Cerus Corporation (NSDQ:CERS) said today that it exercised $10.8 million in additional options from its contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority, a part of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. The funds will go towards in vitro pathogen inactivation and red blood cell […]
Funding Roundup
Bayer, Versant close $225m Series A to launch stem cell company
Bayer (ETR:BAYN) and Versant Ventures said today that the 2 groups closed a $225 million Series A financing round to launch BlueRock Therapeutics, a regenerative medicine company focused on developing induced pluripotent stem cell therapies. The funds are estimated to support the company for 4 years as it advances cell therapy clinical programs for cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. “Accessing […]
Vapogenix closes $8.2m Series C for topical painkiller
Vapogenix Inc. said yesterday that it raised $8.2 million in a Series C financing round to fund the development of its locally-acting painkiller. Pamoja Capital and a group of pain physicians led the round. The Houston, Texas-based company’s technology is a topical formulation of volatile anesthetics, which are normally inhaled as general anesthesia. Vapogenix has developed […]
SRI wins $150m grant to develop HIV prevention products
SRI International said today that it landed a $150 million contract from the National Institutes of Health‘s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Division of AIDS to support the development of HIV microbicides and other pre-exposure agents. According to the 7-year deal, the research institute will provide preclinical product development services for non-vaccine […]
Impel NeuroPharma closes $36m series C round for intranasal CNS treatments
Impel NeuroPharma Inc. said today that it closed a $36 million series C financing round to fund its pipeline of precision olfactory delivery (POD) intranasal devices. Life science firms venBIO, 5AM Ventures and Vivo Capital made investments in the round. Seattle-based Impel will get $21 million upfront and $15 million after it reaches development and […]
Counterfeit prescription drug tracker raises $52m
TraceLink Inc. said yesterday that it raised $51.5 million in a Series C financing round, bringing its total raised to $77 million. The round was led by Goldman Sachs Growth Equity, joining FirstMark Capital, Volition Capital and F-Prime Capital. TraceLink developed a cloud-based global network of manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and healthcare professionals. The firm’s system enables […]
Galera adds $15m for Series B
Galera Therapeutics said today that it landed $15 million for its severe oral mucositis treatment, bringing its Series B financing total to $57 million. Sofinnova Ventures led the round, joining existing investors New Enterprise Associates, Novartis Venture Fund, Novo Ventures, Correlation Ventures, Enso Ventures and Galera Angels. The Malvern, Penn.-based company said the proceeds will be […]
Catalent to float $400m debt offering
Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) said today that it plans to fund its acquisition of soft-gel pharmaceutical capsule manufacturer Accucaps Industries Ltd with a $400 million debt offering. The Somerset, N.J.-based company said the private placement offering of euro-dominated senior unsecured notes due in 2024 will also be used to repay some of the outstanding borrowings under its senior […]
Orchard Therapeutics, UCLA land $20m for stem cell clinical trial
Orchard Therapeutics and researchers from the University of California Los Angeles Broad Stem Cell Research have been awarded $20 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s governing to fund a clinical trial for adenosine deaminase deficiency. The rare, inherited disorder is caused by mutations in a gene that encodes for adenosine deaminase. This results […]
PixarBio raises $7m for non-addictive morphine alternative
PixarBio (OTC:PXRB) raised $7 million for its biomaterial-based opioid alternative for post-operative acute and chronic pain relief, about 18% of its $40 million equity financing according to a regulatory filing that the Medford, Mass.-based company filed yesterday. The company’s drug delivery product, NeuroRelease, is an injectable morphine replacement therapy for use in the surgical/hospital setting, the […]