AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca moved to bolster the company’s COVID-19 portfolio of antibodies on May 17 with a $157 million licensing deal for experimental therapies developed by newly launched biotech RQ Bio.

Pfizer Inc.’s $11.6 billion deal for migraine specialist Biohaven Pharmaceutical has kindled expectations on Wall Street that the transaction may usher in more buyouts as cash-flush drugmakers look to snap up beaten-down smaller biotechs.

Gilead Sciences Inc. announced that first-quarter 2022 revenue rose 3 percent, helped by sales of the HIV drug Biktarvy and the COVID antiviral Veklury, but reported a net loss as the biotech company wrote down the value of its 2020 acquisition of Immunomedics following recent trial results for the cancer medicine Trodelvy.

Relevate Health solidified the healthcare marketing agency’s position as a market leader in healthcare professional (HCP) omnichannel engagement with the acquisition of Dallas-based ConneXion360. With this acquisition, Relevate Health now provides its omnichannel solutions and agency services to more than 185 brands from 90 pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device manufacturers, as well as 24 hospital systems.

After producing vaccines and treatments for acute COVID-19 in record time, researchers and drugmakers are turning to finding a cure for long COVID, a more elusive target marked by hundreds of different symptoms afflicting millions of people.

Atlas Venture successfully raised $450 million at the close of the venture capital firm’s thirteenth fundraising activity to support efforts to create and invest in new biotech firms that address many unmet patient needs. 

More than 400 leaders within the pharmaceutical and biotech industries signed an open letter condemning the invasion of Ukraine and calling for “economic disengagement” from Russia.

Maryland’s life sciences ecosystem has become a key hub along the eastern shore of the United States due to its position in infectious disease research and vaccine development and manufacturing. While the state saw an infusion of billions of dollars in government financing in the development of vaccines, Maryland’s Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit, is a tool that has been used to attract venture capital funding in the state.

Novavax

Novavax Inc. said on February 10 the company’s two-dose vaccine was 80% effective against COVID-19 in a late-stage trial testing the shot in teens aged 12 to 17 years.

Over the past six months, the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index has declined more than 20%. Some of the falling prices appear to be due to some investors losing interest in many companies that soared into favor during the COVID-19 pandemic. And these companies that have seen declining investor interest are now struggling to raise finances, according to BioSpace