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Theravance Advances Respiratory Program via Glaxo Partnership

 
• By Mark Ratner

The goal of the deal between Glaxo and Theravance is to pool programs in order to develop a best-in-class long-acting beta agonist. That Glaxo is contributing its most advanced compounds to the program and has agreed to pay royalties even on LABAs it may develop separately validates Theravance's technology. But it also shows how Glaxo is weighing the value of external vs. internal R&D.

A company that's raised $370 million in private money over five years yet has only one press release on its web site sounds more like an old school pharma-style operation than the standard entrepreneurial biotech start-up. Indeed, that's the case with Theravance Inc. (formerly Advanced Medicine), which was founded and is chaired by former Merck & Co. Inc. chairman and CEO Roy Vagelos, MD. That solitary press release was the announcement in January of a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline PLC to develop a long-acting Beta2 agonist (LABA) for the treatment of respiratory disease such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [See Deal].

Although the deal specifies that the two companies will pool their most advanced LABA candidates, the goal, according to Theravance...

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China Signals Restarting IPOs For Unprofitable Biotechs

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

The China Securities Regulatory Commission has proposed a new “growth tier” for the STAR Market of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, to reinstate the market’s listing standards for unprofitable firms.

BIO Notebook: Woodcock Calls For Doing The Right Thing, Dealmaking Remains Constrained

 
• By Mandy Jackson, Joseph Haas, and Sarah Karlin-Smith

Highlights from Day Four of the BIO International Convention include Woodcock offering practical advice on rare disease trials, the sorry state of dealmaking mid-year, Novartis discussing its approach to partnering, and Generate looking for funding to move into Phase III.

Syncona Looks To Go Private As Market Decline Deepens

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

While some are calling for Syncona to be wound up, the UK-based company believes many existing and new investors will back the creation of new private fund.