Deals, Development and Manufacturing

Avid Bioservices will provide commercial manufacture of an enzyme replacement therapy by Roivant Sciences' Enzyvant subsidiary.

The companies have partnered to develop and commercialize vectorized antibodies against tau for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

The company has entered into an agreement with an undisclosed partner to support the development and manufacture of a new biomanufacturing cell line.

The companies will partner to further immuno-oncology research using humanized mice.

Through its Janssen pharmaceutical companies, Johnson & Johnson, has partnered with Theravance to develop and commercialize a therapeutic for inflammatory bowel diseases.

Amgen plans to invest approximately $300 million in a new biomanufacturing plant in the United States.

Shire will receive exclusive license to develop and commercialize AB Biosciences' pan receptor interacting molecule program for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

The acquisition will strengthen Sanofi's R&D strategy and expands its franchise for rare blood disorders.

The companies will be integrated to form the newly-branded AGC Biologics, which will specialize in customized contract development and manufacturing organization services for the scale-up and cGMP manufacture of protein-based therapeutics.

Meissner Filtration Products has acquired PDC Aseptic Filling Systems, a supplier of aseptic filling systems and sealers, to expand Meissner's automated platform offerings.

The acquisition would boost Sanofi's position in hematology and specialty medicines.

The acquisition builds on the companies' earlier collaboration to develop T-cell-based therapeutics.

GE Healthcare will equip Cellular Biomedicine Group's cell therapy manufacturing facility in Shanghai, China, with its FlexFactory single-use platform, designed to speed up cell therapy manufacturing timelines.

The acquisition strengthens Charles River Laboratories’ capabilities in the oncology and immunology therapeutic areas.

The acquisition, valued at EUR 520 million (US$631 million), would expand Takeda’s late-stage pipeline in gastroenterology and would extend an already existing collaboration between the two companies.

Sartorius Stedim Biotech will equip Abzena’s contract development and manufacturing facilities in Bristol, PA, and San Diego, CA, with single-use equipment and scale-up technologies.

A Takeda and Denali collaboration includes three named programs for treating Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, using Denali’s antibody transport vehicle (ATV) technology to enhance blood-brain barrier penetration.

The companies aim to develop a potential zinc finger protein transcription factor-based gene therapy for treating Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The companies aim to discover and develop locked nucleic acid oligonucleotides as orally available therapies for treating inflammatory bowel diseases.

Bio/pharma professionals manage expectations amid industry uncertainty.

Will business decisions and drug pricing policies help or hinder science and drug approval advances in 2018?

The companies have entered an agreement involving assay development and the manufacturing of kits supporting biomarker research programs.

The company has completed development of a first-generation production process for its chimeric antigen receptor regulatory T cell product portfolio and is selecting a CMO for clinical supply.

The partnership aims to develop and commercialize a skin-care drug candidate being developed to treat actinic keratosis, which, left untreated, can progress to cancer.

Gilead Sciences will acquire Cell Design Labs to further cell-therapy research and development efforts.

The acquisition deepens Astellas’ involvement in the development of a pipeline of therapeutics focused on mitochondrial function.

Lonza has entered into strategic license agreements for exclusive rights to a gene-therapy platform for developing treatments for hearing and balance disorders.

Biocad and Sothema Labs have partnered to release cancer-treating biosimilars into the North African market.

The acquisition gives GE Healthcare access to a nanofiber-based platform purification technology that can offer improvements in biopharmaceutical productivity.

The joint venture will focus on the discovery, development, and commercialization of potential new drugs for the global market as well as speed delivery of new medicines to China.