Interview 9 Sep 2020 Biotech Investment in Norway: An Alternative Approach Norway has not typically been an attractive region for biotech investors, so when Masha Strømme set up her own investment firm in 2008, she had to take a slightly different approach to investment. Masha Strømme and her husband, Dag Strømme, run a family office together called Paacs Invest in the Oslo area, which funds and […] September 9, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 2 Sep 2020 An Alzheimer’s Vaccine Challenged the Consensus for 25 Years For decades, Alzheimer’s disease research focused on a hypothesis that has increasingly been contested. A team of scientists in Slovakia has been swimming against the tide since the beginning, going for an alternative approach that has only recently started gaining recognition. Research in Alzheimer’s disease has recently been plagued by intense disappointment. For over 25 […] September 2, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By Farhan Mitha Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Sep 2020 Microbiome Therapies Threatened by Covid-19 Restrictions Providers of microbiome therapies worldwide have been hit by pandemic restrictions on the harvest of stool samples. Though these measures are now loosening in France, key safety challenges remain for companies using fecal microbiota. Fecal microbiota transplants — procedures where healthy individuals donate their gut microbes to a patient — have changed how we treat […] September 1, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Inside Labiotech 28 Aug 2020 Content First: Labiotech’s Vision for 2020 and Beyond 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. At Labiotech, we’re among the lucky businesses that weren’t affected too much by the pandemic. Our activity is online, and our team is used to working remotely, so fortunately, we were able to operate as normal during the lockdown. Still, a lot has happened in […] August 28, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Joachim Eeckhout Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 26 Aug 2020 Negotiating Early-Stage Biotech Valuation: VC vs Entrepreneur There is usually a big disparity between investors and entrepreneurs regarding the valuation of an early-stage biotech company. How can both sides navigate this negotiation and reach a fair agreement? Many entrepreneurs in biotech might be puzzled when they get a low pre-money valuation for a product with high potential. Even when a product in […] August 26, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Aug 2020 What Does Unity’s Phase II Fail Mean for European Anti-Aging Research? A drug developed by the US firm Unity Biotechnology — designed to slow the aging process — recently proved a dud in phase II for the treatment of osteoarthritis. How is this high-profile setback affecting European biotechs developing anti-aging treatments? Aging is a complex, multi-faceted process that makes people vulnerable to a wide range of […] August 25, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 24 Aug 2020 Why a US Presence Can Help European Biotechs Get Ahead While there is no doubt that Europe has a thriving biotech scene, it can really help a European company to succeed if it has a US presence. No one knows this better than Patricia Zilliox, CEO of French biotech company Eyevensys, who has lived and worked in the US for many years. Zilliox is French, […] August 24, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Aug 2020 Is Hepatitis D Healthcare Being Overlooked? Despite the recent EU approval of the first hepatitis D treatment, low public awareness remains an obstacle to tackling this aggressive infection. Earlier this month, the peptide drug Hepcludex became the first drug greenlit for hepatitis D treatment in Europe. This was a conditional market authorization granted to the German company MYR Pharmaceuticals based on […] August 20, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 19 Aug 2020 7 Biotech Books to Read in the Sun this Summer Here are seven biotech books for the summer that will take you from CRISPR gene editing to the microbiome to pharma and economics, as well as sci-fi that takes biotech to space. The excitement of the summer break has been dampened somewhat by the ever-present threat of the Covid-19 pandemic. No matter where you end […] August 19, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Aug 2020 Women’s Health Gains Traction as Bayer Pays €736M for UK Firm Bayer’s recent €736M ($875M) acquisition of KaNDy Therapeutics could herald growing investor interest in women’s health – a historically neglected field in the biotech and pharma industry. Through this deal, Bayer has snapped up KaNDy Therapeutics’ first-in-class drug for treating hot flashes and night sweats, which often occur during the menopause. In a phase IIb […] August 18, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Aug 2020 CureVac Continues Covid-19 Vaccine Funding Frenzy with €180M IPO The share price of CureVac has skyrocketed almost fivefold after the Covid-19 vaccine developer priced a Nasdaq IPO at €180M ($213M). The excitement around messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against Covid-19 could also benefit other players in mRNA therapeutics. CureVac’s IPO was priced at €14 ($16) per share, giving the German company a valuation of around […] August 17, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Aug 2020 Record Funding for Gene and Cell Therapy Accompanies Turbulent Times European companies developing advanced therapies such as gene and cell therapies secured at least €2.2B ($2.6B) in the first half of 2020. While this is encouraging in the face of Covid-19, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for all startups in the field, with many struggling to stay afloat during crippling national lockdowns. The funding received […] August 14, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email