Novartis has become the latest company to invest in experimental treatments for cancer that target immune checkpoint proteins on T cells. It is doing this with the acquisition of CoStim Pharmaceuticals Inc of Boston. Financial details weren’t disclosed.
Actavis Plc, an Irish-American generic producer, has made an agreed bid to buy Forest Laboratories Inc, a specialty pharmaceutical company, for about $25 billion, comprising 70.9% in stock and 29.1% in cash.
Shire Plc reported a double-digit increase in operating income in 2013, reflecting the efforts of new management to simplify the company’s structure and increase its focus on rare diseases. In early 2014 Shire acquired ViroPharma Inc, a rare-disease specialist.
Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) SA of France has raised €41 million in additional equity financing from existing and new shareholders in order to support its geographical expansion and the clinical development of its portfolio of radiopharmaceuticals.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Vimizim from BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc to treat a rare congenital enzyme disorder that can lead to problems with bone development, growth and mobility.
Summit Plc is proposing to raise up to £21 million in a private share placement directed at institutional and other investors in the US and Europe. The funds will advance compounds for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and C. difficile infections.
Paris-based Sofinnova Partners has seen another company from its Sofinnova Fund VI make an initial public offering of shares in the US – this time for Flexion Therapeutics Inc which is developing products for pain.
Rhenovia Pharma SAS has raised €540,000 in a Series B financing round from existing investors to support development of its technology for predicting the safety of new pharmaceutical compounds in patients with neurological diseases.
Actelion Ltd, which has a growing franchise in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), reported a 4% rise in revenue in 2013 but net income soared by 49.2% on flat operating expenses. During the year it won regulatory approval for the new PAH drug Opsumit.
The Food and Drug Administration has given an insight into its attitude toward novel trial designs in a commentary written by Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and published online on 6 February.