Oramed Pharma, a New York-Israel biopharma, signed a non-binding term sheet with Hefei Tianhui Biotech (HTBT) forming a joint venture to commercialize Oramed’s oral drug delivery products. HTBT will invest $60 million in the JV, while Oramed will add $10 million, with each company owning 50%. The focus of the new venture will be the global commercialization of innovative products based on Oramed’s oral insulin and POD (Protein Oral Delivery) pipeline. HTBT will contribute its manufacturing capacity and experience. The…

As Kriya plans to move its gene therapies into the clinic, the firm adds $150 million from its Series C financing. The added Series C financing round brings Kriya Therapeutics’ funding to a total of $430 million in a bid to advance the firm’s gene therapy efforts. According to the company, the proceeds from this round will support moving Kriya’s pipeline of undisclosed gene therapies into the clinic, as well as the advancement of its engineering and manufacturing platforms. “We…

The ‘Fit for Growth’ program will generate $300 million for future R&D but at the cost of 1,000 jobs. Meanwhile, Biogen faces supply issues in its flat biosimilar business. In its Q2 earnings this week, Biogen reported revenues of $2.46 billion, down 5% on the same period last year. The disappointing results were described by senior management as evidence of Biogen’s business being “in transition,” and to help turn the ship around the firm has launched its “Fit for Growth”…

Bioprocess companies like Sartorius are seeing the demand for CGT equipment and services become an increasingly large proportion of their biologics revenue. René Fáber, who recently tookover as CEO of bioprocess unit Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB), said cell culture media and critical materials used to make “new therapeutic modalities like cell and gene therapies (CGTs)” are becoming a “highly relevant portfolio for us” His comment came off the back of the closure of Sartorius’s $2.6 billion acquisition of Polyplus this week.…

The Biopharma Development Center will complement a recently announced $400 million biomanufacturing plant says Novartis, ahead of its plans to spin-out Sandoz. In March, Swiss pharma giant Novartis laid plans for a $400 million facility in Lendava, Slovenia to support its Sandoz division’s biosimilar growth ambition. Now the firm will add a dedicated development center nearby in Ljubljana at a cost of $90 million to further support Sandoz’ biosimilars pipeline. Building on its Slovenian infrastructure, along with a biosimilar development…

CDMO WuXi Biologics has announced plans to spin-off its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) operations with the goal of listing the division in an IPO on the Hong Kong Exchange that could raise $500 million. The subsidiary, known as WuXi XDC, is a joint venture between WuXi Biologics (60%) and WuXi STA (40%) that provides contract R&D and manufacturing for bioconjugates, including antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). WuXi STA offers chemical CDMO services, while WuXi Biologics is its biologic counterpart. With its focus…

Astraveus has launched and will use the $18 million in funding to advance development of its microfluidic CGT manufacturing platform. According to the Paris-based firm Astraveus, its Lakhesys cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing platform is “revolutionizing” the space. The platform uses deep process optimization as well as single-use, microfluidic bioprocessors to produce improved results with decreased inputs. The microfluidic bioprocessors mimic organ perfusion and significantly speed up the molecular interactions required to uphold and transform cells into potent therapeutic…

WestGene Biopharma, a two-year old mRNA company, completed a $42 million funding round to advance its portfolio of tumor treatment vaccines in China and global trials. The Chengdu, China-based company has started trials of its EBV-positive tumor mRNA therapeutic vaccine (EBV-mRNA) and liver cancer mRNA therapeutic vaccine (HBV-mRNA). WestGene was also singled out for its disruptive technology in a China competition. In addition, the company’s novel adjuvant was adopted for an XBB Covid-19 vaccine, which is now approved. Earlier this…

Ultragenyx has opened a manufacturing facility in Bedford, Massachusetts to support “one of the largest advanced clinical gene therapy portfolios in the industry.” Around 150 jobs will be created at the 110,000 square-foot facility, which is located close to Ultragenyx’s research and development operations in the Greater Boston area. “In terms of capacity, our equipment is capable of producing adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapies at the 2,000-liter scale and can currently run up to 30 batches per year,” Dennis Huang,…

The lack of standardized methods for new modalities means open discussions with advanced therapy clients are critical, says Charles River amid spiraling testing demand. Despite a slow start for the year, biologics testing is on the up for Charles River Laboratories. The life sciences services firm this month announced plans to set up shop at Wheeler Bio’s plant in Oklahoma, and at the recent BIO event in Boston spoke about a barrage of demand from advanced therapy makers. Referencing viral…