After cutting a deal worth up to $1.1 billion with Crispr Therapeutics AG, it took Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. only two days to come up with another collaboration that could top the $1 billion mark, this time with Obsidian Therapeutics Inc.
HONG KONG – Qilu Pharmaceutical Ltd. has inked a deal for the global rights to Peptron Inc.’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate PAb-001-ADC for the treatment of various cancers. Seoul, South Korea-based Peptron stands to receive an up-front payment of $3 million and $539 million in milestone payments, as well as royalties.
Cross-border startup Scineuro Pharmaceuticals Ltd., which focuses on central nervous system (CNS) diseases, inked a deal with Eli Lilly and Co. to license in the greater China rights of alpha-synuclein-targeted antibody therapies to follow the global drug development trend in this space.
Safeguard Medical LLC further consolidated its position in the first responder market with the acquisition of H&H Medical Corp. Williamsburg, Va.-based H&H produces military-grade trauma response products for field medics and emergency responders. "Our mission at Safeguard Medical is to equip and enable responders at every skill level to preserve life in any environment. The acquisition of H&H adds another trusted brand to our market-leading portfolio and expands our ability to partner with life-saving responders around the world," said Adam Johnson, Safeguard Medical’s CEO.
Prenetics Ltd. is working with Oxford University researchers again to develop molecular diagnostic testing for the new COVID-19 variants, six months after it acquired Oxsed Ltd., a University of Oxford University spinoff to enable rapid airport testing. On April 19, Hong Kong-based Prenetics inked a multimillion-dollar partnership with the University of Oxford and Oxford Suzhou Center for Advanced Research (OSCAR) to upgrade the molecular testing technology Oxlamp for infectious diseases.
In biotech and biopharma’s third-largest ever up-front development and commercialization deal, Crispr Therapeutics AG will receive an initial $900 million in an amended deal with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. to lead the development, manufacturing and commercialization of gene editing therapy CTX-001 for sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia.
A collection of CAR T-cell programs originally licensed by Precision Biosciences Inc. to Baxalta Inc. in a $1.6 billion deal are, after handoffs to Shire and Servier SAS, back where they began. Precision said April 15 it would reacquire all development and commercial rights to the programs, including two clinical-stage CD19-targeting allogeneic CAR T candidates, from Servier for $1.25 million in cash, plus the waiver of earned but as-yet unpaid milestones totaling $18.75 million.
Less than a year after landing a multibillion-dollar deal expansion with partner Gilead Sciences Inc., targeted cancer drug developer Tango Therapeutics Inc. is making moves to go public via a merger with Boxer Capital LLC-sponsored special purpose acquisition company BCTG Acquisition Corp.
PARIS – Roche SAS, the French division of Swiss pharmaceuticals manufacturer Roche Holding AG, has signed a partnership with Unicancer that brings together all the cancer centers in France. They have created Oncodatahub (ODH), the first real-world cancer data platform in France. This makes a set of quality, longitudinal data representative of cancer patient care in France available to all those involved in the health care ecosystem.
Cross-border startup Scineuro Pharmaceuticals Ltd., which focuses on central nervous system (CNS) diseases, inked a deal with Eli Lilly and Co. to license in the greater China rights of alpha-synuclein-targeted antibody therapies to follow the global drug development trend in this space.