Repeat antibiotic entrepreneurs raised $33m to launch Qpex with assets from The Medicines Co. Also, Taiho increases VC fund to $300m and TP Therapeutics raises $80m.

Lupin’s rare disease drug, NaMuscla, has been recommended for marketing authorization in Europe – a key milestone for the firm as it shapes its play in the specialty segment. The company may consider taking NaMuscla to other markets such as Japan as well and also add assets to its neuroscience portfolio.

The US FDA cleared Sanofi/Regeneron's IL-4/IL-13 inhibitor for moderate-to-severe asthma in patients with an eosinophilic phenotype or with oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma, a broader label than AstraZeneca's Fasenra, GSK's Nucala and Teva's Cinqair.

Already partnered with Oxford Nanopore through its acquisition of deCODE Genetics, Amgen invests in the UK biotech to enhance its genomic capabilities. Aclaris licenses dermatology product Rhofade from Allergan. Other recent licensing and alliance deals... 

Once expected to be absorbed by Sanofi, US biotech Warp Drive Bio now will become part of California’s Revolution Medicines in a stock transaction. Sosei elects against its option to acquire MiNA Therapeutics; MeiraGTX follows its June IPO with takeout of Vector Neurosciences. Other recent mergers and acquisitions... 

A positive opinion in the EU for Shire's Takhzyro and a favorable US advisory committee vote for prucalopride are incremental positives for Takeda's planned acquisition, on which shareholders are likely to vote in the coming weeks.

A positive opinion in the EU for Shire's Takhzyro and a favorable US advisory committee vote for prucalopride are incremental positives for Takeda's planned acquisition, on which shareholders are likely to vote in the coming weeks.

Vertex’s portfolio-based access deal in Denmark will give patients quicker access to a range of cystic fibrosis drugs and give budget predictability to the company and government.

Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

Clinicians and analysts have lauded spectacular results presented at ESMO from the SOLO-1 trial which strongly suggest that AstraZeneca's Lynparza should be the first-line maintenance treatment of choice for ovarian cancer patients with a BRCA mutation.

After years of industry unsuccessfully trying to find an oral version of the successful I.V. integrin inhibitors, Morphic has a prolific platform – and AbbVie is paying $100m up front for preclinical oral integrin inhibitors for fibrosis indications, potentially including NASH.