Scorpion snags $150M in series C funds

Today’s Big News

Jul 16, 2024

Masimo sues activist investor Politan, postpones proxy fight vote


Sobi, angling to become a major hematology player, touts momentum across several brands


Scorpion snaps up $150M in series C funds to widen clinical plans for cancer pipeline


Vertex mines for more gene editing riches with $15M Orum licensing deal


Verona's price for COPD treatment Ohtuvayre will result in restricted access, ICER says


Huma raises $80M amid AI digital health platform rollout


Sionna salvages AbbVie assets, teeing up dual combo assault on cystic fibrosis

 

Featured

Masimo sues activist investor Politan, postpones proxy fight vote

Masimo has asked a federal court to intervene in its ongoing proxy fight with Politan Capital Management, with a lawsuit that seeks to force the activist investor to “correct material misstatements and omissions” in its materials sent to shareholders.
 

Top Stories

Sobi, angling to become a major hematology player, touts momentum across several brands

The Swedish drugmaker reported 13% sales growth in its hematology portfolio, which includes brands such as Doptelet, Vonjo and Apellis-partnered Empaveli (or Aspaveli in Europe, which is one of Sobi's territories).

Scorpion snaps up $150M in series C funds to widen clinical plans for cancer pipeline

As it broadens the clinical ambitions for its small molecule oncology programs, Scorpion Therapeutics has secured $150 million in financial fuel.

Vertex mines for more gene editing riches with $15M Orum licensing deal

Vertex struck gold with the licensing of CRISPR Therapeutics’ sickle cell gene editing therapy in 2017. With that med now approved as Casgevy, Vertex is looking to extend its claim in gene editing therapy through a small licensing deal with South Korea's Orum. 

Verona's price for COPD treatment Ohtuvayre will result in restricted access, ICER says

ICER has issued "an access and affordability alert" for Verona Pharma’s newly approved Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine), a long-awaited treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ICER has calculated Ohtuvayre's cost-effective price range to fall between $7,500 and $12,700 annually, while Verona is charging $34,500 annually for the first-in-class treatment.

Huma raises $80M amid AI digital health platform rollout

The company’s software received an FDA clearance in June 2023, which allowed it to connect with a range of regulated tools.

Sionna salvages AbbVie assets, teeing up dual combo assault on cystic fibrosis

Sionna Therapeutics has quickly found a use for some of its $182 million series C haul, inking a deal with AbbVie to add three clinical-phase candidates to its burgeoning pipeline of cystic fibrosis prospects.

Vertex sues US for right to provide fertility assistance program to gene therapy patients

Vertex has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C. against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeking to overturn the “erroneous legal positions” of the agency’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Vertex wants to provide a fertility preservation assistance program for patients using its gene therapy for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.

Umpteenth time’s a charm? Lawmakers try to block DTC drug ad tax deductions yet again

Lawmakers are mounting yet another attempt to change the rules on taxing drug ads. Claiming that Big Pharma is exploiting a loophole, Democrats and independents in the Senate and House have introduced bills that would stop companies from deducting direct-to-consumer ad spending from their tax calculations.

Sotio taps Biocytogen to create bispecific ADCs in $326M deal

Sotio has struck a deal to fuse bispecifics with its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) capabilities, agreeing to pay Biocytogen up to $325.5 million in upfront and milestone fees for rights to targeting molecules.

Johnson & Johnson proposes $505M settlement with bankrupt talc miners

As Johnson & Johson continues to attempt to Texas two-step its way around thousands of claims that its popular talcum powder-based products caused cancer, the drugmaker is putting up hundreds of millions of dollars to settle a longstanding dispute with a clutch of suppliers.

German CDMO CordenPharma invests $981M to boost GLP-1 manufacturing capacity

CordenPharma will invest 900 million euros ($981 million) over the next three years to bolster its ability to manufacture GLP-1 products in Europe and the United States, the German CDMO said on Tuesday. It is the largest outlay ever for the 18-year-old company.

Eli Lilly vaults Simone Biles to head of Mounjaro ad campaign, partnering with Olympian for TV spot

Eli Lilly has choreographed another part of its Olympics-focused marketing campaign, partnering with seven-time medalist Simone Biles and her mom Nellie to promote the GLP-1 diabetes drug Mounjaro.

Esperion’s ‘Lipid Lurkers’ campaign sheds light on high LDL cholesterol hiding in artery walls

Fresh off earning FDA approval for label expansions for its LDL cholesterol-lowering Nexletol and Nexlizet tablets, Esperion Therapeutics has launched a marketing campaign to reach that newly expanded patient group.
 
Fierce podcasts

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A look at Big Pharma’s top-paid CEOs

In this week's episode of "The Top Line," Fierce Pharma’s Eric Sagonowsky and Fraiser Kansteiner discuss Fierce’s annual special report, “Big Pharma's 10 highest-paid CEOs.” 
 

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The “Best Practice Organization” & Its Importance for Success in Today’s Biopharma Industry

In a complex industry like biopharma, being a “Best Practice Organization” (BPO) is essential to success. But what is a BPO & how do you build one? This eBook provides the answers.
 

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