News and Trends 21 Feb 2017 A New Peptide Vaccine for Multiple Sclerosis Succeeds in Phase IIa Apitope is developing therapeutic peptides to induce suppression of autoimmune responses towards self-antigens. Their recent phase IIa trial has revealed promising results for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a hot topic these days. While a recent long-term study revealed the potential of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of MS, this treatment strategy is […] February 21, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 23 Jan 2017 French Biotech partners with Merck to Fight Tumor Resistance Domain Therapeutics and Merck have partnered up to develop immuno-oncology drug candidates that can boost the performance of checkpoint inhibitors. Domain Therapeutics has entered a collaboration and licensing agreement with German Merck in immuno-oncology. The big pharma is offering over €240M in milestones and will support research activities in exchange for worldwide rights to new drug candidates targeting […] January 23, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Jan 2017 Merck partners with Big Data Unicorn to help Cancer Patients Merck will use Palantir’s big data software to improve drug development and patient services, starting with cancer treatments. Merck will step up its data analytics capabilities in partnership with Palantir. The US company, co-founded by PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel, provides data integration and analysis software that Merck plans to use to improve patient care and […] January 16, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jan 2017 Merck expands its Oncology Pipeline beyond Checkpoint Inhibitors Merck is diversifying its oncology portfolio with four new programs licensed from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, including multiple DNA damage and repair drugs. Merck has entered a licensing agreement with Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals for the worldwide rights to four oncology programs. Merck has paid €220M ($230M) upfront for two clinical-stage DNA damage and repair candidates and two additional […] January 11, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 22 Dec 2016 The 10 Biggest Clinical Success Stories of 2016 in European Biotech What are the most impressive advances in medical biotechnology this year? From cancer to peanut allergy, here’s a list of the best success stories of 2016. Biotech is becoming a powerful driving force in medicine, providing innovative therapies that could end some of the most severe diseases. To celebrate the advances in the area of […] December 22, 2016 - 5 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Dec 2016 Why don’t more Biotech Startups Succeed? Merck might have a Solution Merck is supporting startups with its Emerging Biotech Initiative, which grants winners up to €100K in products and services. As the number of R&D projects started by biotech companies and academic institutions increases, biotech is proving itself to be a vital part of medicine. So what’s holding startups back? Funding trouble is one of the […] December 19, 2016 - 5 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Dec 2016 UPDATE: No Clear Winner in the CRISPR Patent Battle Today marks an inflection point in the future of medicine: both parties fighting for the ownership of CRISPR have made their oral arguments in front of a jury. Who will win the rights to exploit a technology that could be used to cure any genetic disease? CRISPR has been hailed as the ‘scientific discovery of the […] December 8, 2016 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Dec 2016 Evotec gets hold of CRISPR in a new Partnership with Merck Evotec teamed up with Merck to boost its drug discovery services with CRISPR, entering the battlefield for the patent behind the discovery of the century. Apart from being a pioneer in the translation of research from academia to the clinic, Evotec is a successful CRO with top-level partners including Bayer, Roche, Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim and Takeda. The German company is […] December 1, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Nov 2016 FDA and EMA review the First Therapy for a Deadly Skin Cancer Merck and Pfizer have been granted priority review by the FDA for the first treatment dealing with one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer. The FDA has accepted Merck and Pfizer‘s market application for avelumab in metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) with priority review. Just a month ago, the EMA also accepted their application. If […] November 30, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Oct 2016 German Record-deal Antiviral drug Succeeds in Phase III AiCuris’ Letermovir succeeds in Phase III after being licensed to MSD in a record €442.5M deal. It acts on a novel CMV target to treat bone marrow transplant infections. AiCuris is a spin-out company from Bayer, Germany’s biggest Pharma, that focuses on developing drugs for infectious diseases. The company licensed its candidate Letermovir (AIC246) to MSD (Merck & co.) in 2012, making it the […] October 20, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Oct 2016 Transgene teams up with big Players against HPV Head and Neck Cancer Transgene is partnering with Merck and Pfizer to develop a combined therapy for head and neck cancer squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) caused by human papiloma virus (HPV) infections. A successful outcome will let the team access a €2B market niche. Transgene has been struggling for a while: last year it had to fire 40% of its workforce […] October 12, 2016 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 Oct 2016 Big Pharmas Battle to be the Lung Cancer Leader at ESMO Merck, Roche and BMS have unveiled updated results in Copenhagen as the companies duke it out for the leadership in lung cancer therapies. The conference of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) is underway in Copenhagen, and big pharma’s efforts to cure lung cancer are stealing the show. Three titans, Roche (Genentech), Merck and […] October 10, 2016 - 3 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email