Pharma moves Phase III-ready antibody to prevent pneumonia to Aridis, licenses preclinical STING inhibitors from F-star. Sanofi teams with SRI on AI-directed discovery, Biogen licenses BTK inhibitor from InnoCare.

Public Company Edition: Mergers with special purpose acquisition corporations may be heating up, but in addition to the Surrozen and Tango SPAC deals Recursion and Biomea launched initial public offerings. Also, Organon sells $5.6bn worth of notes to fund spinout from Merck & Co.

Entyvio strong again for Japanese firm as it raises net profit forecast on lower tax costs. Meanwhile, 'Wave 1' pipeline projects are progressing, with simultaneous development in major markets a key goal. 

Private Company Edition: The pre-J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference financing news deluge during the first week of 2021 included several significant venture capital deals, including a $226m series B round for Affinivax, Ikena’s $120m series B round and an $88m series A round for Aro.