Biotech firms brace for wave of Woodford fund liquidations Arix Biosciences (ARIX), Reneuron (RENE), Mereo Biopharma (MPH) and 4D Pharma (DDDD) look set to be among the firms braced for the potential sale of all or parts of the shareholdings held by Woodford Invesmtent Management in the coming days, as the troubled manager appears to […]
InflaRx stock crashes on study failure in HS US-listed German biotech InflaRx (Nasdaq: IFRX) saw its stock fall by 89% earlier today on the failure of a Phase IIb study of its lead product, IFX-1, in moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a painful and chronic inflammatory skin disease. The study enrolled 179 patients who […]
Verona Pharma starts Phase II of MDI-delivered ensifentrine in COPD Verona Pharma, the dual AIM (VRP) and Nasdaq (VRNA)-listed biotech specialising in respiratory disease, has started a Phase II dose-ranging trial of a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) formulation of its lead product ensifentrine in moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The trial is randomised, double-blind and […]
Promising early clinical data on Sareum’s SRA737 presented at ASCO Sierra Oncology, the licence holder for the Sareum (SAR)-originated SRA737, presented positive preliminary data from its two Phase I/II studies at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference over the weekend. The poster presentations cover preliminary clinical data from […]
Woodford EI suspension places WPCT in spotlight The suspension of dealing in Neil Woodford’s open-ended Equity Income Fund – in the face of a wave of redemptions by instututions – has had a knock on effect on the fund manager’s listed entity Woodford Patient Capital, despite the investment trust being ostensibly unaffected by the move. […]
Genmab finally sets sights on Nasdaq Denmark’s Genmab, which has the distinction of being Europe’s largest biotech by market cap (DKK71.9bn/$10.7bn) and has filed with the US SEC to raise $500m through a US IPO of American depositary shares (ADS) on Nasdaq. The move is notable both for the proposed offering’s size as well as […]
Amgen takeover of Nuevolution provides rare valuation for preclin immune/inflam assets US giant Amgen has announced an agreed takeover offer of SEK1.6bn (c$167m) for Nuevolution, a Swedish biotech, in a move which puts a monetary value of a small number of orally available preclincal assets, mostly in the immune/inflamamtory space. This area has seen relatively few […]
Sareum (SAR), together with its US-based licensee Sierra Oncology, should be a major beneficiary in competitive terms from an apparent decision by Lilly to discontinue development its Chk1 inhibitor, prexasertib. Sierra has the only other compound with this mechanism in clincial trials and, as a result, its Chk1 inihitibitor, SRA737 – which originated at Sareum […]
Sareum (SAR) has noted the presentation by its partner Sierra Oncology of preclinical data showing “profound synergy” for the triple combination of the CHK1 inhibitor SRA737 in combination with low-dose gemcitabine (LDG) and anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in a mouse model of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The data were reported in a late-breaking oral presentation at the […]
WWH opens new positions in Takeda and Novartis Orbimed-managed Worldwide Healthcare Trust (WWH) has disclosed new substantial shareholdings in Takeda – the Japanese pharmaceuticals group that has just completed a takeover of Shire Pharmaceuticals – and Novartis, according to an analysis by Marten & Co. The shareholding in Takeda appears in third place and accounts for […]
