Roche has announced plans to create a second start-up company with the venture capital firm Versant Ventures – this time focused on the development of potential small molecule drugs for patients with multiple sclerosis.
A Phase 3 study of the checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab in patients with advanced melanoma has been stopped early because of evidence that the antibody treatment was achieving superior overall survival compared with the control arm which was chemotherapy.
Marseille, France-based Innate Pharma SA has raised €50 million from a private share placement with institutional investors which will cover its cash needs until the end of 2017, a period during which it will progress five Phase 2 trials of its checkpoint inhibitor NKG2A.
ArGEN-X BV has launched its previously-announced initial public offering of shares on the Euronext exchange in Brussels for €40 million, an amount that may be increased to €46 million on demand. In addition, there is an over-allotment option.
GW Pharmaceuticals Plc, which develops and sells cannabinoid medicines, has arranged a $169.7 million offering of its American Depositary Shares (ADSs) in which six of the company’s eight directors sold ADSs valued at $43.4 million.
The German diagnostics company Definiens AG has raised €15 million from a syndicate co-led by Wellington Partners in order to support development of new tissue-based diagnostic tests for oncology and immunotherapy.
Shire has rebuffed a third cash and share takeover approach from AbbVie Inc that values the company at about £27 billion. Announcing the rejection, Shire said the proposal undervalues the company, which has a leading position in medicines for rare diseases.
Pixium Vision SA of France has raised €34.5 million with an initial public offering of its shares on the Euronext stock exchange in Paris. The proceeds will be used to advance two products that aim to treat blindness caused by a degeneration of photoreceptor cells in the retina.
Cardio3 BioSciences SA of Belgium is to sell shares valued at €25 million to Medisun International Ltd of Hong Kong in a two-part deal that will also see it participate in a joint venture with
Abzena Ltd, which provides services to companies developing biopharmaceuticals, said it intends to make an initial public offering of its shares on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange. Financial details have not yet been disclosed.