Bio/Pharma Business

AGC Biologics is expanding manufacturing capacity at its Heidelberg, Germany, facility for plasmid DNA and messenger RNA.

The memorandum of understanding between ABITEC and Luca AICell will work to advance ultra-high purity lipidic chemistries.

Boehringer Ingelheim and Twist Bioscience will use Twist’s antibody libraries to discover therapeutic antibody candidates.

Vector Laboratories has completed a $124 million cash buyout backed by Thompson Street Capital Partners and will begin an acquisition strategy to expand protein detection capabilities.

Avantor has acquired the Masterflex bioprocessing business and related assets of Antylia Scientific.

Moderna announced a collaboration to develop a new mRNA therapeutic for Crigler-Najjar Syndrome Type 1 at no cost to patients.

Ardena acquires Idifarma, adding spray drying technology and high potency capabilities.

Element’s acquisition of Impact Analytical expands their life sciences footprint in North America.

Immutep was granted a Chinese patent for LAG525, a LAG-3 antagonist antibody, under evaluation for cancer treatment.

The European Commission has granted marketing authorization to Incyte and MorphoSys for Minjuvi (tafasitamab) in combination therapy with lenalidomide to treat relapsed or refractory DLBCL.

SpringWorks Therapeutics and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will conduct further research into the therapeutic potential of combination therapy with nirogacestat and anti-BCMA agents for multiple myeloma.

Aadi Bioscience has closed its previously announced merger with Aerpio Pharmaceuticals and a concurrent $155-million PIPE investment.

Catalent’s acquisition of Bettera paves the way for growth in the softgel and oral dose formulation and manufacturing market for nutraceuticals.

FDA formally unveiled its plan for revising and renewing its fee program for drugs and biologics.

BioAgilytix, a US-based contract research laboratory focused on large-molecule drug development, has agreed to purchase 360biolabs, an Australia-based contract research organization specializing in virology and immunology.

AGC Biologics has broken ground on a new multipurpose facility in Copenhagen, Denmark, that will increase capacity.

NGM Biopharmaceuticals has disclosed a fourth antibody drug candidate, NGM831, for development into an oncology therapeutic.

Pfizer’s proposed $2.26-billion acquisition of Trillium Therapeutics will add next-generation hematology-targeted immuno-therapeutics to its oncology pipeline.

Lonza plans to establish drug product manufacturing capabilities at is site in Guangzhou, China, to produce clinical trial and commercial supply in the country.

Merck KGaA has partnered with Telix Pharmaceuticals to conduct combination clinical studies for cancer therapy.

The collaboration will focus on the interactions between WTX-124 indukine and KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab).

BlueAllele has been granted a US patent for its advanced gene-editing technology, PALIDON, which is compatible with existing gene editing nucleases and delivery systems.

Artiva Biotherapeutics’s new R&D and GMP manufacturing center in San Diego, Calif., for NK cell therapies is expected to open in 2022.

Bayer has acquired Vividion Therapeutics, a US-based biopharmaceutical company.

Lykan Bioscience and Vineti will combine their capabilities to streamline process development and manufacturing to move cell therapies through clinical phases to commercialization.

The President calls for granting Medicare authority to negotiate drug prices and penalties for pharma companies that raise prices faster than inflation.

A research team at the Keck Graduate Institute will work to adapt its decade-long low-cost vaccine R&D for developing countries into a COVID-19 vaccine.

A collaboration between Aldevron and Ginkgo Bioworks has resulted in a manufacturing enhancement that can improve production of an enzyme used for mRNA therapeutics.

Lonza and Sheba Medical Center have successfully dosed four patients with a CD19 autologous CAR-T cell therapy using Lonza’s Cocoon automated manufacturing platform.

Kyowa Pharmaceutical Industry and Bora Pharmaceuticals have announced a partnership to produce generic-drug product for filing in Japan.