> Noxxon Pharma listed shares on Alternext Paris. The listing went ahead without any shares being offered to the public. Clinical-stage cancer biotech Noxxon signaled its interest in a listing 11 months ago, at which time the plan was to conduct a more traditional IPO on the Euronext exchange. The shift in tack means Noxxon is without the cash injection an IPO would have brought, leaving it with enough money to see it through to April. Release
> Evotec (FRA:EVT) and C4X Discovery (LON:C4XD) struck a research pact. The new alliance, which builds on an earlier collaboration, states that the partners will always be working on at least three drug discovery projects. Once the programs yield potential development candidates, C4X will have the option to advance the drugs into the clinic itself or outlicense the assets. Release
> The FDA awarded fast-track status to Summit Therapeutics’ ($SMMT) Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) drug, ezutromid. Summit is currently testing the utrophin modulator in a Phase II trial. The hope is that the data will support Summit’s belief that its approach can improve outcomes in all patients with DMD, regardless of the genetic cause of their condition, something that cannot be said of Sarepta Therapeutics’ ($SRPT) recently approved Exondys 51. Release
> BerGenBio posted preclinical data on BGB324, a first-in-class AXL inhibitor currently being tested in a clutch of early-stage trials. The mouse data suggest BGB324 can enhance the efficacy of CTLA-4 and PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors. That idea is currently being tested in a Phase I/II trial, in which melanoma patients are receiving BGB324 on top of Merck’s ($MRK) Keytruda. BerGenBio is also running trials of BGB324 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and non-small cell lung cancer. Release
> Dilafor raised SEK 51 million ($5.9 million) to fund a Phase IIb trial of its modified heparin. The dose-finding trial is part of an attempt to show the drug can cut incidence of protracted labor. Lee's Healthcare Industry Fund, Rosetta Capital IV and Pila AB supported the round. Notably, Karolinska Development (STO:KDEV) stayed on the sidelines, resulting in its stake in Dilafor falling from 53% to 35% and continuing its attempts to broaden the investor base of its portfolio companies. Release
> Bavarian Nordic (CPH:BAVA) persuaded Dr. Christopher Heery to swap life at the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a chance to be its CMO. The NCI has a long-running relationship with Bavarian Nordic and, as such, Heery arrives at the Danish drugmaker with an understanding of its science and pipeline programs. Release