Business Deal

Jazz Pharmaceuticals Seals $935M Chimerix Acquisition, Boosting Oncology Pipeline

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Chimerix, Inc. ("Chimerix") for approximately $935 million in cash. Chimerix is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Jazz. "Bringing Chimerix into Jazz adds a novel medicine to our oncology portfolio and advances our efforts to address unmet patient needs," said Bruce Cozadd, chairman and chief executive officer of Jazz. "Dordaviprone has the potential to become the first and only FDA-approved therapy for patients with H3 K27M-mutant diffuse glioma and offers a promising near-term commercial opportunity, if approved. We are excited to welcome Chimerix's talented team as we collectively continue to advance dordaviprone, leveraging our development and commercial capabilities to deliver this therapy to patients as soon as the second half of this year." The addition of dordaviprone, a novel first-in-class small molecule treatment in development for H3 K27M-mutant diffuse glioma, further diversifies and adds near-term commercial opportunity to Jazz's oncology pipeline. Dordaviprone is currently under Priority Review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date set for August 18, 2025. If approved in the U.S., the therapy may be eligible for a Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV). Dordaviprone is also being studied in the ongoing Phase 3 ACTION trial to evaluate its use in newly diagnosed, non-recurrent H3 K27M-mutant diffuse glioma patients following radiation treatment, potentially extending its use into the first-line setting.

Rigaku and SPERA PHARMA Launch Strategic Partnership to Advance Pharmaceutical Development

Rigaku Corporation, a Group company of Rigaku Holdings Corporation, and SPERA PHARMA, Inc. have initiated a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating and transforming pharmaceutical development by leveraging the two companies’ cutting-edge technologies and extensive expertise. SPERA PHARMA will use XtaLAB Synergy-ED, an integrated platform for electronic diffraction provided by Rigaku, for contract analytical services, thereby offering customers robust support in pharmaceutical development. The XtaLAB Synergy-ED incorporates 3D ED/MicroED1, which is utilized for the structure analysis of substances, including microscopic crystals and minute quantities of crystalline powder. This sophisticated technology provides sufficiently high resolution to determine atomic-level structures, enabling the detailed elucidation of molecular structures of organic compounds and similar substances. SPERA PHARMA is currently the world’s only company in the pharmaceutical industry offering contract analytical services with the XtaLAB Synergy-ED. Rigaku will extend technical support to SPERA PHARMA for its contract analytical operations. Furthermore, the two companies are collaborating closely to advance research utilizing the XtaLAB Synergy-ED and to actively share information on the application methods and analytical technologies. Through this partnership, Rigaku and SPERA PHARMA aim to provide robust support at the forefront of pharmaceutical development, playing pivotal roles in pioneering the future of medicine.

Chime Biologics Partners Polpharma Biologics to Advance Global Biosimilar Development

Chime Biologics, a leading global CDMO that enables its partners' success in biologics, is pleased to announce a strategic cooperation agreement with Polpharma Biologics to advance the end-to-end development and manufacture of a biosimilar product for the global market. This partnership underscores Chime Biologics' commitment to delivering high-quality, cost-effective biologics and further strengthening Chime Biologics' presence in Europe. Under this agreement, Chime Biologics will provide Polpharma Biologics with end-to-end support for a biosimilar development, spanning from investigational new drug (IND) to commercial supply. Meeting Global Supply Needs Polpharma Biologics, a major player in the global biosimilar market and the largest biotechnology company in Poland, brings a robust pipeline that includes multiple early-stage and late-stage biosimilars, along with two FDA/EMA-approved biosimilar products. With an extensive track record in delivering biosimilars for global markets, Chime Biologics is well-positioned to meet the growing global demand for biosimilars. Through Chime's true end-to-end offerings, from our state-of-the-art cell line, process and analytical development capabilities, expanding manufacturing capabilities and regulatory support activities, Chime Biologics offers clients fast-tracked CMC development to commercial supply to ensure fast market entry for our clients. "We are thrilled to contribute to Polpharma Biologics' growth as we provide all-in-one solutions to accelerate biosimilar development and reduce the time-to-market," said Dr. Jimmy Wei, President of Chime Biologics. "This collaboration reinforces our strategy of delivering high-quality, affordable biologics to patients worldwide." "Partnering with Chime Biologics supports our strategic vision to swiftly bring affordable biosimilars developed in Europe to global markets," said Konstantin Matentzoglu, Member of the Supervisory Board of Polpharma Biologics Group BV. "By working with Chime Biologics, we can accelerate patient access to biosimilar therapies. This partnership further strengthens Polpharma Biologics' global position as a leading biosimilars developer, while leveraging Asian partners with optimized cost-benefit ratio".

