Pharma Investment Roundup 24-Jun-2022

Happify Health and Biogen team up for Multiple Sclerosis

23-Jun-2022

Happify Health announced a new partnership with Biogen in the pursuit of improving support for patients living with multiple sclerosis through digital engagement, education. The two companies aim to develop digital, AI-powered solutions that will assist patients in managing their care journey, learn about treatment options and network with professionals and other members of the wider multiple sclerosis community. With over a million people living with multiple sclerosis in the United States, the partnership aims to provide support for the management of such a chronic condition – particularly as the disease is far likelier to present in women, a demographic that has traditionally struggled with access to care. This is not the first time Happify aims to improve support for chronic disease management – the company also leveraged its proprietary AI technology to construct similar tools for managing psoriasis in Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. Jason Hawbecker, Biogen Head of Strategic Partnerships & Collaborations, highlighted the value of the partnership:

“This collaboration is one of many ways we are focused on supporting patients by meeting them  where they are. The combination of Biogen’s expertise in neuroscience and our commitment to digital  health, along with Happify Health’s AI and digital therapeutic capabilities will help drive a connected  and comprehensive experience that allows patients to feel supported throughout their journey”

invoX Pharma to Acquire F-Star Therapeutics

23-Jun-2022

invoX Pharma, a subsidiary of Sino Biopharmaceutical dedicated to R&D and business development outside China, announced an agreement for the acquisition of F-Star Therapeutics. F-Star is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of bispecific antibodies for oncology through a unique tetravalent (2+2) antibody platform. The acquisition will cost invoX $161 million, and will bring F-Star’s unique platform to invoX. Tetravalent bispecific antibodies enable the simultaneous targeting of two antigens to improve the safe activation of therapeutics within the tumor microenvironment: currently, three F-star tetravalent antibodies are in the clinical pipeline. With multiple partnerships in the fields of neurology, oncology and immunology, F-star’s acquisition will expand invoX’s portfolio and pipeline across numerous fields. Ben Toogood, CEO at invoX, reiterated the desire for innovative modalities within the company:

“Today’s proposed acquisition is aligned with invoX’s strategy to become a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with an advancing pipeline of innovative products addressing unmet healthcare needs, worldwide. We are excited to welcome F-star employees and look forward to working with them as we invest in the company to progress and grow its clinical pipeline to realize the full potential of the platform.”

Novartis signs up to hemoglobinopathy partnership with Precision Ink

22-Jun-2022

Precision Biosciences, a clinical stage gene editing firm, announced a new partnership with pharma giant Novartis this week. The joint venture will see the two companies team up to develop a gene therapy as a potential one-time transformative treatment for a range of diseases, including hemoglobinopathies such as sickle-cell disease and beta thalassemia. The agreement will see Precision use its proprietary ARCUS Genome Editing platform to develop an ARCUS nuclease capable of inserting the relevant transgene in vivo, with Novartis in charge of subsequent development and commercialization efforts. In exchange, Precision will receive an upfront $75 million payment, with the potential for up to $1.4 billion in milestone-associated payments. Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Precision Biosciences, Derek Jantz, highlighted the potential to improve accessibility with a new in vivo rather than ex vivo therapy:

“The in vivo gene editing approach that we are pursuing for sickle cell disease could have a number of significant advantages over other ex vivo gene therapies currently in development, […] Perhaps most importantly, it could open the door to treating patients in geographies where stem cell transplant is not a realistic option. We believe that the unique characteristics of the ARCUS platform, particularly its ability to target gene insertion with high efficiency, make it the ideal choice for this project, and we look forward to working with our partners at Novartis to bring this novel therapy to patients.”

Galapagos Buys Up CellPoint & AboundBio

22-Jun-2022

Galapagos announced the acquisition of CellPoint and AboundBio earlier this week, significantly expanding the scope and portfolio of the company. The acquisitions leave Galapagos well positioned to further expand in the next-generation cell therapy space with its newfound access to a decentralized and automated point-of-care cell therapy supply model. CellPoint’s decentralized supply model already boasts approval through clinical studies across multiple jurisdictions, with further trials ongoing. In addition, CellPoint’s platform will complement the fully humanized antibody library that Galapagos has access to through its acquisition of AboundBio, promising novel CAR-T therapies over the next three years. Paul Stoffers, CEO at Galapagos, highlighted the transformative impact of the acquisitions:

“With the transactions announced today, we position ourselves as a potential innovator in CAR-T, while building a strong foundation from which we can drive continued innovation for patients with advanced cancers who are in need of new treatment options. Our goal is to bring three differentiated, next-generation CAR-T candidates into the clinic over the next three years.” 

AstraZeneca and Ionis report success in eplontersen for ATTR trial

21-Jun-2022

Ionis announced positive results from a Phase III trial for eplontersen, a therapeutic developed in partnership with AstraZeneca. The trial, NEURO-TTRansform, is aimed at patients with hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloid polyneuropathy and eplontersen demonstrated significant improvement in primary endpoints, as well as improving secondary endpoints such as quality of life. Safety and tolerability results were promising and acted as proof of success for not just eplontersen, but Ionis’ Ligand-Conjugated Antisense (LICA) platform as a whole. The company hopes their LICA technology will propel further transformative successes for other therapeutics and indications, while planning to seek FDA approval for eplontersen later this year. The drug received an orphan drug designation, and while ATTR cardiomyopathies may be considered rare, growing evidence points to underdiagnosis due to a lack of awareness.