to release interim phase III results last week. Hemophilia is an inherited disease caused by mutations to genes encoding blood clotting proteins, resulting in uncontrollable bleeds. In severe cases of […] November 27, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 25 Nov 2020 How to Weather Bad Press as a Biotech Company Biomedical companies face unique challenges when it comes to media communication. Crisis communication, in particular, can make or break a company — all the more so in a sector as sensitive as healthcare. Crises can strike a biotech company at any point — the dream partner company that had shot you to fame dumps you […] November 25, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Oct 2020 2020 Chemistry Nobel Prize Awarded to CRISPR-Cas9 Pioneers The biotech community is raving about the long-anticipated recognition of the groundbreaking CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool, with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to two of its leading developers this week. The Prize in Chemistry went to Emmanuelle Charpentier, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, and Jennifer Doudna, a Professor […] October 9, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email