Illumina and Tempus Partner to Advance AI-Driven Precision Medicine

Illumina Inc. a technology company leading the adoption of AI to advance precision medicine and patient care, announced a collaboration to accelerate clinical adoption of next-generation sequencing tests through novel evidence generation. The collaboration will combine leading Illumina AI technologies with Tempus's comprehensive multimodal data platform to train genomic algorithms and ultimately accelerate clinical adoption of molecular testing for patients. "In the era of true precision medicine, every patient who is battling complex disease should be routed to the optimal therapy based on molecular insights," said Everett Cunningham, chief commercial officer of Illumina. "We envision a world where the full range of molecular profiling is available as part of the standard of care—not just in cancer, but in cardiology, neurology, immunology, and every other category of disease." Today, patients frequently miss the benefit of precision medicine because molecular profiling is not yet standard across disease areas and regions. This collaboration will leverage Tempus multimodal data to further improve Illumina's AI-driven molecular analysis technologies and generate new insights supporting the clinical value of sequencing. These insights will be used to build evidence packages needed to standardize use of comprehensive genomic profiling and other molecular testing across all major diseases. "By expanding our collaboration with Illumina, we are combining our strengths in technology and data analytics with their strengths in developing new sequencing technologies to drive forward innovation and advance precision medicine," said Terron Bruner, chief commercial officer of Tempus. The program builds on a long-standing collaboration between the companies, which has focused on developing tools and assays to address gaps in testing needs from preemptive screening through therapy selection, health economics, and bioinformatics pipelines to improve patient outcomes and research.

Lonza Joins CMAC to Advance Particle Technologies and Drug Product Development

Lonza, a global development and manufacturing partner to the pharmaceutical and biotech markets, announced it has joined CMAC, a world leading centre for medicines manufacturing research, to enhance its service offering for particle technologies and drug product development and manufacture. Based at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, CMAC is an international research hub with a unique configuration of academic and industrial leaders within applied and pre-competitive research programs, and translation to industry models. Driven by industry needs, it aims to transform pharmaceutical manufacturing and crystallization processes by developing continuous manufacturing technologies, optimizing efficiency, and enhancing product quality. Through its membership, Lonza will gain access to CMAC’s unique network, which advances Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) technologies, implements digitalization strategies and develops innovative continuous processing and crystallization solutions for active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug product technologies. Lonza’s participation in CMAC will ensure the effective application of research outcomes to strengthen CMC processes and their implementation for its customers. Massimo Bresciani, CMAC Industry Director, commented: ‘‘Welcoming Lonza into CMAC marks a significant milestone in our mission to transform medicines manufacturing. Its global leadership, technical depth, and strategic vision will be instrumental in shaping and accelerating the adoption of highly automated manufacturing platforms and advanced CMC solutions. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to building a connected ecosystem where academic innovation and industrialists converge to translate cutting-edge research into impactful, scalable solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.’’ Francois Ricard, Head of R&D, Advanced Synthesis, Lonza, added: “Our participation in CMAC will allow us to work with world-leading industry and academia experts and apply best practice in the fields of API development, continuous processing, drug product development, and overall digital CMC strategy. Our global team will drive the implementation of these processes and technologies across scales in a CDMO setup for the benefit of our customers and partners.”

Thermo Fisher Scientific Partners with NSG BIO to Boost Biotech Innovation in Singapore

