Deals, Development and Manufacturing

Catalent will use its GPEx cell line development technology to create a cell line expressing the recombinant VLP at its Madison, WI facility.

The investment will increase production lines for bulk drug substance and will add a fill/finish production line to the site.

The collaboration will focus on novel therapeutics targeting RNA-modifying proteins for cancer treatment.

The investment will give the company the opportunity to accelerate the development of proprietary boron-10 target drugs while it develops its neutron beam accelerator technology for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy.

Agreements with the PolyPeptide Group and AGC Biologics will scale up production of the Novavax Matrix-M adjuvant.

The new vaccine would be made with a Newcastle disease virus vector that expresses the immunogenic spike protein of SARS-CoV-2

The Gavi advance market commitment for COVID-19 vaccines is a new financing instrument aimed at incentivizing vaccine manufacturers to produce sufficient and affordable quantities of COVID-19 vaccines.

The medicine is the first outcome of the collaboration between Lilly and AbCellera to create antibody therapies for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

The program will invest up to $500 million in biotechnology companies to provide funding and access to Pfizer’s scientific capabilities to continue the biotechnology companies’ clinical development programs.

The companies have entered into a manufacturing agreement for the fill finish supply of lenzilumab for the potential treatment of COVID-19.

The acquisition gives Novovax an annual operating capacity of more that one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine antigen.

The company announced that it has been issued a task order under a present contract with BARDA to use its contract development and manufacturing capabilities and knowledge to assist in the US government’s efforts to deliver COVID-19 vaccines.

Achieving herd immunity will require testing, data, a vaccine, and public support.

The UK BioIndustry Association has stated its support of a government led funding initiative, Future Fund, which will support innovative companies in the United Kingdom that will help to ensure the country’s leading position in science, innovation, and technology.

Merck will acquire Themis Bioscience and collaborate with IAVI and Ridgeback Bio on COVID-19 vaccines and therapies.

Merck will use Themis’s vector platform to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19.

CordenPharma and Moderna extended a strategic manufacturing services agreement for the supply of lipid excipients to be used in Moderna’s vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.

The companies have entered into a partnership worth more than $231 million to provide GSK with added capacity to manufacture and supply its biopharmaceutical therapies.

Funding from the US government could lead to 300 million coronavirus vaccine doses by October 2020.

CanSinoBIO will license-in Precision NanoSystems' proprietary RNA vaccine platform technology while the latter leads the development of the RNA vaccine formulation.

The companies have formed a collaboration to develop a novel human recombinant protein as a therapeutic candidate against COVID-19.

Ori Biotech is partnering with manufacturers and materials suppliers to develop an automated system for cell and gene therapy manufacturing.

The Center for iPS Cell Research and Application Foundation and the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult have announced the launch of a new collaborative research project that will focus on induced pluripotent stem cell characterization.

Santen Pharmaceutical has concluded a licensing agreement with jCyte for the development, registration, and commercialization rights to jCell, an investigational retinitis pigmentosa therapy, in Japan, Asia, and Europe.

Hitachi Chemical Advanced Therapeutics Solutions and apceth Biopharma entered into long-term development and manufacturing services agreements for the clinical and commercial supply of multiple bluebird bio therapies.