BUSINESS INSIGHTS
Spotlight Therapeutics | July 18, 2022
Spotlight Therapeutics, Inc. a biotechnology company applying new insights to develop cell-targeted in vivo CRISPR gene editing biologics, announced the appointment of Antoine Yver, M.D., M.Sc. to the Spotlight Board of Directors. Trained as an oncologist and immunologist, Dr. Yver’s extensive industry experience and perceptive acumen will be extremely valuable as Spotlight continues to strengthen its highly differentiated TAGE platform and advance lead therapeutic candidates towards the clinic.
“We are thrilled to welcome Antoine to Spotlight’s Board of Directors. Few people in our industry enjoy such a remarkable track record of successful drug development, exercising extreme rigor in following the science to deliver practice-changing medicines that serve patients with significant unmet medical needs.”
Mary Haak-Frendscho, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Spotlight
As Executive Vice President and Global Head of Oncology R&D at Daiichi Sankyo, Dr. Yver played a key role in the development of the new breakthrough cancer biologic, Enhertu®, that is redefining breast cancer treatment and promises to set a new standard of care, as well as other Daiichi Sankyo DXd ADCs. From 2009 to 2016, Dr. Yver held executive leadership positions at AstraZeneca, including SVP & Global Head of Oncology Development. Under his leadership, Tagrisso® and Lynparza® were successfully developed and commercialized for patients. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Dr. Yver held roles at Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Aventis and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer. Dr. Yver is Executive Vice President and Chairman of Development at Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc and currently serves as an Independent Director of the Board of Directors at Sanofi.
“I am delighted to join the Spotlight Board and support the mission to unlock the full potential of gene editing and enable effective single administration therapeutics for patients,” said Dr. Yver. “Spotlight’s biologics-based delivery approach has the potential to forge a new generation of cell-targeted in vivo CRISPR gene editing medicines across multiple therapeutic areas.”
“Antoine’s deep insights and vast global pharma experience will help propel Spotlight to becoming a clinical stage company,” said Craig Gordon, M.D., Spotlight board member, Founder, CEO, and CIO of GordonMD™ Global Investments. “We look forward to working together to impact the strategic decisions of the company that will ultimately provide benefit to patients.”
About Spotlight Therapeutics
Established in mid-2018, Spotlight Therapeutics is a privately held biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of cell-targeted in vivo CRISPR gene editing therapies. Spotlight's proprietary technology platform TAGE is a new class of biologics, CRISPR effectors engineered for direct delivery in vivo, to achieve cell-selective therapeutic genome editing. Spotlight's pipeline is advancing its modular programmable CRISPR effectors towards clinical studies in immuno-oncology, ophthalmic diseases and hemoglobinopathies.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS
ClinChoice | July 05, 2022
Recently, ClinChoice announced the successful completion of its $150 mm Series E round financing. The investment was led by Legend Capital, and co-invested by Taikang Life Insurance, Sherpa Healthcare Partners and existing shareholders, including Lilly Asia Ventures and Apricot Capital. Proceeds of the financing will be used to fund the Company's continued business expansion and innovative service offering worldwide.
Recently, ClinChoice announced the successful completion of its $150 mm Series E round financing. The investment was led by Legend Capital, and co-invested by Taikang Life Insurance, Sherpa Healthcare Partners and existing shareholders, including Lilly Asia Ventures and Apricot Capital. Proceeds of the financing will be used to fund the Company's continued business expansion and innovative service offering worldwide.
As a full service clinical-stage CRO, ClinChoice serves the global market by providing integrated one-stop clinical development services to emerging biopharmaceutical, medical device and consumer health clients around the world. ClinChoice has over 3000 employees worldwide covering most of drug development hotbeds in US, China, multiple countries in Europe and Southeast Asia. With over 25 years of high-quality services, ClinChoice has completed more than 1,000 Phase I-IV full-service clinical projects and supported over 100 innovative drug registrations, clinical design and development. ClinChoice strictly adheres to GCP and ICH standards and has developed robust SOPs recognized by more than 50 large multinational companies, all of which have passed multiple inspections and audits by major regulatory agencies around the world.