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, the world leader in serving science, has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with NSG BIO, Singapore's largest BSL-2-certified, co-working laboratory and office space. This collaboration aims to empower biotech startups in Singapore with access to critical resources, advanced laboratory solutions, and scientific expertise to accelerate their research and development capabilities. Since 2019, NSG BIO has supported innovators create impactful solutions across health, biomedical, agrifood, and industrial biotechnology sectors. Their work spans precision medicine, AI-enabled drug discovery, and synthetic biology. This partnership enables Thermo Fisher and NSG BIO to support research efficiency, accelerate innovation, and advance local healthcare and life sciences capabilities, aligning with national efforts to strengthen the sectors. "We are excited to collaborate with NSG BIO to support Singapore's growing biotech ecosystem," said Ms. Sho-Wen Yeo, Vice President and General Manager, Southeast Asia & Taiwan, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "By ensuring seamless access to cutting-edge instruments and essential consumables, we enable scientists to focus on their critical research without operational challenges. This collaboration underscores our commitment to advancing scientific innovation and supporting the biotech community in Singapore." "This strategic collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific marks a major milestone in our mission to drive biotech innovation in Singapore," said Ms. Daphne Teo, Founder and Chairwoman of NSG BIO. "By providing our residents with preferential access to world-class laboratory equipment and supplies, along with flexible credit terms, we are eliminating critical barriers that often hinder early-stage research. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to building a thriving biotech ecosystem where startups can accelerate breakthrough discoveries."

AGC Biologics Strengthens its Single Use Bioreactors Facility in Japan

AGC Biologics announced a strategic decision about the large-scale single-use technology it will use at its new Yokohama, Japan facility. The CDMO is introducing two 5,000 L Thermo Scientific DynaDrive Single-Use Bioreactors (S.U.B.), which makes the site one of the most advanced in Japan for large-scale mammalian-based biologics production, with GMP operations beginning in 2027. According to 2024 data from BDO Group's bioTRAK Database, single-use technology represents 51 percent of all mammalian bioreactor technology globally, outpacing the traditional stainless-steel alternative. Attributes driving this trend include fewer cleaning requirements, lower cost barrier to entry and timeline for setup, flexible configurations, scalability to meet changing product demands, and shorter clinical production timelines. AGC Biologics has the second largest global network of single-use manufacturing capacity by volume in the industry, according to bioTRAK. The new bioreactor technology ensures the company stays ahead of industry-wide demand for single-use systems. "The new Yokohama site is designed to utilize single-use bioreactors to offer large-scale GMP manufacturing. The cutting-edge technology from Thermo Scientific makes this one of the most advanced sites in Japan for large-scale manufacturing and further expands our robust global network of single-use manufacturing sites on three continents," said Christoph Winterhalter, Chief Business Officer, AGC Biologics. “This location offers the capabilities to meet the commercial needs of customers in Japan and Asia, as well as global customers seeking capacity using the latest technology.” "Flexibility and the means to scale production cost-effectively is key for any developer of therapies today, and CDMOs need the best technology possible to help them accomplish that. The DynaDrive 5,000 L Single-Use Bioreactor delivers seamless scalability, exceptional flexibility, and superior process intensification capabilities – embodying best-in-class performance. AGC Biologics' new site in Yokohama will be a premier site in Japan for large-scale single-use technology thanks to our collaboration," said Daniella Cramp, Senior Vice President and President of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Bioproduction business. The new AGC Biologics Yokohama facility will offer support from initial process development work for early-phase projects to late-phase and commercial production. It will support mammalian expression, cell therapy, and messenger RNA (mRNA) drug products.

Veltris Acquires BPK Technologies to Expand Digital Engineering & AI Capabilities

Veltris, a digital product engineering services provider backed by Trive Capital and BayLink Capital is pleased to announce the acquisition of BPK Technologies . This acquisition advances Veltris' strategic direction towards industry solutions and expands its digital engineering and data/AI capabilities to help clients in the healthcare industry and beyond. BPK Technologies specializes in custom software development solutions with a strong focus on Dental Service Organizations ("DSOs"), dental practice management systems, health systems, edtech, and banking. The addition of BPK also deepens Veltris' expertise in workflow automation, data engineering, AI, and hyperscaler capabilities. "We are thrilled to welcome the talented BPK team to the Veltris family," said Hiral Chandrana, CEO and Board Member of Veltris. "This acquisition reinforces our strategic focus on Vertical SaaS & AI driven digital transformation. Together, we are well-positioned to empower our clients to drive impactful business outcomes and connected experiences in the healthcare industry." "Joining Veltris enables us to scale our service offerings across dental, healthcare and other adjacent industries while creating new growth opportunities for our employees," said Rajeev Bhatia, CEO of BPK Technologies. "We remain dedicated to delivering innovative, customized solutions that enhance operational efficiency and drive success for our esteemed clients." "This acquisition reflects our commitment to driving innovation by investing in transformative technology services companies," said Chris Zugaro, Partner at Trive Capital. "The combination of Veltris' and BPK's expertise in digital engineering & AI positions us to deliver cutting-edge industry solutions that meet the rapidly evolving needs of the market." "The addition of BPK strengthens Veltris' ability to deliver differentiated solutions for the healthcare and other high-growth sectors," said Kaustuv Sen, Managing Partner at BayLink Capital. "This acquisition reinforces our approach of working closely with management teams to accelerate growth and drive operational excellence in niche industries."

