AstraZeneca has invested €25m (£23m) into gene messenger drug development, through a research tie-up with German biotech Ethris.
The FTSE 100 drugmaker has agreed to pay Munich-based Ethris the sum upfront, with further payments and royalties possible depending on development progress.
Ethris, which was founded by two German scientists in 2009, specialises in RNA drugs, which instruct human cells to produce therapeutic proteins.
The alliance with AstraZeneca and its biotech division MedImmune will focus on asthma and other respiratory diseases.
Scientists believe the RNA approach holds potential to treat a range of conditions, including cancer and heart disease.
It is not AstraZeneca’s first investment in the field. Last year the company invested a further $140m (£109m) in RNA specialist Moderna Therapeutics, upping its stake to 9pc.
AstraZeneca is looking to bounce back after a negative readout from its lung cancer drugs trial Mystic last month led to its biggest single day share price fall, wiping £10bn from the company’s market value.
By Iain Withers
Source: Telegraph
The Food and Drug Administration’s top scientist Namandjé Bumpus will assume the role of principal deputy commissioner when longtime agency leader Janet Woodcock retires from that role in early 2024, according to an announcement Thursday.
US biopharma AbbVie has agreed to acquire ImmunoGen in a deal which values the company at about $10.1 billion and gives AbbVie access to flagship cancer therapy Elahere (mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx), a first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) approved for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC), as well as a pipeline of promising next-generation ADCs.
EUROAPI today announced the appointment of David Seignolle as Chief Operating Officer, succeeding Eric Berger, and Marion Santin as Chief Legal, Compliance, and IP Officer, both joining the company’s Executive Committee. In his new role, David Seignolle will lead the transformation of the Industrial Operations organization.
