Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly EuroBiotech Report. We start with two stories about Sanofi, which got the week going by paying €120 million ($126 million) upfront and committing to up to €495 million more for a piece of AstraZeneca’s respiratory syncytial virus monoclonal antibody. Sanofi then followed up with fresh data on its Regeneron-partnered atopic dermatitis drug dupilumab, which impressed once again in the weeks before its PDUFA date. Nonprofit Parkinson’s UK joined with the University of Sheffield to create a single-asset virtual biotech. Bioversys tapped Aptuit to support its hunt for novel targets and drugs against Gram-negative bacteria. Horizon Discovery bought the right to evaluate Amplycell’s cell line optimization technology. And more.—Nick Taylor
1. Sanofi pays €120M to buy into AstraZeneca RSV program
Sanofi has paid €120 million ($126 million) upfront and committed to up to €495 million more for a stake in AstraZeneca’s experimental monoclonal antibody against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The agreement will see Sanofi and AstraZeneca equally share costs and profits for a phase 2b asset with the potential to immunize infants against a virus that kills 160,000 children a year.
2. Sanofi, Regeneron post more positive dupilumab data
Sanofi and Regeneron have taken a deeper dive into phase 3 data on hotly tipped atopic dermatitis drug dupilumab. The fresh results further burnish the credentials of an asset that is up for review at FDA this month.
3. Parkinson’s nonprofit founds virtual single-asset biotech
Nonprofit Parkinson’s UK has teamed up with the University of Sheffield to create a virtual biotech. The single-asset startup will work with service providers to advance an Nrf2 inhibitor toward the clinic.
4. Bioversys, Aptuit team up to find novel antibiotic targets
Bioversys has enlisted Aptuit to support its efforts to identify and validate novel targets and drugs against Gram-negative bacteria. GlaxoSmithKline collaborator Bioversys is looking to Aptuit for drug discovery capabilities to support its own approach to overcoming antibiotic resistance.
5. Horizon taps Amplycell for cell line optimization tech
Horizon Discovery has struck a deal to evaluate cell line optimization technology developed by Amplycell. The agreement will see Horizon pay an undisclosed upfront fee to evaluate the effect of the Amplycell technology on its glutamine synthetase (GS) null CHO K1 cell line.