LOTTE BIOLOGICS signs Strategic Partnership Agreement with U.S.-based Asimov

LOTTE BIOLOGICS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Asimov, a company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, to collaborate in the Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) business. Through this agreement, LOTTE BIOLOGICS plans to leverage Asimov’s next-generation cell line development platform technology to provide end-to-end services, covering the entire process from cell line development to GMP manufacturing. This collaboration is expected to further strengthen LOTTE BIOLOGICS’ CDMO capabilities and track record. LOTTE BIOLOGICS has successfully completed prior validation of the scalability and large-scale production capabilities of Asimov’s proprietary CHO Edge cell line development platform through pilot testing at its Syracuse Bio Campus. Building on these results, this agreement marks the beginning of full-scale collaboration to provide end-to-end services for customers. Asimov’s CHO Edge system is a synthetic biology-based cell line development platform that accelerates the production of antibodies and protein therapeutics through genetic design and optimization of CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cells. In particular, by incorporating process automation and AI-driven analysis, the platform enables the rapid development of customized cell lines with high productivity and consistency. The integration of the CHO Edge system with LOTTE BIOLOGICS’ GMP manufacturing capabilities enables a seamless transition from cell line development to commercial production. This collaboration serves as a pivotal milestone, driving both the expansion of LOTTE BIOLOGICS’ CDMO business and the growth of Asimov’s operational reach. This partnership agreement is also expected to maximize the advantages of LOTTE BIOLOGICS’ U.S.-based manufacturing facility, recently garnering significant attention. James Park, CEO of LOTTE BIOLOGICS, expressed his optimism about the partnership, stating, “We believe this agreement will unlock the full potential of both companies’ strengths. By combining Asimov’s cutting-edge technology with LOTTE BIOLOGICS’ manufacturing excellence, we will not only deliver unparalleled services to our customers but also drive innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry. Ultimately, our goal is to make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives, and we will continue striving to be a company that contributes to a healthier future for all.” Alec Nielsen, Co-founder and CEO of Asimov, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We are thrilled to see the CHO Edge system seamlessly integrated with LOTTE BIOLOGICS’ robust manufacturing capabilities. This collaboration will enable customers to transition more smoothly from cell line development to large-scale production, significantly accelerating development timelines and bringing innovations to market faster.”

BIOQuébec and LSO Sign MOU to Strengthen Life Sciences Collaboration

BIOQuébec and Life Sciences Ontario (LSO), two leading life sciences associations, are proud to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance collaboration and foster growth across Québec and Ontario. In today’s economic climate, strengthening interprovincial partnerships is crucial to driving innovation, resilience, and new opportunities in the life sciences sector. This initiative represents a significant step toward strengthening the life sciences sector between Ontario and Québec. Reducing interprovincial barriers and improving business environment will create new opportunities for growth and success among member organizations. Enhanced connectivity and collaboration between the two provinces will foster stronger cross-provincial partnerships, driving innovation and reinforcing Canada’s position as a global leader in life sciences. "LSO and BIOQuébec's long-standing relationship over the years has evolved into a formal alliance that will directly benefit our members and strengthen Canada's life sciences sector as a whole. Now, more than ever, we need to work closely across provincial borders to make Canadian life sciences globally competitive. By combining our strengths, we're creating opportunities for our sector to collaborate, and our collective impact on healthcare and economic growth to be maximized."– Jason Field, President and CEO of Life Sciences Ontario "This collaboration establishes a strategic alliance between Québec and Ontario’s life sciences ecosystems, facilitating greater collaboration and expanding access to resources, networks, and market opportunities. By working together, we are providing our members with the tools and support they need to succeed in a globally competitive industry, driving innovation, and contributing to the continued growth of Canada’s life sciences sector."– Benoît Larose, CEO of BIOQuébec Key Benefits for Association Members: Access to cross-association events focused on life sciences knowledge sharing, advocacy and partnerships Preferential registration rates for all partnered events Expanded networking and business development opportunities through joint activities and commercial missions