> Galapagos unveiled Dr. Walid Abi-Saab as its CMO. Abi-Saab joins Galapagos from Shire, where he rose to the role of therapeutic area head for gastrointestinal, endocrinology and metabolism conditions. Prior to joining Shire, Abi-Saab worked on clinical development at companies including Abbott Laboratories, Novartis and Pfizer. Release
> Shares in NeuroVive Pharmaceutical rose 70% after it posted preclinical data in hepatocellular cancer. The Swedish biotech said some of its sanglifehrin-based compounds “exert unexpectedly potent anticancer effects” in preclinical. With NeuroVive’s share price at a low ebb following failures in the clinic, the early-stage data were enough to spark a surge in its value. Release
> Malin invested in Wren Therapeutics, a spinout of the University of Cambridge, UK, and Lund University, Sweden. Wren is looking at protein misfolding diseases using a platform that emerged from research at the two academic centers. Malin, an investment fund helmed by Kelly Martin, has a 33% stake in Wren, and an option to up its holding to 67%. Release
> Zealand Pharma received $10 million (€9 million) from Sanofi after the European Union approved Suliqua. The milestone stems from a deal that gave Sanofi access to Zealand’s GLP-1 analogue lixisenatide. Zealand is eligible to receive up to $100 million more in milestones. Release
> FDA granted rare pediatric disease designation to Lysogene’s LYS-GM101 in the neurodegenerative disease GM1 gangliosidosis. LYS-GM101 is a gene therapy designed to equip people to produce their own lysosomal acid beta-balactosidase enzyme, and, in doing so, stop the neurological damage caused by the condition. Release
> CellProthera raised €8.3 million ($8.9 million) to continue its phase 1/2b trials and prepare for a phase 3 study. The preparations for the phase 3 will entail setting up cell therapy centers in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. CellProthera is focused on using autologous stem cells to regenerate the heart following acute myocardial infarction. Release