WPCT-backed Immunocore enters Phase I with lead GSK project Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT)-backed Immunocore has started a Phase I study of IMCnyeso, the lead engineered T cell product under its collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), for a range of cancers. The 63-patient Phase I/II study will assess ImmTAC in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), […]
BB-backed Ionis approaches key regulatory events Ionis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: IONS), a key shareholding for BB Biotech (10.9% of NAV) and several other specialist investment vehicles, is approaching a number of important regulatory events. In particular, these include the outcome of the FDA review for Waylivra, which has a deadline at the end of this month. Waylivra has been developed […]
Hg Capital sells Kinapse – HgCapital Trust has announced the sale of Kinapse to Syneos Health, a leading biopharmaceutical solutions organisation. Kinapse is a market leading advisory and operational solutions provider to the global life sciences industry. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. This transaction values the company’s investment in Kinapse at approximately GBP7.9 million. […]
HBM-backed Argenx has biotech industry’s most valuable unpartnered R&D asset Dutch/Belgian antibody company Argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq:ARGX), a top ten holding for Swiss-listed HBM Healthcare (HBMN, 2.9% of NAV), has the biotech industry’s most valuable unpartnered R&D asset in the form of its lead compound efgartigimod for myasthenia gravis and other autoimmune diseases, according to industry […]
WPCT avoids losses on Woodford-backed Abzena Woodford Investment Management will have to take a second painful hit on one of its major biotech investments in less than a week, after the UK-based drug discovery services company Abzena agreed to a low-ball private equity takeout today after seeing a sustained share price decline. This deal follows the […]
IBT adds to Celgene, reduces Neurocrine in July rejig International Biotechnology Trust (IBT) appears to have boosted its shareholding in Celgene – which has risen by one place and ~ two NAV percentage points to become its top investee company, as part of a rejig of its largest investments in July. According to the trust’s latest […]
WPCT set to record £33m gain on Sensyne Health IPO Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) looks set to record a £33m gain and a 45x return on its original shareholding in the UK healthcare AI firm Sensyne Health, as a result of the company’s IPO on the London stock exchange. Sensyne, which was founded and […]
Alnylam receives expected FDA ok for Onpattro Biotech trust stock favourite Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALNY) received its first FDA approval late on Friday for Onpattro (patisiran) for the treatment of polyneuropathy in adults with hereditary transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis. However, the FDA did not allow a broader label that included patients with cardiomyopathy (CM), leading to […]
BG-backed Orchard raises $150m on the back of GSK deal Baillie Gifford-backed US-UK gene therapy company Orchard Therapeutics has raised $150m in a Series C financing just four months after acquiring GlaxoSmithKline’s portfolio of investigational and approved rare disease gene therapies. The financing was led by Deerfield Management, a leading US healthcare investor, and included more than […]
FDA sets Feb target review date for IBT-backed Stemline Therapeutics The US FDA has accepted Stemline Therapeutics (Nasdaq:STML)’s filing for Elzonris (tagraxofusp) for review for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), an extremely rare haematological cancer, and with priority review, the agency has set itself a PDUFA target action date of 21 February 2019 – although […]