Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT) is teaming up with Eliaz Therapeutics Inc. to develop and commercialize a new type of apheresis treatment for acute kidney injury (AKI) and sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (S-AKI). The exclusive collaboration aims to reduce long-term morbidity and death in patients with AKIs by removing an upstream inflammatory protein called Galectin-3 (Gal-3) from blood plasma.
Wall Street must wait to learn more about factors that might distinguish the Claudin18.2-targeting asset at the center of Elevation Oncology Inc.’s $1.2 billion license deal with CSPC Megalith Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd.
Elevation Oncology Inc. has picked up the global rights to SYSA-1801, an anti-Claudin 18.2 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate, from CSPC Megalith Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. in a deal worth up to $1.195 billion. Under the terms, Elevation gets rights to develop and commercialize SYSA-1801 outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Exo Inc. acquired Medo Dx Pte, an artificial intelligence (AI) developer, to make its point-of-care ultrasound imaging even easier to use. Medo brings two FDA-cleared artificial intelligence algorithms that draw on a library of millions of ultrasound images and health data to expand the settings for ultrasound and the reduce the expertise required for its use. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. out-licensed an investigational antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for the treatment of solid tumors to Merck & Co. Inc. in a deal worth up to $936 million. Sichuan, China-based Kelun-Biotech will receive $35 million up front in the deal and is eligible to receive up to $901 million in future development, approval and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on net sales.
Abbvie Inc. and Istar Medical SA inked a deal to develop and commercialize Istar’s Miniject device to treat patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. The minimally invasive glaucoma surgical (MIGS) device won CE mark approval in November and has been available in some European countries since early 2022.
Neurofront Therapeutics Ltd. has picked up an option to acquire exclusive Asia rights to a phase II non-opioid drug from Novaremed AG. Under terms of the deal, Novaremed is eligible to receive more than $130 million in option and exercise fees as well as development, regulatory and sales milestone payments plus royalties on net sales.
3M Co. reported a planned spinoff of its health care business by 2023, during the company’s second quarter earnings. The health care company will operate as a separate public company focused on wound care, health care IT, oral care and biopharma filtration. 3M said the health care business is expected to be spun off with net leverage of approximately 3.0x to 3.5x EBITDA and the ‘New 3M’ company will retain a stake of 19.9% in health care, which will be monetized over time.
Convalife Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. acquired global rights to develop and commercialize a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) β/δ inhibitor from Karus Therapeutics Ltd.
Barely a month after signing a €1 billion-plus deal with Menarini Group for cholesterol-lowering drug obicetrapib, Newamsterdam Pharma BV has struck a $235 million SPAC merger deal that will see the biotech list on Nasdaq in late 2022. The deal will finance phase III development and potential regulatory filings of the drug once dropped by Amgen Inc. as big pharma turned away from the cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor drug class around five years ago.