The Weekly Roundup newsletter curates the top five - deals, pipeline, funding, and news from the past week.

The complete list is available here: Industry Updates

🤝Deals and Collaborations

1️⃣ Biotech companies CohBar and Morphogenesis have agreed to merge to form a new company called TuHURA Biosciences. The combined company will advance an immuno-oncology pipeline consisting of a personalized cancer vaccine platform and preclinical therapies aimed at modifying the tumor microenvironment to overcome resistance to cancer immunotherapy. //Read more

2️⃣ Pyxis Oncology acquires clinical-stage biopharma company Apexigen for $16 million. This expands Pyxis' antibody-drug conjugate platform and clinical pipeline into Phase 2 studies for select solid tumor types while maintaining a cash runway into 2025. //Read more

3️⃣ ClearPoint Neuro, a developer of platforms for brain navigation and delivery, enters a licensing deal with UCB to apply its technology for UCB's CNS gene therapy portfolio. //Read more

4️⃣ ABL, a CDMO, secured a 7-year, $98.9 million contract from the National Institutes of Health to manufacture non-vaccine HIV prevention products like intravaginal rings and long-acting injections aimed at preventing STIs, HIV, and pregnancy for pediatric use. //Read more

5️⃣ HanAll Biopharma and Daewoong Pharmaceutical will partner with NurrOn to jointly develop ATH-399A, a candidate for treating Parkinson's disease, and other candidates for neurodegenerative diseases using NurrOn's platform. //Read more

⏫ Pipeline and Approvals

1️⃣ Critical care: The FDA approved Opvee nalmefene hydrochloride nasal spray from Opiant Pharmaceuticals for the emergency treatment of opioid overdose in adults and adolescents 12 years and older, adding a second approved nasal spray option to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses. //Explore further

2️⃣ Anti-infective: The FDA approved XACDURO, sulbactam and durlobactam co-packaged for IV use from Innoviva Specialty Therapeutics, for treating hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Acinetobacter in adults, providing the first targeted therapy for infections by the resistant pathogen. //Explore further

3️⃣ Autoimmune: Celltrion obtained FDA approval for Yuflyma, its citrate-free, high concentration adalimumab biosimilar, allowing US launch in July to target Humira's $21.2 billion market, over 87% of which comes from the US. Yuflyma aims for an early leading position as an adalimumab biosimilar. //Explore further

4️⃣ Cardiology: The FDA approved Lexicon Pharmaceuticals' oral drug Inpefa (sotagliflozin), for treating heart failure in adults with and without type 2 diabetes, marking the first FDA approval for the company. The drug aims to address the large unmet need in heart failure patients with and without diabetes. //Explore further

5️⃣ Oncology: Daiichi Sankyo's Vanflyta (quizartinib) was approved in Japan to treat newly diagnosed FLT3-ITD positive acute myeloid leukemia in combination with chemotherapy and as maintenance monotherapy, becoming the first FLT3 inhibitor in Japan approved for newly diagnosed AML based on QuANTUM-First trial data showing improved survival. //Explore further

💰 Funding

1️⃣ ReNAgade Therapeutics launches with over $300 million in Series A funding to develop platforms enabling targeted delivery of RNA medicines to previously inaccessible tissues and cells, expanding the potential for RNA therapeutics. //Learn more

2️⃣ Larkspur Biosciences launched with $35.5 million in financing to develop precision immuno-oncology therapies targeting cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment through lipid remodeling and Pin1 inhibition, advancing lead programs toward IND-enabling studies. //Learn more

3️⃣ TISSIUM secured €50 million in Series D funding to commercialize its first products in hernia and nerve repair as well as expand its product pipeline and platform utilizing its tissue regeneration technology. //Learn more

4️⃣ RedDress secured $26 million in funding to commercialize and expand its platform that utilizes patients' own blood to heal wounds. The funding will support increased product adoption, global partnerships, and expanding the technology to treat more conditions. //Learn more

5️⃣ ElevateBio secured a $401 million series D round to expand its multiple in-house R&D platforms in iPS cells, RNA/cell/protein engineering, gene editing, and manufacturing capabilities to enhance its cell and gene therapy development business. //Learn more

📰 Interesting News

1️⃣ A new study found stem cells located in the bulge region of hair follicles generate melanocyte stem cells that either mature into melanin-producing cells or remain stem cells, providing insights into the mechanisms behind hair graying. //Find out more

2️⃣ Korean biotechs set for busy BIO 2023:

Axceso, TiUM Bio, YiPSCELL, ABL Bio, AbClon, NeoImmuneTech, Eutilex, ViGencell, Alteogen, PharmAbcine, MedPacto, Genome &Company, Olix, BridgeBio, Aptamer Sciences, AptaBio, AprilBio, Peptron, Rudacure, Youth Bio Global and Aston Sci among numerous Korean biotechs and drug developers attending BIO 2023 to showcase pipelines, license technologies and seek partners. //Find out more

3️⃣ A study found that taking a multivitamin supplement improved memory function in older adults, supporting the role of nutrition in optimizing brain health with age. Researchers did not determine if any specific vitamin drove the memory benefits. //Find out more

4️⃣ Though still a small fraction of insurance claims, cell, and gene therapies are expanding from later-line cancer treatments to earlier use which insurers are preparing for. Physicians are interested in cell therapies as earlier interventions for a wider range of conditions. //Find out more

5️⃣ A study discovered a compound, named 1938, that activates an enzyme to help repair nerve damage, showing potential to help paralysis patients. In previous research, the compound protected against heart damage by activating the same enzyme. //Find out more