Deals, Development and Manufacturing

Dolomite Microfluidics and MilliporeSigma have begun a collaboration to release off-the-shelf microfluidic device kits for the fabrication of PLGA particles.

The expansion of the companies’ partnership will integrate lead optimization efforts to advance cancer immune therapy drug discovery.

The companies have entered into an agreement for the technology transfer and clinical manufacturing of Mustang’s MB-107 lentiviral gene therapy program for the treatment of X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, also known as bubble boy disease, in Europe.

The acquisition gives Merck a new Phase III COVID-19 therapeutic candidate, CD24Fc, a fusion protein that targets the innate immune system, in its pipeline.

The companies have formed a long-term manufacturing agreement to accelerate the global supply for Lilly’s COVID-19 antibody therapeutics.

The agreement follows a recent announcement that Sartorius plans to invest $100 million in Songdo, South Korea’s bio cluster.

The agreement will allow Roche to use CEVEC’s proprietary ELEVECTA technology, which is designed to enable fully scalable, high-performance AAV vector production in suspension bioprocesses.

Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will provide $70 million toward in-licensing and co-development.

The program will consist of 10 University of Cambridge researchers and a group of PhD students who will work together to develop AI and machine learning technologies for clinical trials, personalized medicine, and biomedical discovery.

The companies will initially develop and design process technologies, single-use systems, and automation, with plans to eventually focus on an expanding process and digital technologies to optimize a continuous manufacturing process.

Through the acquisition, Merck will gain access to VelosBio’s lead investigational candidate, VLS-101, an antibody-drug conjugate that targets receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1.

The agreement will provide capacity for the manufacturing of AZD7442, currently being developed for the potential prevention and treatment of COVID-19, at Lonza's Portsmouth, NH site.

Through the acquisition, Sanofi will have access to Kiadis’ proprietary platform, which uses natural killer cells from a healthy donor to make products for a wide range of patients across several indications.

PerkinElmer will have the opportunity to strengthen its portfolio of automated life sciences discovery and applied genomics solutions by including Horizon’s gene editing and gene modulation tools.

Through the agreement, Takeda will handle securing the regulatory approvals before distributing the doses, while Moderna will supply the finished product.

The companies have signed a Statement of Intent with Gavi to make 200 million doses of their adjuvanted recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine available for distribution.

Delivery will commence over the course of two months following the EUA and the government will have the ability to purchase up to 650,000 additional vials of the treatment through June 30, 2021 based on product availability and medical need.

The new company will house more than 350 experts and will offer pharmaceutical, life sciences, food and beverage, and manufacturing solutions.

The companies will work to provide development strategy consultations, system-building, and clinical trial operations, while lessening development time and reducing risk by centralizing project tasks between companies.

Under the partnership, Catalent has ordered visual inspection machines from Stevanato Group to install at its Bloomington, IN and Anagni, Italy facilities to support customer programs.

Bayer will own the rights to AskBio’s AAV-based gene therapy platform, its intellectual property portfolio, and an established CDMO.

Orgenesis has completed its previously announced acquisition of Koligo Therapeutics with the additional acquisition of Tissue Genesis’ cell isolation technology, Icellator.

Roche will use Dyno’s CapsidMap platform to develop next-generation adeno-associated virus vectors for gene therapies for central nervous system diseases and liver-directed therapies.

The company will supply its LIMS to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) to support vaccine production programs for COVID-19 at WRAIR’s pilot bioproduction facility.

The companies are entering into an agreement for the late-stage development and large-scale manufacturing of AZD7442, AstraZeneca’s investigational product for treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

The partnership aims to provide a platform of hiPSC-based assays, drug discovery technologies, high-throughput screening, and high-content screening.

Rentschler will handle the downstream processing to provide highly purified drug substance at its headquarters in Laupheim, Germany.

Under the contract, Pharm-Olam will offer routine and response clinical services for the development of medical countermeasures.

Through the acquisition, Bristol Myers Squibb will gain access to MyoKardia’s mavacamten, a cardiovascular drug for the treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a chronic heart disease.

The acquisition will support the accelerated commercialization of Kyslecel (autologous pancreatic islets), Koligo’s personalized cell therapy for treating pancreatitis.