Inseit, based in Bern, develops biocatalysts for industrial setups using enzyme immobilization and biocomputation. Addressing biotech and sustainability challenges, Inseit was selected for Venture Leaders Biotech and won two Nucleate accelerator prizes.
Syensqo recently announced a strategic five-year partnership with Bota Bio, a global industrial biotechnology company specializing in biomanufactured, clean, and high-performance consumer products.
US biopharma AbbVie has signed an agreement to acquire US biotechnology company Nimble Therapeutics, including its lead asset, an investigational oral peptide IL23R inhibitor in preclinical development for the treatment of psoriasis and a pipeline of other novel oral peptide candidates with potential across several autoimmune diseases.
Keen Vision Acquisition Corp. (KVAC) and Medera, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, have entered into a merger agreement. Upon closing of the merger, which is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2024, the combined company will operate under the name Medera.
French biotech company Pili, a manufacturer of sustainable colorant and pigment, has produced several tons of anthranilic acid, a 100% biobased aromatic compound which the company already converts into dyes and pigments.
The Mexican start-up Neptunus Biotech extracts bioactive compounds from marine microalgae which are used as a bio-stimulant for crops. The assimilation of these molecules makes the plants more resistant to environmental stress.
Greentech firm Afyren Neoxy, a subsidiary of Afyren, received a €3.4 million payment this week for achieving key milestones with its bio-based low-carbon products.
Evonik Vland Biotech, a new joint venture between Evonik China and Shandong Vland Biotech, began operations on January 1, 2024. The venture aims to expand the market presence of their livestock probiotics in Greater China and develop new products. The official opening took place in Qingdao on March 14.
Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca entered into a collaboration and investment agreement with Cellectis, a French clinical-stage biotechnology company, to accelerate the development of therapeutics across oncology, immunology and rare diseases.
The 7th edition of the CPHI Annual Survey was unveiled today highlighting trends for 2024. A total of 250 pharmaceutical executives were surveyed with 35 probing questions, with their answers informing the industry landscape for the next year, spanning all major pharma markets.
Olon Biotech, a division of Italian API producer Olon, has inaugurated a new facility for the industrial-scale production of proteins from alternative sources at its site in Settimo, Italy. Olon pegged the investment in the new plant at €70 million.
Many life science companies generate large swathes of data.
The pharmaceutical market is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by innovation among biologics and advanced therapies (ATs). This shift is not only redefining the treatment landscape but also presenting new opportunities and challenges related to the drug development and manufacturing value chain.
Japan-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Toyo Ink has signed an agreement to invest in US-based biotech company VLP Therapeutics (VLPT) and its subsidiary company VLP Therapeutics Japan (VLPT Japan). Financial details of the agreement were not revealed.
SK Biopharmaceuticals, a South Korean-based biotech, has announced its new strategy to propel the company towards becoming a global “big biotech.”
Abcam, a biotech supplier, has garnered interest from major US life sciences companies Danaher and Agilent as it explores its potential sale. The company has also approached Germany’s Merck and attracted attention from large buyout firms, say sources of Bloomberg.
Biopharma companies are facing funding challenges in 2023 as interest rates rise and investors are becoming more risk adverse. There is hope on the horizon, say some analysts, while others project a prolonged slump due to inflation and global instability. Established pharmaceutical companies are often seen as safer investments, with larger developers expected to perform well in 2023, especially if litigation threats against drugs like Zantac disappear. However, concerns about revenue gaps continue for big companies like GSK and Sanofi, and their strategy and leadership will be closely monitored in the coming months.
Swiss CDMO Siegfried has acquired a 95% stake in Dinamiqs, a compatriot biotech focused on developing and manufacturing viral vectors for cell and gene therapies.
Austrian biotech Proxygen has announced a multi-year collaboration and license agreement with US drugmaker Merck & Co to identify and develop molecular glue degraders against multiple therapeutic targets. The deal could be worth up to $2.55 billion for Proxygen, based on achieving certain milestones.
Bachem, a Swiss specialist developer and manufacturer of peptides and oligonucleotides, has signed another order worth more than 500 million Swiss francs – or $531 million – to supply large volumes of peptides following a joint development project. The identity of the customer has not been disclosed.
Pfizer is in the early stage of talks to acquire Seagen (formerly Seattle Genetics), a US biotech focused on developing treatments for cancer, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal that cited people familiar with the matter. The purchase price could potentially be more than $30 billion.
Solvay’s venture capital fund has joined the Genesis Consortium, a global alliance of venture capital firms and corporations that support startups leveraging biotechnology to promote both human and planetary health.
A new venture capital vehicle launched by a group of biotech entrepreneurs is designed to act as a seed investor as well as a drug discovery co-pilot for biotech startups that need help with Series-A financing.
UK specialty chemicals company Croda International has agreed to buy Solus Biotech, a South Korean company specializing in ceramide and phospholipid technologies and with emerging capabilities in natural retinol. The purchase price is about £232 million on a debt-free, cash-free basis.
Germany‘s Merck has granted an exclusive license for the tumor-targeting IL-12 fusion protein currently known as M9241 to PDS Biotechnology Corporation, a US-based clinical-stage immunotherapy company with a growing pipeline of targeted immunotherapies for cancer and infectious disease.
AstraZeneca has agreed to acquire Neogene Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and manufacture of next-generation T-cell receptor therapies (TCR-Ts) – a promising and novel cell therapy approach to target cancer.
British drugmaker Indivior has agreed to buy Opiant, a US biotech specializing in treatments for addiction and drug overdose. Indivior will pay about $145 million upfront, plus another $68 million if Opiant hits revenue milestones.
To meet surging global demand for its Jynneos-branded monkeypox vaccine, Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic (BN) is pulling out all stops. Strategies include outsourcing production of other vaccines to CDMOs and exploring the reuse of millions of doses that have technically expired but are still viable.
Lonza and Israel Biotech Fund (IBF) have signed a framework agreement, under which the Swiss CDMO will provide advice and support for Israeli biotech companies. IBF is dedicated to investing in and developing Israel’s biotech sector.
Investment in UK biotech and life science companies scored a lifetime high in 2021, according to new data from the BioIndustry Association (BIA) and Clarivate.
China’s 14th Five-Year Plan “145” suggests that the dynamics initiated by the previous Five-Year Plan are to be maintained and even surpassed. As in the previous planning period, high priority is given to modernizing the country and the economy through R&D.
Agile and resilient: This is how manufacturers in the life sciences industry could be described during the Covid-19 pandemic. As disruption took hold in many other industries’ supply chains, life sciences companies moved to rapidly develop new products and build new capacity. They are maintaining this momentum, with pharmaceutical and biotech businesses showing continued interest in expanding existing operations in Europe or starting operations from scratch.
Switzerland, as one of the leading global biotech hubs, was well positioned to facilitate international collaborations and develop solutions to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, and the sector saw record levels of investment in 2020. This is the bottom line of the latest edition of the Swiss Biotech Report, published by the Swiss Biotech Association in conjunction with EY and eight other partner organizations.
Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, a subsidiary of Japan’s Fujifilm Corp., has announced plans to spend more than $2 billion to build a new large-scale cell culture production site in the US to accelerate the growth of its biopharma CDMO business.
The biotech industry in Italy is vital and is showing a constant growth, report by Assobiotec and ENEA documents.
