The latest biotech news

News and Trends 3 Dec 2021

Sanifit Seals Booming Acquisition Year for Spanish Life Sciences

The takeover of the Spanish firm Sanifit by Vifor Pharma in Switzerland marks a high point for the life sciences sector in Spain, which has seen a burst of acquisitions this year. Last month, Vifor Pharma acquired Sanifit in a deal worth up to €375M, hailed as one of the biggest-ever biotech acquisitions in Spain. […]

December 3, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Medical anca associated vasculitis avacopan

News and Trends 1 Dec 2021

Targeted Drugs for Rare Autoimmune Disease Hit Regulatory Milestones

New, more targeted treatments are on the horizon for the rare autoimmune disease ANCA-associated vasculitis, with a nod towards European approval for a first-in-class drug and positive phase II results from a rival treatment. In November, the Swiss firm Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP) received a thumbs-up from the EMA for avacopan, a […]

December 1, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty

News and Trends 25 Nov 2021

Despite New Approvals, Covid-19 Treatments Lag Behind Vaccines

The EU recently added two drugs to its list of approved Covid-19 treatments. Yet with vaccines often in the spotlight, treatment options available to doctors remain few. Earlier this month, the European Commission gave its stamp of approval to two antibody treatments for Covid-19: regdanvimab from the South Korean firm Celltrion Healthcare, and a blend […]

November 25, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev

cell therapy manufacturing reprogramming synbio

News and Trends 22 Nov 2021

Investors Flock to Startups Reprogramming Cell Therapies

Painstaking and expensive procedures are required to produce human cells for use in research and cell therapies. Investors are seeking stakes in cell reprogramming startups that can free up the bottleneck, such as Mogrify, bit.bio, and Asgard Therapeutics. The concept of cell reprogramming — converting one type of cell into another — has been hot […]

November 22, 2021 - 7 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Industrial biotech sustainability environment

News and Trends 18 Nov 2021

Sustainability in Focus as Two VCs Build Industrial Biotech Funds

As this month’s COP26 United Nations climate summit highlighted the climate change emergency, venture capital fundraises from Sofinnova and the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund have led the push for industrial biotechnology to further shift the global economy away from fossil fuels. Yesterday, the venture capital (VC) firm Sofinnova Partners raised €150M for an early-stage environmental […]

November 18, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty

News and Trends 12 Nov 2021

Big Pharma Strikes Megadeals In Targeted Protein Degradation

With many targeted protein degraders hitting the clinic, lucrative collaborations and acquisitions are being signed between biotech startups and big pharma in this upcoming area. Novartis, Pfizer, and Bayer have all negotiated billion Euro deals this year with smaller biotechs including Dunad Therapeutics, Arvinas, and Vividion Therapeutics. The big pharma companies aim to gain a […]

November 12, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty

News and Trends 10 Nov 2021

Evotec IPO Hints At Stabilizing Investor Interest In Biotech Stocks

German life sciences heavyweight Evotec raised around €376M ($435M) in its US debut on the Nasdaq last week, fueling tentative hopes of renewed investor interest in biotech stocks after a rollercoaster year. The company downsized its initial IPO target of around €500M ($576M) by offering fewer shares than initially planned. This is widely seen as […]

November 10, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev

News and Trends 4 Nov 2021

Skilled Labor Shortages Impact Cell And Gene Therapy Manufacturing

Despite vast amounts of funding entering the cell and gene therapy field, the manufacture of these therapies is held back by skill shortages. Increasing training programs and automation could form the solution. The cell and gene therapy fields enjoyed their best-ever funding yield in the first half of 2021, with €12.2B ($14.1B) netted globally. However, […]

November 4, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty

News and Trends 2 Nov 2021

The Top European Biotech Investment Rounds in October

DNA manufacturing was a hot topic in biotech investments in October, with immuno-oncology and insect protein also drawing big investor excitement. After the huge biotech investment rounds that took place in September, October was a quieter month for private European and Israeli life sciences firms. Collectively, they raised €555.6M in 37 deals. This was less […]

November 2, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 28 Oct 2021

DNA Manufacturing Startups Net Venture Capital Windfalls

Touchlight Genetics and DNA Script have closed major venture financing rounds in the last month as investor excitement mounts over the next generations of DNA manufacturing. DNA Script made a big splash in Paris this week as it raked in €142M in Series C funding. The company will ramp up the commercialization of its benchtop […]

October 28, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 26 Oct 2021

Valneva’s Inactivated Covid-19 Vaccine Aces Phase III Trial

Last week, the French vaccine maker Valneva announced promising phase III trial results of its inactivated Covid-19 vaccine: a well-established technology that could confer broader immunity to the virus than shots currently on the market. Valneva’s vaccine candidate consists of a killed or ‘inactivated’ version of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19. The vaccine was […]

October 26, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev

News and Trends 22 Oct 2021

Gene-Edited T Cell Therapy Players Battle Safety Doubts

Confidence in gene-edited T cell therapies from donor cells has faltered as Allogene Therapeutics paused all clinical development following the detection of an unexpected genetic change in a clinical trial. Industry experts see these events as a reality check for the nascent field. Off-the-shelf treatments that use genetically engineered T cells to treat diseases suffered […]

October 22, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty

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Catalonia: A biotech hub going from strength to strength, with Barcelona at its core

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News and Trends

Sanifit Seals Booming Acquisition Year for Spanish Life Sciences

Targeted Drugs for Rare Autoimmune Disease Hit Regulatory Milestones

Despite New Approvals, Covid-19 Treatments Lag Behind Vaccines

Investors Flock to Startups Reprogramming Cell Therapies

Sustainability in Focus as Two VCs Build Industrial Biotech Funds

Big Pharma Strikes Megadeals In Targeted Protein Degradation

Evotec IPO Hints At Stabilizing Investor Interest In Biotech Stocks

Skilled Labor Shortages Impact Cell And Gene Therapy Manufacturing

The Top European Biotech Investment Rounds in October

DNA Manufacturing Startups Net Venture Capital Windfalls

Valneva’s Inactivated Covid-19 Vaccine Aces Phase III Trial

Gene-Edited T Cell Therapy Players Battle Safety Doubts

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Catalonia: A biotech hub going from strength to strength, with Barcelona at its core

Top biotech deals of February 2025

Grab your free report on 3D organoids and explore their future potential

These 7 biotechs are shaping the next generation of endometriosis care

Connect with decision-makers and researchers worldwide for collaborative opportunities

Subscribe to our newsletter

Advertise with us

Catalonia: A biotech hub going from strength to strength, with Barcelona at its core

Top biotech deals of February 2025

Grab your free report on 3D organoids and explore their future potential

These 7 biotechs are shaping the next generation of endometriosis care

Connect with decision-makers and researchers worldwide for collaborative opportunities

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Advertise with us

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