News and Trends 28 Apr 2022 OMass Therapeutics Takes on ‘Undruggable’ Proteins with €90M Series B The UK firm OMass Therapeutics has unveiled a €90M (£75.5M) Series B financing to bankroll the development of small molecules against so-called ‘undruggable’ targets, including one that sank Quench Bio last year. In 2020, Quench Bio captured the imagination of investors with the US firm’s ambition to develop a new class of anti-inflammatory drugs. The […] April 28, 2022 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Apr 2022 Epidarex Backs UK Startup Developing Emerging Anti-Inflammatory Drugs The UK-US venture capitalist Epidarex Capital has led an €11M (£9M) funding round raised by the Edinburgh-based Kynos Therapeutics, which aims to develop anti-inflammatory treatments by blocking an emerging metabolic target. Much of the UK’s biotech innovation is concentrated in the so-called Golden Triangle, encompassing the hubs of Cambridge, Oxford, and London. In 2020, Epidarex […] April 8, 2022 - 3 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
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 5 Oct 2020 Galapagos’ Arthritis Drug Approved in EU and Japan Amid US Rejection The recent EU and Japan approvals of the rheumatoid arthritis drug filgotinib contrast with the FDA’s rejection in August. What does this signal for Galapagos, Gilead, and other biotechs working in inflammatory disease? For Galapagos and Gilead, it’s been a rollercoaster few months. In August, the FDA decided against approving their drug filgotinib for treating […] October 5, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Sep 2020 Roche Confirms Pharma Appetite for Inflammatory Disease Treatments Roche’s acquisition of the Irish biotech Inflazome is a vote of confidence for emerging inflammatory disease drugs. How could other companies in the field benefit from this takeover? The inflammation process is essential for our survival, as it helps the body to clear up damage after injury. However, uncontrolled inflammation can also harm us, causing […] September 25, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Jul 2020 €18M to Fund First-in-Class Systemic Sclerosis Drug One of the largest biotech placements in the Nordic countries this year will accelerate the development of a first-in-class drug for chronic inflammation conditions such as systemic sclerosis that lacks the cardiovascular risks of current medications such as aspirin. Swedish biotech Gesynta Pharma raised €18.2M (SEK 190M) in a placement supported by returning investor Industrifonden […] July 9, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Jun 2020 Boost For Inflammatory Disease Biotech NodThera With €49M Series B The UK-US biotech NodThera has raised €48.7M in Series B funding to progress its drug candidate through clinical trials for the treatment of inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. This round follows an impressive €32M Series A that Nodthera carried out in 2018. Danish firm Novo Ventures, part of the investment arm of Novo […] June 6, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 26 Nov 2019 Rare Inflammatory Disease Drug Beats Immunosuppressants in Phase III A small molecule drug developed by the US company ChemoCentryx and its Swiss partner Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP) was more effective at treating a rare inflammatory vascular disease than current treatments in a phase III trial. The drug avacopan was trialed in 331 patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. This life-threatening condition […] November 26, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 21 Oct 2019 Update: Abivax’s Ulcerative Colitis Drug Effective Long-Term Update (21/10/2019): An extension of French biotech Abivax’s phase IIa trial shows its treatment for the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis has good efficacy after a year of treatment, with 75% of the screened patients remaining symptom-free. Of the 32 patients in the original phase IIa trial, 19 patients were treated with Abivax’s drug in […] October 21, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 12 Sep 2019 French Biotech to Develop Septic Shock Therapy with €39M Series B The French company Inotrem has raised €39M to fund an immunotherapy for septic shock, an often deadly condition caused by infections in the bloodstream. Led by the Hong Kong investor Morningside Ventures, the Series B round will finance a phase IIb trial of Inotrem’s lead candidate drug nangibotide, expected to start in November this year. […] September 12, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 Aug 2019 Swedish Ulcerative Colitis Treatment Makes Phase II Comeback InDex Pharmaceuticals’ ulcerative colitis drug candidate has achieved positive phase IIb results, suggesting work to improve its dosage after a previous phase III failure was successful. The Swedish company tested different doses of the small molecule drug cobitolimod against a placebo in patients with the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis. The 213 patients in the […] August 27, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email