Deal Snapshot: Santhera acquires all rights to vamorolone from Idorsia, making it ReveraGen’s direct partner on the novel Duchenne muscular dystrophy therapy.

Emerging Company Profile: Turning to gene therapy after its dry eye drug didn’t work out, Ocugen hopes to overcome financial challenges to bring a gene therapy into the clinic for numerous mutations of RP.

Private Company Edition: The average exit from biopharma investments rose from $356.8m in 2019 to $520.6m in 2020, explaining the staggering $12bn invested in the industry during the first half of this year versus $17bn for all of last year. In recent VC deals, VelosBio’s $137m series B was the largest. 

The Swiss biotech will be hoping that the improved daytime functioning seen with daridorexant in trials will allow the drug to complete in the DORA class led by Merck & Co's Belsomra and Eisai's Dayvigo.