Private Company Edition: The industry raised $28bn in venture capital through the third quarter, breaking the record $27.4bn raised last year. Also, big pharmas backed a start-up lab in Israel, plus mega-rounds for CinCor Pharma ($143m) and Rectify Pharmaceuticals ($100m), while Cerecin raises $40m.

Appili brings in AiPharma to help with US/Canadian development of Fujifilm’s potential COVID-19 preventative/therapeutic. Other recent tie-ups include CinFina/Janssen, Bone/Impant, Bayer/Gubra, Novartis/Theragnostics, Grifols/Biotest and more.

BioFactura, which is already using its ‘StableFast’ technology platform to develop its biosimilar ustekinumab candidate, has allied with fellow US-based biotech Rani Therapeutics to see if the biologic can be formulated into Rani’s proprietary ‘robotic’ pill.

Dr Reddy’s is to press ahead with India filing plans for single-dose COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik Light and also expects to “build on” the Russian partner’s trial in adolescents of the two-dose Sputnik V. The company also pilots a partnered first-of-its-kind cashless digital health offering.