Germany

MedKitDoc Founder Develops Advanced Telemedicine Platform Integrating Medtech for Effective Remote Healthcare

MedKitDoc Founder Dorian Koch shared the journey of the startup, which wants to transform the way patients receive healthcare.

Eli Lilly Plans New $2.5B Manufacturing Site in Germany for Injectable Meds

The German manufacturing site is the latest capital infrastructure move for Eli Lilly, which has already made $11 billion in investments in its global manufacturing capabilities in the past three years. The new site will help Lilly meet strong demand for its diabetes and obesity drugs.

Merck KGaA Puts Up €160M for Drug to Rival DNA Damage Cancer Meds From AstraZeneca, Gilead

A Hengrui drug that interferes with a cancer cell’s DNA damage response is heading to Merck KGaA for €160 million up front and up to €1.4 billion tied to milestones. The deal also gives the German company an option to license a Hengrui antibody drug conjugate.

BioNTech Turns to China Again for Cancer Drugs, Paying $70M to Partner on an ADC

BioNTech gains rights to a MediLink Therapeutics antibody drug conjugate that targets tumors expressing the HER3 protein. The deal comes six months after the German company entered the ADC field by acquiring rights to two therapeutic candidates from DualityBio.

Bayer Pushes Ahead With Parkinson’s Cell Therapy on Heels of Positive Phase 1 Data

A Bayer cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease has met primary and secondary goals of its first test in humans, and the pharmaceutical giant is now planning for a larger Phase 2 clinical trial expected to begin enrollment in the first half of next year.

InflaRx Covid-19 Drug Welcomes an FDA Win; Pardes Bio Throws In the Towel

The FDA granted emergency use authorization to an InflaRx antibody drug that treats hospitalized Covid-19 patients. But Pardes Bioscience’s coronavirus journey is ending following the Phase 2 failure of an antiviral that was expected to compete with Pfizer’s Paxlovid.

BioNTech Buys Into Hot Area of Cancer R&D, Paying $170M for 2 Drug Assets

BioNTech’s alliance with DualityBio gives it two antibody drug conjugate (ADC) candidates, the most advanced of which is in mid-stage clinical development for solid tumors. It addresses the same target as a potential blockbuster AstraZeneca drug.

BioNTech Puts Up $200M to Partner With OncoC4 in Cancer Immunotherapy

BioNTech is expanding its cancer immunotherapy scope by partnering with OncoC4 on clinical testing of its lead drug. The antibody was designed to offer a safety edge over other CTLA-4-blocking drugs it's on track for a Phase 3 test in non-small cell lung cancer.

‘Challenging Market’ Leads MorphoSys to Cut Preclinical R&D, Turn Focus to Cancer

MorphoSys’s emphasis on its clinical-stage cancer programs puts the spotlight on a myelofibrosis drug candidate from its 2021 acquisition of Constellation Pharmaceuticals. That small molecule could compete against drug candidates from GSK and Merck.

BioNTech Dives Deeper Into Digital With £362M Buyout of AI Startup InstaDeep

BioNTech says its InstaDeep acquisition will help it expand its use of artificial intelligence in drug discovery and development. The startup specializes in a type of machine learning called reinforcement learning.