> Gilead ($GILD) CEO John Milligan discussed the prospects of Galapagos ($GLPG)-partnered JAK1 inhibitor filgotinib. Milligan expressed the most enthusiasm about the potential for filgotinib to capture the Crohn’s disease market, a sector in which the CEO thinks the drug can be the leader. The CEO also shed some light on the delay between striking the licensing deal and starting Phase III, noting that filgotinib wasn’t quite Phase III-ready when Gilead came on board. Transcript
> MGB Biopharma secured Qualified Infectious Disease Product status from the FDA for its lead candidate in the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea. The drug, MGB-BP-3, is set to enter a Phase II trial in the indication. In parallel to preparing for the trial, MGB is assessing partnering and funding options to secure the financial future of MGB-BP-3. Release
> A steering group led by GlaxoSmithKline’s Sir Andrew Witty and AstraZeneca’s Mene Pangalos met with government ministers to discuss what the biopharma industry wants from Brexit negotiations. And, perhaps unsurprisingly given the industry lobbied to stay in the European Union, the priorities of the group look a lot like a call to maintain the status quo. The group wants to retain the ability to bring international talent to the U.K. and move goods and capital across borders, while also having access to the funding and Europe-wide collaborations they currently enjoy. Article
> RedHill Biopharma ($RDHL) entered into a collaboration with Stanford University School of Medicine. The pact will see a team at Stanford look at Yeliva in a murine model of head and neck cancer with a view to assessing its effect on mucositis reduction and tumor control. Data from the study, which RedHill sees as complementary to its Phase Ib trial, are due by the middle of next year. Release
> The United Kingdom government committed £816 million ($1.1 billion) to health research. Most of the funding allocated through the 5-year program is going to hospitals and academic institutions in Cambridge, London and Oxford, a hotspot of biomedical research that is in line to receive £635 million through the scheme. The government has earmarked £45 million to both dementia and antimicrobial resistance. Release
> Oxford BioMedica (LON:OXB) proposed to raise £10 million ($13 million). The placement is intended to give the Novartis ($NVS)-partnered gene and cell therapy player the means to advance its discovery and preclinical activities, with a view to moving one asset into the clinic within the next two years. Statement