Industry news

Scientists discover new threat to antibiotic of last resort

Andrew Joseph / STAT

European scientists have discovered another gene that makes bacteria resistant to the antibiotic of last resort, one that could spread more easily among other kinds of bacteria.

VC funding down YOY in 1H: Just fewer late-stage players?

Brian Orelli / BioWorld

In the first quarter of 2016, private U.S. biopharmas tracked by BioWorld Snapshots raised about $380 million less than the same quarter in 2015, but the year-over-year decline was easy to shrug off because the first quarter of 2015 contained a monster $450 million series C round by Cambridge, Mass.-based Moderna Therapeutics Inc. "Call it up 4.7 percent on an adjusted basis," I quipped at the time.

U.S. activity for biotech IPOs picks up in the second quarter

Peter Winter / BioWorld

After a slow start to the year, IPO activity for biotech companies picked up with 11 graduating to the public arena. However, the total amount raised was lower than the first quarter haul with most companies in the second quarter pricing their offerings within or below their ranges, and precious few transactions generated enough support to push above their original expectations reflecting the fact that the financial markets still remain volatile.

Drug industry CEOs lead new task force on Brexit's pharma fallout

Ben Hirschler / Reuters

Drug industry and government officials have set up a task force to address regulatory and other problems facing the pharmaceutical sector following Britain's decision to leave the European Union.

07 July 2016

Genomic Health and Epic Sciences Announce Strategic Collaboration to Deliver Novel AR-V7 Liquid Biopsy Test to Predict Treatment Response in Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Genomic Health, Inc. (GHDX) and Epic Sciences, Inc. today announced an exclusive agreement to commercialize Epic Sciences' novel AR-V7 liquid biopsy test in the United States through Genomic Health's world-class commercial channel. The blood-based test detects the V7 variant of the androgen receptor protein (AR-V7) in the nucleus of circulating tumor cells (CTC) – information that can help guide treatment selection in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

In clinical trials, for-profit review boards are taking over for hospitals. Should they?

Sheila Kaplan / STAT

For years, ethicist Arthur Caplan warned medical researchers that paying businesses to evaluate their clinical trials was a bad idea. He condemned trials that didn’t rely on hospital or academic review boards — long the gold standard in science — and argued that for-profit review boards were out to make a buck, not protect patients.

Venture-Backed Biotechnology Companies Continue to Lead Charge to Public Markets as Tech Companies Remain on Sidelines

U.S. National Venture Capital Association

Twelve venture-backed initial public offerings (IPOs) raised $893.9 million in the second quarter of 2016, according to the Exit Poll Report by Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA).  IPO activity in the second quarter marks a 56 percent increase by dollars and a 100 percent increase by number of offerings compared to the first quarter.  For merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, sixty-one venture-backed M&A deals were reported in the second quarter, 11 of which reported an aggregate deal value of $9.0 billion.

Biotech IPOs may still be a bright spot, but the light has dimmed

John Carroll / ENDPOINTS

GenSight has been playing in one of the hottest sectors in biotech, developing new gene therapies for rare eye diseases. But the French biotech never could raise sufficient interest to complete an IPO in the U.S., so now it’s taking its business plan, its prestigious scientific advisers and its deep-pocket investors and trying the game on the Paris exchange, rolling out a much-reduced effort to bag $44 million.

06 July 2016

Syndax Expands Pipeline With Exclusive Worldwide License Agreement for UCB's Colony Stimulating Factor 1 Receptor (CSF-1R) Antibody Program

Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNDX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing entinostat in multiple cancer indications, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with UCB for UCB6352, an IND-ready anti-CSF-1R monoclonal antibody, which is expected to begin clinical trials in 2016.

Top 10 pipeline blowups, setbacks and snafus in H1 2016

John Carroll / ENDPOINTS

Some years you have to stretch a bit to find a lineup of 10 notable setbacks in the pipeline. In the first half of this year, I could have done one in each quarter and had a few left over for the dishonorable mention column.