Volume 12 Issue 3, June 2018

Technology-focused life science fund Efung Capital is riding the wave of China’s increase in medical investment and demand for healthcare products and services.

Promethera Biosciences is developing cell-based therapies to treat major acute and chronic liver diseases. Building on its research into immunomodulatory and antifibrotic allogeneic therapies, the biotech is running clinical development programs in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

In just four years, Cinfa Biotech’s pegfilgrastim biosimilar has been developed, been tested, and received acceptance from the European Medicines Agency for review of a marketing authorization application to treat neutropenia.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the world’s largest collection of biomedical research institutions and a global translational powerhouse. The National Cancer Institute’s Technology Transfer Center, through its expertise in managing the commercialization of its own and nine other NIH institutes’ discoveries, is leading the way for those seeking to partner and develop world-class biomedical solutions.

LYFE Capital, based in Shanghai with a US office in Palo Alto, California, is a healthcare investment firm that targets biopharma, medtech, healthcare service and digital health companies.

BioMarker Strategies has developed an innovative approach to enable more accurate prediction of patient response to targeted treatments for solid tumors.

An intravenously administered oncolytic virus platform delivers combinations of therapeutic genes specifically to solid tumors to enable a potent anticancer immune response while minimizing systemic toxicity.

Halozyme has developed ENHANZE, a recombinant human hyaluronidase-based drug delivery technology that enables and optimizes subcutaneous drug delivery for appropriate coadministered therapeutics.

C-Bridge Capital specializes in the growing Chinese health care market and is using its expertize to identify emerging industry leaders and bring global innovation into China.

BioCubaFarma, the Cuban organization of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries, manages the country’s efforts toward manufacturing medicines, diagnostics and medical equipment and providing high quality life science services to improve people’s health. BioCubaFarma serves as a gateway for potential partners and investors interested in accessing the extensive biopharma resources Cuba has to offer.

The market for drugs and vaccines to combat infectious diseases is expanding overall, but with wide variation in sales among its segments. This article analyzes the products, trends and dealmaking underlying these changes.

Anti-infective company VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals has developed injectable and orally bioavailable broad-spectrum antibiotics that could help curb the expansion of antimicrobial resistance. The company is now seeking clinical and commercial partnerships.

GSK has part of the solution to some of the world’s biggest health challenges. Do you have another part?

Using its antibiotic renewable technology, Helperby Therapeutics is developing a new class of antibiotics with activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria, including strains with transferable resistance to carbapenems and colistin.

Building on its history of successful collaborations, Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines global business unit of Sanofi, is seeking partners with a common drive for excellence and pursuit of innovation.

YUMAB, a global provider of fully human monoclonal antibody discovery and development, has relocated its headquarters to Germany’s hotspot of infectious research and is advancing new opportunities for the expedited development of prophylactic and therapeutic antibodies and vaccines to fight infectious diseases.

The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine’s Research Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics’ public–private partnerships and delivery of translational projects help vulnerable people in resource-poor countries.

Karius has developed a novel commercial cell-free DNA blood test able to rapidly and accurately detect more than 1,000 pathogens from a standard blood draw.

With core competencies in small-molecule drug design and synthesis, Shionogi continues to achieve success in and expand its infectious disease portfolio of both antibacterials and antivirals, many of which are home-grown products.

Sweden-based Aptahem is on its way to redefining the treatment of sepsis and other life-threatening inflammatory diseases.

ADAPT biomaterial scaffolds outperform all competitors, having achieved 9 years without calcification or degradation and delivering positive health benefits to patients around the world.

Inmunotek brings a range of skills and specialties together to create vaccine-based approaches for the treatment of allergy, recurrent infections and other immune-related diseases.

The product-development partnership Medicines for Malaria Venture has evolved over the past 18 years into an organization with a strong network of partners and a track record of achievements.

NovaBiotics’ platform technologies leverage defense strategies of the innate immune system and provide first-in-class antibacterial and antifungal therapies with potent activity against drug-resistant infections.

Quebec-based Medicago is transforming the use of plant-based technologies to rapidly develop and produce novel vaccines and therapeutic proteins.

Taking a unique approach by targeting the virus host cell, Ansun BioPharma of San Diego, California is developing lead candidate Fludase (DAS181), which has shown potential for the treatment of parainfluenza, influenza and other viruses, including resistant strains.

Achieving HIV epidemic control in Zambia and supporting sustainable development.

Fibrosis-related diseases, such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, have generated a wave of deal and funding activity over recent years. Here, we highlight a selection of these deals.

A treatment for fatal lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is being developed by Lung Therapeutics. The novel mechanism could have wider applications for other fibrotic diseases.

Promedior, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, is developing immunotherapies to treat fibrosis. The company’s lead product candidate is PRM-151, a recombinant form of human pentraxin-2 formulated for intravenous injection.

Fibrosis is characterized by the excessive or abnormal accumulation of extracellular matrix within tissue, leading to organ dysfunction and disease in a range of conditions. There is a high level of unmet need given that the limited treatments available offer only modest benefits, and new drugs are urgently needed.