PHARMA TECH
WuXi AppTec | August 12, 2022
WuXi Advanced Therapies a wholly owned subsidiary of WuXi AppTec, announced a licensing agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Under this agreement, WuXi ATU will license to Janssen its TESSA™ technology, a high-performance system that can produce 10 times more adeno-associated viral vectors than traditional AAV manufacturing systems. Janssen will also have access to work on WuXi ATU's proprietary clonal suspension HEK293 cell line. This agreement was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
AAV vectors are commonly used for the delivery of gene therapies to patients due to their ability to transduce numerous cell and tissue types. WuXi ATU's TESSA™ technology responds to industry demand for large scale AAV manufacturing by producing higher quality AAV particles more efficiently. WuXi ATU has also successfully scaled up the TESSA™ technology to 200L; this achieved a 10-fold higher yield and a significantly higher percentage of full AAV capsids, greatly reducing overall AAV production costs compared to traditional plasmid-based AAV production systems.
"We are honored that Janssen selected WuXi ATU's TESSA™ technology. We remain committed to improving the TESSA™ platform to produce faster and more cost-effective AAV products for patients."
Dr. David Chang, Chief Executive Officer of WuXi Advanced Therapies
As a Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization with global operations, WuXi ATU will continue to enhance its capability and capacity to help customers develop and deliver life-changing cell and gene therapies faster for patients in need.
About WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU)
As the advanced therapies business unit of WuXi AppTec, WuXi Advanced Therapies is a Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CTDMO) that offers integrated platforms to transform the discovery, development, testing, manufacturing, and commercialization of cell and gene therapies. Our services and solutions accelerate time to market and support customer programs around the world.
About WuXi AppTec
As a global company with operations across Asia, Europe, and North America, WuXi AppTec provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable global pharmaceutical and healthcare industry to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients. Through its unique business models, WuXi AppTec's integrated, end-to-end services include chemistry drug CRDMO (Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization), biology discovery, preclinical testing and clinical research services, cell and gene therapies CTDMO (Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization), helping customers improve the productivity of advancing healthcare products through cost-effective and efficient solutions. WuXi AppTec received AA ESG rating from MSCI in 2021 and its open-access platform is enabling more than 5,850 collaborators from over 30 countries to improve the health of those in need – and to realize the vision that "every drug can be made and every disease can be treated."
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS
invoX Pharma Limited | August 05, 2022
invoX Pharma Limited a wholly owned subsidiary of Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited focused on research and development and business development activities outside of China, and F-star Therapeutics, Inc. a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering bispecifics in immunotherapy so more people with cancer can live longer and improved lives, today announced that invoX has extended the expiration of its previously announced tender offer for all of the issued and outstanding shares of F-star common stock for a price of $7.12 per share. The tender offer is now scheduled to expire at 05:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on September 19, 2022, unless it is further extended. The tender offer was previously scheduled to expire at one minute after 11:59 P.M., Eastern time, on August 3, 2022.
The tender offer is being extended in order to allow additional time for the satisfaction of the regulatory conditions to the offer. The depositary for the tender offer has advised invoX that as of the previous expiration time there were validly tendered and not withdrawn a total of approximately 13,026,582 shares of F-star common stock, and approximately 2,704,867 shares of F-star common stock tendered pursuant to a notice of guaranteed delivery.
All terms and conditions of the tender offer remain unchanged during the extension period. F-star shareholders who have already tendered their shares do not have to re-tender their shares or take any other action as a result of the extension. Complete terms and conditions of the tender offer are set forth in the Offer to Purchase, Letter of Transmittal and other related materials, which have been filed by invoX with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 7, 2022, as amended. In addition, F-star filed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC on July 7, 2022, as amended, which includes, among other things, the recommendation of F-star’s board of directors that F-star stockholders tender all of their shares in the tender offer.
The Information Agent for the tender offer is Innisfree M&A Incorporated. The Depositary and Paying Agent for the tender offer is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. For all questions relating to the tender offer, please call the Information Agent, Innisfree M&A Incorporated toll-free at (888) 750-5830; banks and brokers may call collect at (212) 750-5833.
