Sweden-based Kancera hopes to advance its investigative anti-inflammation drug in a Phase II trial to treat severe COVID-19 patients and then build its applications from there.

Sweden’s Calliditas plans a US IPO to better position itself ahead of this year’s pivotal readout of its orphan drug Nefecon in inflammatory renal disease IgA nephropathy.

Oculis’s eyedrop OCS-01 showed high efficacy treating post-cataract inflammation in front of the eye, adding to its effective use in back-of-the-eye conditions.

Prospects have improved for ViiV’s long-acting, injectable cabotegravir to be approved early for HIV prevention after a Phase III trial was stopped early due to efficacy.

Swedish biotech Affibody hopes an R&D alliance with China-based Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals will speed development of its lead compound for auto-immune diseases.

Abivax will test its anti-inflammatory ABX464 in early COVID-19 patients after the small molecule showed it could reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral replication in human lung tissue in addition to its anti-inflammatory and tissue-healing effects.