"We thank the investors for their trust in ClinChoice. This round of capital investment fully validates ClinChoice's rapid growth and future potential in the field of clinical CRO. With the new round of financing, we will further enhance our innovative service offering and continue business expansion by organic growth and M&A, in order to better serve our clients worldwide."
Global Chairman and CEO of ClinChoice, Mr. Ling ZHEN
Dr. Hongbin ZHOU, Co-Chief Investment Officer of Legend Capital, said, "We would like to express our gratitude for trusting in Legend Capital and we are excited to be part of ClinChoice, together with the Management Team and the existing shareholders, including Lilly Asia Ventures, Goldman Sachs. We are very positive on the growth outlook of the CRO industry. As a rapidly growing CRO, ClinChoice has built an excellent platform combining global expertise with deep knowhow across key local markets, to support innovation. Going forward, we will work closely with the management team to improve its existing business, attract industry talent and launch new strategic initiatives."
About ClinChoice
ClinChoice is a global clinical CRO, providing high-quality Integrated One-stop Service Offerings for new bio-pharmaceutical and medical device clients worldwide. Our Service Offerings cover Clinical Operation, Project Management, Biostatistics, Data Management, Biostatistical Programming, Regulatory Affairs, Medical Affairs, Feasibility Research, HGRAC Submission, Clinical Safety Management, Site Management Organization, Nature Medicine/Traditional Chinese Medicine and Phase I Clinical Research, etc. Now, ClinChoice has over 3,000 employees worldwide covering most of drug development hotbeds in US, China, multiple countries in Europe and Southeast Asia. Since its inception, ClinChoice has completed multiple rounds of financing, with investments from renowned institutional investors including Goldman Sachs, Lilly Asia Ventures, and DFJ Dragon Fund.
About Legend Capital
In April 2001, Legend Capital was established as a fund manager under Legend Holdings, focusing on the early-stage VC and growth-stage PE investment. Since its establishment, Legend Capital has been adhereing to internationally accepted standards to create best practices in fund management and operation. With a proven track record of more than 20 years, it now has full experience in fund management and operation and has built an extensive partner ecosystem across the entire investment chain.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS
TherapeuticsMD, Inc | June 01, 2022
TherapeuticsMD, Inc. an innovative, leading women’s healthcare company, announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of EW Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm dedicated to making investments in rapidly growing healthcare companies.
Under the terms of the transaction, which has been unanimously approved by TXMD’s board of directors, EW Healthcare Partners will commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of TXMD common stock for $10.00 per share in an all-cash transaction, followed immediately by a merger. The purchase price represents a premium of 367.3% over TherapeuticsMD’s closing share price on May 27, 2022.
“We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with EW Healthcare Partners. Together, we will continue empowering women of all ages through a therapeutic focus in family planning, reproductive health, and menopause management. We have a deep appreciation for EW Healthcare Partners’s depth of expertise and track record and know they will bring an incredible value of knowledge and strategic guidance.”
Hugh O’Dowd, Chief Executive Officer of TherapeuticsMD
EW Healthcare Partners is one of the largest and oldest private healthcare investment firms with over $4B of capital raised since its inception. EW Healthcare Partners has made investments in over 150 rapidly growing healthcare companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, and technology-enabled services sectors in the United States and in Europe.
“We are pleased to welcome TherapeuticsMD to the EW Healthcare Partners portfolio and are deeply committed to the Company's mission of advancing women’s health. EW Healthcare Partners has already made a significant investment in women’s health through its acquisition of Majorelle. TherapeuticsMD represents a unique opportunity for Majorelle to enter the US market and is a perfect fit with our ambitious plans to create a fast-growing, premier trans-Atlantic women’s health platform. We bring an extensive network and capital to fund the further growth of the combined company,” said Evis Hursever, Managing Director at EW Healthcare Partners.
