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
Infographics by Merck 15 Nov 2021 Gene therapy: Making Rare Disease Therapies Less Rare While individually uncommon, rare diseases collectively impact the lives of over 300 million people worldwide. Many rare conditions are chronic, progressive, and life-threatening with limited treatment options available. Advances in gene therapy provide hope to actual cures and could revolutionize treatment prospects for patients with rare genetic diseases. This infographic shows how we can unlock […] November 15, 2021 - 2 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Nov 2021 Big Pharma Strikes Megadeals In Targeted Protein Degradation With many targeted protein degraders hitting the clinic, lucrative collaborations and acquisitions are being signed between biotech startups and big pharma in this upcoming area. Novartis, Pfizer, and Bayer have all negotiated billion Euro deals this year with smaller biotechs including Dunad Therapeutics, Arvinas, and Vividion Therapeutics. The big pharma companies aim to gain a […] November 12, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 Nov 2021 Evotec IPO Hints At Stabilizing Investor Interest In Biotech Stocks German life sciences heavyweight Evotec raised around €376M ($435M) in its US debut on the Nasdaq last week, fueling tentative hopes of renewed investor interest in biotech stocks after a rollercoaster year. The company downsized its initial IPO target of around €500M ($576M) by offering fewer shares than initially planned. This is widely seen as […] November 10, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Opinion 10 Nov 2021 Automation Can Solve Diversity Issues in Clinical Trial Recruitment How can we make clinical trial recruitment more reflective of the real world? Technology is coming to the rescue. The quest for diversity in clinical trials goes to the heart of patient care. Why are some demographic groups over-represented in studies when others are more difficult to recruit? Studies that fail to reflect patient demographics […] November 10, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email