News and Trends 21 Dec 2021 Argenx’s Potential Blockbuster Gets FDA Nod for Autoimmune Disease US regulators have approved the first-in-class drug efgartigimod for the treatment of the rare muscle disease generalized myasthenia gravis, opening up its developer argenx to billion-dollar revenues. Efgartigimod, to be marketed as Vyvgart, is an antibody fragment drug for use in adults with generalized myasthenia gravis. The FDA’s decision represents the first successful drug approval […] December 21, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 20 Dec 2021 The Billion-Euro European Biotech Companies in 2022 Here’s a list of the public European biotech companies that are worth more than a billion euros in 2022. European biotech is growing steadily and this year we welcome a few new names to the list of billion-euro biotechs. However, we also had to say goodbye to some of them, including Cellectis, Autolus, and Orchard […] December 20, 2021 - 12 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Dec 2021 UK Startup Lands €5M Seed Round to Produce Gene-Edited Crops with AI Phytoform, a London- and Boston-based startup, has received a €5M ($5.7M) investment to develop gene-edited crops with the help of artificial intelligence tools. The firm expects to bring its first product, a weather-resistant tomato, to market in early 2022. The seed financing will fuel the development of Phytoform’s precision crop breeding platform, which specializes in […] December 17, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Dan Samorodnitsky Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Dec 2021 ATP Blazes US Venture Capital Trail into European Biotech Startups The US venture capital firm Apple Tree Partners (ATP) is making its first transatlantic foray by launching the UK immuno-oncology company Adrendra Therapeutics. This happens as US investors increasingly search for value-for-money opportunities in early-stage European biotech startups. Last week, the life science-focused investor ATP contributed €47M (£40M) to the Series A launch of immunotherapy […] December 14, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 Dec 2021 European Biotech Investors Cap Off Record Year in Fundraising The year 2021 is closing with a biotech investment rush as Eir Ventures, Apollo Health Ventures, and Merck’s venture capital arm M Ventures raise impressive funds to speed up life sciences innovation. This year is set to break records in terms of the money flowing into institutional life science investors. With 2021 not even finished, […] December 10, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Dec 2021 The Top European Biotech Investment Rounds in November A €375M IPO from Evotec was the highlight of European biotech investments in November, with other cash going to firms working on cell therapy reprogramming and immuno-oncology. The total biotech investment haul for European companies reached €1.2B in November, with 41 deals in the bag. These deals included European and Israeli companies launching a private […] December 8, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 7 Dec 2021 Is Cloud Computing the Answer to Genomics’ Big Data Problem? The success of the genomics industry has led to the generation of huge amounts of DNA sequencing data. Cloud computing could offer a solution for scientists who currently lack the tools to make full use of this data. Over the last decade, genomics has become the backbone of drug discovery. It has allowed scientists to […] December 7, 2021 - 8 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Dec 2021 Sanifit Seals Booming Acquisition Year for Spanish Life Sciences The takeover of the Spanish firm Sanifit by Vifor Pharma in Switzerland marks a high point for the life sciences sector in Spain, which has seen a burst of acquisitions this year. Last month, Vifor Pharma acquired Sanifit in a deal worth up to €375M, hailed as one of the biggest-ever biotech acquisitions in Spain. […] December 3, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Dec 2021 Targeted Drugs for Rare Autoimmune Disease Hit Regulatory Milestones New, more targeted treatments are on the horizon for the rare autoimmune disease ANCA-associated vasculitis, with a nod towards European approval for a first-in-class drug and positive phase II results from a rival treatment. In November, the Swiss firm Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP) received a thumbs-up from the EMA for avacopan, a […] December 1, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Nov 2021 Despite New Approvals, Covid-19 Treatments Lag Behind Vaccines The EU recently added two drugs to its list of approved Covid-19 treatments. Yet with vaccines often in the spotlight, treatment options available to doctors remain few. Earlier this month, the European Commission gave its stamp of approval to two antibody treatments for Covid-19: regdanvimab from the South Korean firm Celltrion Healthcare, and a blend […] November 25, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Nov 2021 Investors Flock to Startups Reprogramming Cell Therapies Painstaking and expensive procedures are required to produce human cells for use in research and cell therapies. Investors are seeking stakes in cell reprogramming startups that can free up the bottleneck, such as Mogrify, bit.bio, and Asgard Therapeutics. The concept of cell reprogramming — converting one type of cell into another — has been hot […] November 22, 2021 - 7 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Nov 2021 Sustainability in Focus as Two VCs Build Industrial Biotech Funds As this month’s COP26 United Nations climate summit highlighted the climate change emergency, venture capital fundraises from Sofinnova and the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund have led the push for industrial biotechnology to further shift the global economy away from fossil fuels. Yesterday, the venture capital (VC) firm Sofinnova Partners raised €150M for an early-stage environmental […] November 18, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email