“We look forward to working together with the company’s management team to enhance the patient experience, improve operational efficiency and create one of a very few trans-Atlantic specialty pharma companies dedicated to women’s health,” said Olivier Bohuon, Senior Adviser with EW Healthcare Partners and Chairman of Majorelle.
About TherapeuticsMD, Inc.
TherapeuticsMD, Inc. is an innovative, leading healthcare company, focused on developing and commercializing novel products exclusively for women. TherapeuticsMD’s products are designed to address the unique changes and challenges women experience through the various stages of their lives with a therapeutic focus in family planning, reproductive health, and menopause management. TherapeuticsMD is committed to advancing the health of women and championing awareness of their healthcare issues.
About EW Healthcare Partners (“EW”)
With over $4 billion raised since inception, EW Healthcare Partners is one of the largest and oldest private healthcare investment firms and seeks to make growth equity investments in fast growing commercial-stage healthcare companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, and technology-enabled services sectors in the United States and in Europe. Since its founding in 1985, EW Healthcare Partners has maintained its singular commitment to the healthcare industry and has been a long-term investor in over 150 healthcare companies, ranging across sectors, stages and geographies. The team is comprised of over 20 senior investment professionals with offices in New York, Houston and London.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS
Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. | May 17, 2022
Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address inflammatory, cancer and liver diseases, announced that its patent titled "An A3 Adenosine Receptor Ligand For Use In Treating Ectopic Fat Accumulation" has been granted by the Israel Patent Office.
This patent has been issued in approximately 40 countries and territories including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Mexico, and in the European Union. It addresses the use of the A3 Adenosine Receptor ligand, the target receptor for Can-Fite's drug platform technology, for the treatment of ectopic fat accumulation particularly in fatty liver as manifested in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The treatment of NASH is a market estimated to reach $35 billion by 2025.
Can-Fite is currently enrolling and treating patients in a Phase IIb NASH study of its liver drug candidate Namodenoson. The multi-center, randomized, double blind, and placebo controlled study of biopsy-confirmed NASH patients will measure efficacy periodically through biomarkers, with a primary efficacy endpoint determined by liver biopsy at the end of the treatment period. In a prior Phase IIa study, Namodenoson met endpoints including reduced liver fat content, anti-inflammatory effects, and decreased body weight with excellent safety.
“The treatment of NASH is an enormous unmet need that Can-Fite seeks to meet through our advanced stage clinical trial and our expanding patent estate for the use of our target A3AR in the treatment of fatty liver disease,”
Can-Fite CEO Dr. Pnina Fishman
About Namodenoson
Namodenoson is a small orally bioavailable drug that binds with high affinity and selectivity to the A3 adenosine receptor. Namodenoson is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase III trial as a second line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, and in a Phase IIb trial as a treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. A3AR is highly expressed in diseased cells whereas low expression is found in normal cells. This differential effect accounts for the excellent safety profile of the drug.
About Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd.
Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. is an advanced clinical stage drug development Company with a platform technology that is designed to address multi-billion dollar markets in the treatment of cancer, liver, and inflammatory disease. The Company's lead drug candidate, Piclidenoson has completed enrollment in a Phase III trial for psoriasis. Can-Fite's liver drug, Namodenoson, is being evaluated in a Phase IIb trial for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and enrollment is expected to commence in a Phase III trial for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. Namodenoson has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in the U.S. and Europe and Fast Track Designation as a second line treatment for HCC by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Namodenoson has also shown proof of concept to potentially treat other cancers including colon, prostate, and melanoma. CF602, the Company's third drug candidate, has shown efficacy in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. These drugs have an excellent safety profile with experience in over 1,500 patients in clinical studies to date.
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