Entries by Thomas Gabrielczyk

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.

Amgen acquires Dark Blue Therapeutics for up to $840 million

Amgen has agreed to acquire Dark Blue Therapeutics in a deal valued at up to $840 million, as the biopharmaceutical company continues to build out its early-stage oncology pipeline. The specific breakdown of the upfront payment alongside development and regulatory milestones was not disclosed in the press release.

With Vyvgart established, argenx looks beyond its founder CEO

The Dutch biotech argenx has announced a planned leadership transition to be effective in May after its annual shareholder meeting. Tim Van Hauwermeiren, co-founder and long-time Chief Executive Officer, will transition from CEO to Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors; and Karen Massey, currently Chief Operating Officer, will assume the role of CEO and Executive Director, pending shareholder approval.

Servier and Insilico sign an $888 million AI oncology discovery deal

On January 4, the French pharma group Servier and the AI drug discovery Insilico Medicine announced a collaboration worth up to $888 million. Insilico will receive up to $32 million from Servier for a multi-year research and development collaboration to discover and develop oncology therapies using Insilico’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery platform and Servier’s cancer development expertise.