ExeVir Bio has begun a Phase Ib study of its neutralizing antibody XVR011, NRx Pharmaceuticals has reported promising results with aviptadil in improving lung function, and Meletios Therapeutics has raised funds to further the development of an antiviral that acts on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and infected host cells.

Private Company Edition: Venture capital mega-rounds continue a brisk pace with machine learning-based drug discovery firm insitro and gene therapy developer Graphite Bio among recent $100m-plus deals. Also, Argobio raised €50m to fund five start-ups in Europe. 

In this latest installment of VC Playbook, Chris Buyse – former chief financial officer of ThromboGenics – talks to In Vivo about the lessons he has learned from a career as a financial executive in the life sciences and his current venture, Fund+, a Belgian-based investment group focused on innovative companies primarily active in therapeutics R&D.

The UK BioIndustry Association has welcomed the government’s fresh investment in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity, while Sanofi and GSK are striking European and US deals for their vaccine candidate. A number of potential therapies are also being developed, including products based on interferon and hyperimmune globulin, but Roche/Chugai’s Actemra (tocilizumab) looks like a non-runner.