Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has in-licensed Eli Lilly and Co.’s olaratumab antibody, agreeing to pay $5 million up front for exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize radiolabeled forms of the antibody for the diagnosis and treatment of human cancers.
The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) of Taiwan has teamed up with Taiwanese computer manufacturer Asustek Computer Inc. and American cloud computing company Nvidia Corp. to build Taiwan’s first supercomputer for medical research.
Biocircuit Technologies Inc. has joined forces with Smithfield Bioscience Inc. to scale up a medical alternative to sutures for repairing nerves on the peripheral side of the body damaged in an accident or during surgery. Nerve Tape is an implantable device composed of decellularized porcine tissue embedded with microhooks that attach to damaged nerves and may heal them more quickly and safely than conventional sutures.
Elekta AB signed a commercial agreement with GE Healthcare Co. Ltd. to expand hospital access to radiotherapy. Marlborough, Mass.-based GE Healthcare said it will combine its precision imaging solutions with Elekta’s radiation therapy portfolio to provide hospitals worldwide with a more comprehensive oncology offering.
Bioventus LLC continues to strengthen its portfolio through acquisitions and investments with a move to exercise its option to purchase Cartiheal Ltd. for $315 million up front and a potential payment of $135 million contingent on achievement of $100 million in trailing 12-month sales. The Cartiheal transaction follows the acquisition of Bioness Inc. and Misonix Inc. last year. Cartiheal developed the Agili-C implant, which received FDA breakthrough device designation in 2020 and premarket approval last week.
Roche Diagnostics International Ltd. is joining forces with Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) to develop two new digital pathology algorithms to support cancer assay use in clinical trials. Roche Digital Pathology will create an artificial intelligence (AI) based image analysis algorithm to assist pathologists in interpreting the company’s FDA-approved Ventana D-L1 (SP142) assay for urothelial carcinoma patients. BMS will use the algorithm to generate biomarker data from clinical trial samples.
Astrazeneca plc is selling its disease management platform Amaze to U.K. digital therapeutics company Huma Therapeutics Ltd. through a new collaboration agreement. The companies said they will work together to launch Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) companion apps for several therapeutic areas and accelerate adoption of decentralized clinical trials (DCTs). The partnership marks Astrazeneca’s first major deal in the digital health space.
Diagnostic imaging group Bracco Imaging SpA signed a licensing and collaboration agreement with Philochem AG. The companies will focus on developing and commercializing a small molecule for diagnostic imaging applications that can detect metastatic solid tumors in cancer patients.
Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd.’s subsidiary Beijing Meiyan Kongjian Biology Medicine Co. Ltd. has acquired an 80% equity stake in Shenzhen Yimei Medical Technology Co. The deal is to be completed via a mix of capital and equity transfers. Sihuan Pharmaceutical is interested in Shenzhen Yimei’s two-in-one patented technology of collimated ultrasound and superficial focused ultrasound.
Medications are available to treat many mental disorders, but they’re only effective if patients adhere to the treatment. A distribution agreement between Beckman Coulter Inc. and Saladax Biomedical Inc. aims to improve patient outcomes by providing health care professionals with tests to assess treatment compliance and individual patient drug response.