BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMACY MARKET
Envision Pharma Group | February 10, 2023
Envision Pharma Group (Envision), a leading evidence-based communication services and industry-leading technology solutions provider serving biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies recently announced the acquisition of OKRA.ai, a leading technology company active in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for commercialization, medical, real-world evidence and data analytics, and pricing for the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries.
OKRA.ai's AI products and solutions transform enormous scientific, clinical, and commercial data sets into actionable insights for customers in the health sciences industry, empowering decision-making and driving action.
Dr. Loubna Bouarfa, the founder of OKRA.ai, will join the Executive Leadership Team of Envision. Loubna recently received the renowned Deloitte Fast 50 Women in Leadership Award as well as the Forbes 50 Top Women in Tech.
OKRA.ai has offices in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and employs around 30 people. With the purchase of OKRA.ai, Envision Pharma Group will have over 1,400 employees spread across four continents.
Envision Pharma Group's CEO Meg Heim commented, "We are delighted to welcome OKRA.ai into the Envision Pharma Group family." She added, "The acquisition of OKRA.ai marks an exciting milestone in Envision's evolution as we continue to accelerate and deliver a compelling combination of technology-enabled capabilities and solutions to clients. The combination of Envision's leading technology, capabilities, and solutions with OKRA.ai's artificial intelligence solutions and expertise enables us to strengthen our offerings to clients across the product life cycle, but more importantly, support patients in their journey to health and wellness."
(Source – Globe Newswire)
About Envision Pharma Group
Founded in 2001, Envision is a leading evidence-based communication service and industry-leading technology solutions provider serving biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies. It works with over 200 pharmaceutical and biotech firms, including 18 of the top 20 pharmaceutical firms. The company began by reinventing how biopharma companies managed their global data communications programs by leveraging smart technology and best-in-class publication planning. It has since grown to become a leading provider of healthcare communications services and medical affairs technology solutions. It assists clients throughout the pharmaceutical product lifecycle, establishing solid partnerships and gaining client trust in purpose-built solutions.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMACY MARKET
Caris Life Sciences and Xencor | January 06, 2023
Caris Life Sciences®, a molecular science and technology company, and Xencor, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, have announced that they will work more closely together to research, develop, and sell new bispecific and multispecific XmAb® antibodies.
This expanded relationship will boost the number of targets and cancer types that Caris will investigate with Caris Discovery, a proprietary multi-omics discovery engine platform. The foundation for drug candidate development on Xencor's XmAb platform will be novel targets and their accompanying validation packages.
Under the terms of the new contract, Xencor will receive worldwide commercial rights to study, develop, and market products aimed at up to three targets discovered through collaboration. In addition, Caris will get an upfront payment and may receive up to $187 million in commercial milestone payments and development. The company will also be eligible for royalties on the net sales of products commercialized as a result of the agreement, as well as future rights for molecular profiling and companion diagnostics.
Caris Discovery leverages the collective force of its unmatched platform by combining the data generated from the primary patient tissues' molecular interrogation using ADAPT™, which integrates the company's extensive catalog of molecular and clinical data.
About Caris Life Sciences
Caris Life Sciences® is a Texas-based molecular science firm revolutionizing healthcare. Its market-leading molecular profiling products analyze DNA, RNA, and proteins to produce a molecular blueprint. This plan shows how patients, doctors, and researchers can use the information to improve outcomes and save lives. The company also uses cutting-edge algorithms for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to improve precision medicine.
About Xencor
Xencor develops modified antibodies and cytokines for cancer and autoimmune illnesses. More than 20 XmAb® candidates are in clinical development while three are sold by partners. The company’s XmAb technology modifies protein structures to create new therapeutic pathways.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals | February 28, 2023
On February 27, 2023, EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading pharmaceutical firm committed to the development and commercialization of therapeutics to help improve the lives of patients with severe eye disorders and Rallybio Corporation, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to identifying and accelerating the development of life-transforming therapeutics for patients with severe and rare diseases, announced a research collaboration to explore the sustained delivery of Rallybio's complement component 5 (C5) inhibitor for the treatment of geographic atrophy, an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration that can cause irreversible vision loss. The research will use EyePoint's proprietary Durasert® technology, which is designed for sustained intraocular drug delivery.
Approximately one million individuals in the United States suffer from geographic atrophy, which is characterized by atrophic lesions in the central region of the macula. Geographic atrophy can cause irreversible vision loss and can lead to legal blindness. Currently, geographic atrophy treatments are limited in choice and duration of action, leaving a significant unmet need for safe and effective treatment options.
Under the terms of the research partnership, EyePoint and Rallybio will assess and explore the viability of utilizing Rallybio's C5 inhibitor in EyePoint's Durasert technology, with the intention to increase the collaboration upon mutual agreement following the evaluation.
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals' M.D., President and Chief Operating Officer Jay Duker commented, "We are excited to begin this research collaboration to explore the combination of Rallybio's C5 inhibitor with our bioerodible Durasert sustained release drug delivery technology to develop a potential long-acting treatment for geographic atrophy," He further emphasized, "Geographic atrophy associated with dry macular degeneration is a devastating eye disease, and the inhibition of complement is a proven treatment pathway. We hope to leverage our Durasert technology in this collaboration to create a potential best-in-class, long-acting intravitreal insert, which we believe could provide a more desirable option for patients given that the existing approved therapy is injected every one to two months."
(Source – Business Wire)
About EyePoint Pharmaceuticals
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals is a leading pharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes therapeutic products to help patients suffering from serious eye disorders. Headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, it is committed to using its innovative drug delivery platform to improve patients' quality of life. The company's pipeline utilizes its proprietary Durasert technology, which enables sustained intraocular drug delivery. Its current pipeline includes EYP-1901, a potential six-month intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment aimed at treating wet age-related macular degeneration. Durasert technology has been successfully used across four FDA-approved products, including YUTIQ®, which treats chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye.
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