Entries by Thomas Gabrielczyk

Numab’s billion-dollar antibody deal takes an unexpected turn

Just over a year and a half ago, Swiss biotech Numab AG, based in Horgen on Lake Zurich, made the headlines when it sold a single antibody to Johnson & Johnson for US$1.25 billion via a spin-out vehicle. No back-loaded milestones, no future contingencies — but cash up front, as one might say, straight into the pocket.

Better late than never: Bayer eyes a slice of the mRNA vaccine pie

Patent disputes are part of everyday life in pharma. What is unusual is the timing. More than three years after the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bayer has launched a broad patent offensive against the makers of mRNA vaccines – just as the market has cooled and the pandemic feels firmly in the rear-view mirror. Understandable from a financial perspective, perhaps, but still raising questions about the timing.

Enodia Therapeutics raises €20.7m seed round for targeted protein degradation pipeline

Paris-based start-up Enodia Therapeutics has secured €20.7 million in seed funding to advance its early-stage pipeline of targeted protein degradation. Elaia, Pfizer Ventures and Bpifrance led the Seed financing under the InnoBio investment framework, with further contributions from Wallonie Entreprendre, Argobio Studio, MACSF, the Institut Pasteur, InvestSud, Sambrinvest and Mission BioCapital.

French investor Andera makes a $227m bet on U.S. obesity and asthma innovation

Paris-based private equity firm Andera Partners has kicked off 2026 with a surge of cross-border activity, leading two significant Series A financings for U.S. life sciences ventures. The back-to-back rounds of the French investment fund signal a commitment to innovative startups in the United States, where both companies are headquartered and conducting key development operations

Billionaire Mike Platt backs Engitix for the second time with a $25 million series A extension

4 years after its initial series A round, Engitix has completed a $25 million series A extension, led by Netherton Investments, which invests on behalf of billionaire hedge fund founder Mike Platt. The London-based biotech is developing therapies that target the extracellular matrix (ECM) in solid tumors and fibrosis, an area less crowded than more established drug discovery approaches.

Evotec benefits from Dark Blue acquisition by Amgen

The acquisition of Oxford-based Dark Blue Therapeutics by US biotechnology company Amgen Inc. has produced a German beneficiary: Hamburg-based Evotec SE. Through an early collaboration with the Oxford scientists, Evotec secured an equity stake and will now participate in the proceeds of the transaction.