A prolific builder of biopharma and health technology companies, Roivant Sciences Ltd. is poised to join Nasdaq through a newly proposed merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by Patient Square Capital LLC. The deal, which values Roivant at $5 billion, includes $611 million of new money, composed of $411 million held in trust by the SPAC, Montes Archimedes Acquisition Corp., plus $200 million from a committed PIPE financing. The transaction, expected to peg Roivant's initial market cap at $7.3 billion, follows a September 2019 deal in which Roivant sold interests in five biopharmas to Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd. (SDP) for $3 billion cash.
Ceribell Inc. amassed $53 million in a series C fundraising round to broaden the footprint for its noninvasive brain monitor in U.S. hospitals and expand indications for its Rapid Response EEG. Longitude Capital and The Rise Fund led the round.
Onlume Inc. has secured $7 million in a series A round led by Cambridge Investment Group. Other investors participating in the round included WARF Ventures (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) and Wisconsin Investment Partners. The proceeds will support the commercial launch of the company’s FDA-cleared fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) imaging system.
PARIS – Urgo Group SAS has just been awarded $27.7 million in financial support from the French government, to help develop artificial skin for treating deep skin wounds and massive burns.
Vaccitech plc and Werewolf Therapeutics Inc. opened the last day of April with contrasting IPOs. Both priced mid-range, with Vaccitech raising $110.5 million, similar to Werewolf's $120 million haul. However, American depository shares of Vaccitech (NASDAQ:VACC), co-developer of Astrazeneca plc’s COVID-19 vaccine, fell 17.1% to $14.10 from a $17 open, while shares of cancer therapy developer Werewolf (NASDAQ:HOWL) boomed – until they didn't – climbing to $24 before closing about where they started, at $16.10.
HONG KONG – As it advances into its first full year of commercialization in China, Zai Lab Ltd. raised $857.5 million through the sale of American depositary shares (ADS) and ordinary shares, exceeding its initial aim of $750 million. “We continue to execute with speed and excellence across all areas of our platform,” Samantha Du, the CEO of Zai Lab, told BioWorld. That includes business development, clinical development – “we currently have 40-plus ongoing and planned trials this year” – along with commercial expansion and global pipeline advancement.