News and Trends 17 Jun 2021 FDA Approval of Biogen’s Drug Boosts European Alzheimer’s Space The FDA shocked many life sciences observers by greenlighting Biogen’s treatment candidate for Alzheimer’s last week. Yet, for much of the Alzheimer’s disease community on both sides of the Atlantic, the decision also brings cautious hope. Controversy recently erupted when the FDA conditionally granted accelerated approval to Biogen’s aducanumab, making it the first approved treatment […] June 17, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 15 Jun 2021 Patent Waiver on Covid-19 Vaccines Splits Opinions in Biotech Industry Attempts to increase global Covid-19 vaccine coverage with a temporary patent waiver have been met with hostility from many big pharma and biotech companies, but some smaller players welcome the idea. With the Covid-19 pandemic still rampaging through many countries and new viral variants popping up with alarming regularity, scuffles over who holds intellectual property […] June 15, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 Jun 2021 The Top European Biotech Investment Rounds in May Last month saw huge biotech investment rounds dedicated to Covid-19 vaccines in Europe, including IPOs by Valneva and Vaccitech. However, a €227M (£195M) private round by the DNA sequencing giant Oxford Nanopore Technologies made the biggest splash. Last month was a difficult one for a number of public biotech companies. Biotech stock indices proved volatile […] June 10, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Jun 2021 Farxiga’s Approval Fuels Chronic Kidney Disease Comeback Until this year, there were no effective treatments for chronic kidney disease. However, the recent approval of AstraZeneca’s Farxiga alongside clinical breakthroughs and advances in precision medicine are causing the field to resurge. The last several months have seen big pharma companies scoring wins against chronic kidney disease (CKD). This condition involves gradual, irreversible kidney […] June 8, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Jun 2021 Next-Generation mRNA Vaccine Technology Unveiled in Series A Round Messenger RNA vaccines have been at the forefront of the global struggle against the Covid-19 pandemic over the past year. Now scientists are working to upgrade the technology: enter the stage of saRNA, or self-amplifying RNA vaccines. Among the frontrunners to introduce saRNA technology is the Belgian startup Ziphius Vaccines, which recently raised €29.3M to […] June 1, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 May 2021 Startup Creator Launched to Fill Europe’s Microbiome Translational Gap With a €49M ($60M) Series A, the French firm eureKARE debuted this month with the goal of priming the translational pump in hot areas where European academics have already made a mark, particularly the microbiome. Strong public funding in Europe often generates great science, but the relative lack of private funding resources leaves more opportunities […] May 28, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Mark Zipkin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 May 2021 Delayed IPOs and Market Drops Batter Biotech Stocks Stock markets worldwide have experienced painful instability in the last few months. As a result, the European biotech market has seen stock prices falling and IPOs postponed. The Covid-19 pandemic was a major disruption for stock markets across the globe at the start of 2020. However, markets like Euronext and the tech-focused Nasdaq rallied and […] May 25, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 May 2021 EU Approves Edible Insects for Humans but Roadblocks Remain Europe is seeing a surge of interest in edible insect farming after an EU vote earlier this month greenlit the first insect-derived food product for human consumption. But insect protein pioneers still face other obstacles such as restrictions on what insects can be fed. The approval went to dried yellow mealworm developed by French-based biotech […] May 20, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 May 2021 Avantium and Carbios Capitalize on Growing Bioplastics Demand As the EU phases out a wide range of single-use plastics this year, investor interest is steadily increasing for adopting easily recyclable or bio-based plastics. In recent weeks, European biotechs Carbios and Avantium have taken big steps towards meeting rising demand. With millions of tons of plastic waste littering the ocean floors, truly solving our […] May 18, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev 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
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