About invoX
invoX was incorporated in March 2021 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sino Biopharm, a global top 40 pharmaceutical company with more than 24,000 employees. United Kingdom-based invoX is Sino Biopharm’s international expansion platform, focusing on R&D and business development activities outside of China, with a core focus on oncology and respiratory therapeutics. At its core, invoX aspires to improve patients’ lives by creating access to innovative medicine.
About Sino Biopharm
Sino Biopharm, together with its subsidiaries, is a leading, innovative research and development driven pharmaceutical conglomerate in China, with a business scope that is vertically integrated including research and development, manufacturing and sales and marketing infrastructure. Sino Biopharm’s product offerings include a variety of biologics and small molecule drugs, and in therapy areas that include hepatology, oncology, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, orthopaedics, digestive and immune and respiratory diseases.
About F-star
F-star is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering bispecifics in immunotherapy so more people with cancer can live longer and have improved lives. F-star is committed to working towards a future free from cancer and other serious diseases, through the use of tetravalent (2+2) bispecific antibodies to create a paradigm shift in treatments. F-star has four second-generation immuno-oncology therapeutics in the clinic, each directed against some of the most promising immuno-oncology targets in drug development, including LAG-3 and CD137. F-star’s proprietary antibody discovery platform is protected by an extensive intellectual property estate. F-star has over 500 granted patents and pending patent applications relating to its platform technology and product pipeline. F-star has attracted multiple partnerships with biopharma targeting significant unmet needs across several disease areas, including oncology, immunology, and CNS.
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PHARMACY MARKET
Eyenovia | September 06, 2022
Eyenovia, Inc. an ophthalmic pharmaceutical technology company developing a pipeline of microdose array print therapeutics, brings human-centric design to ophthalmology with its novel Optejet® dispenser.
Traditional eye drops normally overdose the patient's eye with medication and preservatives. Eyenovia's easy-to-use, novel Optejet® dispenser administers precisely 8µL of medication to the eye, effectively treating the patient's condition while creating a more gentle dosing experience.
"The unique delivery mechanism of the Optejet® will fundamentally change how we think about eye medication. Right now, traditional eye drops can result in significant dose-related side effects for the treatment of chronic illnesses like glaucoma. The Optejet® dispenser is designed for patients to experience easier administration and fewer side effects with similar efficacy."
Michael Rowe, CEO of Eyenovia
The Optejet® dispenser administers ophthalmic solutions horizontally using Eyenovia's proprietary Microdose Array Print (MAP™) technology. The system functions similar to an inkjet printer, delivering accurate microdoses through a precision spray. Traditional eye drops deliver four to five times larger volume than the human eye can actually hold, which causes eye drops to roll down the face and overdose the eye with preservatives.
Poor delivery of eye drops is more than an inconvenience; it can prevent patients from using necessary medication because of the side effects. For example, with medication to help dilate the pupils for eye exams, up to 23% of patients experienced stinging and burning with the eye drops, causing patients to forgo eye exams. In Eyenovia studies, less than 1% of patients experienced stinging and burning.
"Medications only work if patients take them, and with the Optejet, we have designed a way for patients to benefit from an easy-to-use, appropriate, lower dose spray that results in similar efficacy. We're excited for physicians and providers to be able to offer this revolutionary technology in the near future to patients who deserve a more positive experience," said Rowe.
Eyenovia's first marketed invention is expected to be MydCombi™, a first-in-class drug-device combination microdose for in-office pupil dilation. This potentially will help save physician's chair time, eliminating the traditional three eyedrops used for a patient's eye exam. Other exciting innovations in the Eyenovia pipeline include MicroLine and MicroPine.
About Eyenovia, Inc.
Eyenovia, Inc. is an ophthalmic pharmaceutical technology company developing a pipeline of microdose array print therapeutics. Eyenovia is currently focused on the late-stage development of microdosed medications for mydriasis, presbyopia, and myopia progression.
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