Shares in Bavarian Nordic A/S fell sharply after its development partner Johnson & Johnson terminated collaboration and license agreements in hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV). Shares in the Danish company (OMX:BAVA) fell nearly 13% to DKK 115.75 (US$16.39) following the announcement. The partnerships, with J&J’s Janssen pharma unit, began with a $187 million tie-up in 2014, to develop an Ebola vaccine that is now approved in the EU. That led to an $171 million HPV vaccine research agreement in December 2015 and an $879 million deal covering HIV-1 and HBV research in 2017.
As many biopharmas rethink plans to go public on less-than-welcoming U.S. markets, Hillevax Inc. forged ahead, pricing an upsized IPO April 28, offering 11.8 million shares at $17 apiece, the midpoint of its previously proposed range, for gross proceeds of about $200 million. That’s the highest amount raised in a U.S. IPO so far in 2022, which saw only nine companies go public on Nasdaq during the first quarter.
Mycovia Pharmaceuticals Inc. is prepping to launch its first commercial product following U.S. FDA approval of oral antifungal oteseconazole for use in recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC). Branded Vivjoa, the drug is expected to be available to patients during the second quarter.