Flagship Pioneering has launched Ring Therapeutics, an early-stage biotech developing first-in-class gene therapies using a new viral vector platform based on its groundbreaking work on the human commensal virome. Ring’s technology promises to address many of the limitations of current DNA and gene therapies, such as limited access to diverse tissues, inability to redose, risk […]

The FDA has approved Sarepta Therapeutics’ Vyondys 53 (golodirsen), an antisense oligonucleotide indicated for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients with a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene amenable to exon 53 skipping. Vyondys 53 is approved under accelerated review based on an increase in dystrophin production in skeletal muscle of patients […]

Triplet Therapeutics has launched today with $59 million in financing including a $49 million Series A financing led by MPM Capital and Pfizer Ventures U.S. LLC, the venture capital arm of Pfizer. Atlas Venture, which co-founded and seeded Triplet with a $10 million investment, also participated in the Series A alongside Invus, Partners Innovation Fund and […]

Merck will acquire Burlington-based ArQule for $20 per share in cash for a total equity value of about $2.7 billion. The transaction is expected to close early in the first quarter of 2020. ArQule is a publicly-traded biopharma focused on kinase inhibitor discovery and development for the treatment of patients with cancer and other diseases. […]

MDG’s mission is to advance healthcare by enabling diverse professionals to grow through expert forums, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.  In the spirit of our mission and of the holiday season, please join us on December 19th from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm for our annual Seasonal Celebration and Networking Party, held in honor of our […]

Thermo Fisher Scientific has officially opened its new $90 million viral vector CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) site in Lexington. The 50,000-square-foot facility will add more than 200 jobs and support the development, testing and manufacture of viral vectors, which are critical to advancing new life-saving gene and cell therapies globally. Earlier this year, […]

Novartis announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire The Medicines Company for USD 85.00 per share in cash, valuing the company at approximately USD 9.7 billion on a fully diluted equity basis. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is expected to close […]

Karuna Therapeutics has announced positive results from its Phase 2 clinical trial of KarXT for the treatment of acute psychosis in patients with schizophrenia. “The schizophrenia treatment landscape has remained rather stagnant for decades with therapeutic options relying on discoveries dating back to the 1950s,” said Steve Paul, M.D., chief executive officer, president, and chairman […]

Alkermes is acquiring Rodin Therapeutics, a privately held biopharma focused on synaptopathies. This transaction builds on Alkermes’ experience in central nervous system (CNS) diseases and expands Alkermes’ CNS development efforts into a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders. Synaptic dysfunction is a pathological feature in many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases, and synaptic loss correlates closely with […]

The FDA has approved Alnylam’s Givlaari (givosiran), an RNAi therapeutic for treatment of adults with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP), a family of ultra-rare, genetic diseases. Long-term complications of AHP can include chronic neuropathic pain, hypertension, chronic kidney disease and liver disease. “AHP can have a profound impact on the lives of patients and their families. […]