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June 20, 2017

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Today's Rundown

  1. R&D costs growing, Roche shines and Novo high for ROI: It’s the EP report

  2. Parexel to go private in $5B Pamplona Capital buyout deal

  3. Merck Ventures, CRUK launch new immuno-oncology spinout biotech iOnctura

  4. [Sponsored] PAREXEL’s Connected Journey™ of Data-Driven Services

  5. Cell Medica buys clinical-phase WT1-TCR cell therapy

  6. Novartis' longer-acting AMD drug matches archrival Eylea in phase 3 trials

  7. Ionis’ Akcea closes in on $125M IPO to fund phase 3 trials

  8. Anti-PCSK9 vaccine lowers cholesterol, atherosclerosis in mice

Featured Story

R&D costs growing, Roche shines and Novo high for ROI: It’s the EP report

EvaluatePharma says spending on global pharma research will hit $181 billion in five years as Roche, AbbVie and AstraZeneca are seen as having some of the biggest potential pipeline medications.

Top Stories

Parexel to go private in $5B Pamplona Capital buyout deal

After growing rumors this week, Parexel has become the latest CRO to be bought up as the industry continues its M&A bonanza.

Merck Ventures, CRUK launch new immuno-oncology spinout biotech iOnctura

German Merck, fresh off it and partner Pfizer’s FDA approval for their checkpoint inhibitor Bavencio, and R&D charity CRUK are coming together to launch a new IO-focused biotech.

[Sponsored] PAREXEL’s Connected Journey™ of Data-Driven Services

How PAREXEL's New Ecosystem of Technology, Processes and Expertise is Transforming Drug Development

Cell Medica buys clinical-phase WT1-TCR cell therapy

Cell Medica has bought Catapult Therapy TCR for its clinical-phase WT1 T-cell receptor (TCR) cell therapy. Catapult Therapy TCR developed the therapy as a treatment for blood cancers, but Cell Medica thinks it can retool it to take out solid tumors.

Novartis' longer-acting AMD drug matches archrival Eylea in phase 3 trials

Filings for brolucizumab are expected next year, with analysts at Jefferies predicting $2 billion in peak sales for the drug.

Ionis’ Akcea closes in on $125M IPO to fund phase 3 trials

Akcea Therapeutics is closing in on an IPO expected to gross in the region of $125 million. The Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ lipid disorder subsidiary plans to spend most of the money on the generation of phase 3 data to support the approval of volanesorsen in two indications.

Anti-PCSK9 vaccine lowers cholesterol, atherosclerosis in mice

The quest to inhibit the cholesterol-related enzyme PCSK9 has produced two high-profile drugs and a massive patent battle between their makers. Now a group of scientists in Europe, along with the biotech company Affiris, are proposing a different way to inhibit PCSK9—with a vaccine that they say showed promising results in mice.

News of Note

Genentech and Gilead veteran Ramona Doyle, M.D., has become the new chief medical officer at antifibrotic biotech Blade Therapeutics. Statement

Cancer and autoimmune biotech Argenx has got the second of two preclinical biobucks milestone payments under its deal with Leo Pharma. Release

BlackThorn Therapeutics has been awarded a new grant, potentially worth up to $8 million, from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke out of the NIH to support the company's development of kappa opioid receptor antagonists. Statement

Resources

[Whitepaper] Enable better radiation therapy study results

Discover the factors that contribute to differential radiation sensitivity between the Rag2 and SCID models.

[Webinar] Going Digital: Connecting Submission Documents and Regulatory Data

Hear three innovative leaders explain how regulatory can “go digital” in their operations by leveraging the data-handling capabilities in their RIM systems.

[Webinar] Outsourcing complex microsurgeries – is it worth the risk?

Performing a sophisticated surgery to create a myocardial infarction model. Join us on June 7th at 11:00 AM EDT.

[Webinar] Within-Subject Clinical Trials: Intro to New Methods & Stat. Models

In this webinar, we will introduce the rapidly-evolving within-subject clinical trial (WSCT) methods for early phase evidence generation that require fewer people, less time, and usually less funding than traditional early phase methods.

[Webinar] Leveraging Medical Insights for Better Healthcare Engagement

Join this global webinar to learn a new approach for demonstrating medical affairs' impact with better metrics - beyond reach and frequency, enabling launch success and better engagement with strategic KOL insights, and increasing your organization's share of voice in the healthcare landscape.

[Whitepaper] The Paperless Future of Healthcare and Life Sciences

DocuSign’s eSignature solutions modernize healthcare and life science organizations by eliminating paper and antiquated signature processes while meeting compliance requirements and reducing costs and errors.

[Whitepaper] DocuSign Life Sciences eBook: Reducing Cycle Time with Digital Transaction Management

The patients who rely on your scientific leadership are expecting more.

[Whitepaper] Streamline Regulatory Compliance in Life Sciences with Digital Transaction Management

The U.S. Department of Justice has collected upwards of $17 billion in settlements from the healthcare industry since 2009, including more than $2 billion from a single life sciences company.

Events

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