Expert Advice 17 May 2021 How to Spend Your Biotech Startup’s Money Biotech investment rounds tend to draw big headlines, but experienced players know the real work is done in between them. Avoiding some common pitfalls can make the difference between petering out and pressing on. Managing a biotech startup means always keeping an eye towards the next financing round. But piquing the next investor’s interest requires […] May 17, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Mark Zipkin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 May 2021 ADC Approval Buoys Spirits in Cancer Treatment Space The FDA recently approved an antibody-drug conjugate drug from ADC Therapeutics as a treatment for blood cancer. This has given a major confidence boost to other European companies in the field as the deal mill picks up speed. Last month, ADC Therapeutics in Switzerland broke into the mainstream when its lead candidate Zynlonta received FDA […] May 11, 2021 - 7 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 10 May 2021 The Rollercoaster of Repurposing an Arthritis Drug for Covid-19 The Covid-19 pandemic created an opportunity for many biotech companies to repurpose their existing programs into vaccines and treatments for the novel coronavirus. Cyxone’s CEO Tara Heitner and COO Malin Berthold discuss how they approached this shift at their company. Cyxone was founded in 2015 to develop drugs for rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Based […] May 10, 2021 - 8 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 May 2021 Bluebird Bio Withdrawal Raises Gene Therapy Doubts in Europe Last month, the US firm bluebird bio abandoned the sale of its gene therapy Zynteglo in Germany after a pricing dispute with health authorities — a blow that could have repercussions for the rollout of other gene therapies in Europe. Zynteglo was approved in the EU in 2019 as the first-ever gene therapy for the […] May 4, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Apr 2021 BMS’s Cancer Trial Showcases Potential for Checkpoint Inhibitors Bristol Myers Squibb’s recent phase III success provided the first late-stage confirmation for a novel immune checkpoint target in nearly a decade. This could herald the next generation of checkpoint inhibitors against cancer. Last month, the antibody drug relatlimab, developed by Bristol Myers Squibb, increased the progression-free survival of melanoma patients in phase III. These […] April 29, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Mark Zipkin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 28 Apr 2021 How to Build a Successful Company Culture in Biotech Company culture can be essential to the success of a biotech company. Sabine Dandiguian, Managing Partner at the life sciences VC firm Jeito Capital, shares her experience building a thriving company culture in the life sciences. Company culture is “something very special” that borders on collective intelligence, says Sabine Dandiguian. There are some basics to […] April 28, 2021 - 8 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 Apr 2021 EMA Approvals for Multiple Sclerosis Highlight Treatment Shortfalls While the EU saw rapid-fire approvals in the multiple sclerosis space last month, the innovations centered mostly on improving existing approaches. Which areas of multiple sclerosis treatment need more options? At the end of March, the EMA made key decisions on three treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic neurodegenerative disease affecting 2.5 million people […] April 27, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Opinion 26 Apr 2021 How Good Investor Communications Determine Success in a Covid World During the pandemic, the biotech industry has continued to complete deals, even without face-to-face interactions. Startups should leverage communication to sustain their investor relations and build strong momentum for late-stage funding rounds in the coming years. Speaking last July, the UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, said the Covid-19 pandemic […] April 26, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 21 Apr 2021 Changing Attitudes on Vaccine and Public Health Investment The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed investment and research into vaccines and public health, but will such interest continue in the long term? Glenn Rockman, founder and Managing Partner of Adjuvant Capital, a VC firm investing in the infectious disease area, believes it will. Rockman did not plan to get into life science investment. With a […] April 21, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
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 20 Apr 2021 Pandemic Boosts Diagnostics Field with High Revenues and Acquisitions The US medtech firm Hologic has bought the Finnish-French biotech Mobidiag for around €668M in the latest of a series of mergers, acquisitions, and stock market launches taking over the diagnostics market. Hologic’s move is the latest in a flurry of activity from the women’s health specialist, which has snapped up Diagenode in Belgium, Biotheranostics […] April 20, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Opinion 19 Apr 2021 The Hidden Costs of Mismanaged R&D Projects in Biotech and Pharma Mismanagement of R&D projects in biotech and pharma is more common than one might think and can result in high development costs and eventual clinical failure. Can we do something about it? Biotechnology and pharmaceutical businesses are synonymous with both a high risk and an even bigger investment. Bringing new drugs to the market can […] April 19, 2021 - 7 minutesmins - By Auste Kanapeckaite Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email