> Biotie Therapies (HEL:BTH1V) agreed to a Special Protocol Assessment with the FDA for a Phase III trial of tozadenant in patients with Parkinson's disease. The FDA signed off on the assessment after going over the design, endpoints and statistical components of the trial, increasing the likelihood that data generated in the study will meet its requirements. Biotie plans to test tozadenant in a 450-person trial to assess its ability to prevent motor fluctuations. Release
> NeuroVive Pharmaceutical (STO:NVP) signed a pact with Sanofi ($SNY) for the development and commercialization of CicloMulsion in South Korea. Sanofi handed over an undisclosed upfront fee and put itself on the hook for milestones and royalties in exchange for the chance to bring the reperfusion injury treatment to market in the Asian country. Neurovive is currently working with China's Sihuan Pharmaceuticals to plan an Asian Phase III trial of the drug. Release
> The Wall Street Journal became the latest publication to profile the rush of European biotechs to Nasdaq. The feature notes that European biotechs have raised more than $1 billion (€914 million) from public investors in the U.S. already this year, 25% more than they collected from the same source in all of 2014. With more listings reportedly in the pipeline--and some notable European biotechs yet to start trading stateside--the total raised in IPOs and follow-on offerings could swell further still over the next 6 months. WSJ (sub. req.)
> Amp biosimilars struck its first outlicensing deal. The Hamburg, Germany-based company is developing a pipeline of immunology and oncology biosimilars, one of which was picked up this week by an unnamed mid-sized Chinese pharma company. The Chinese company bagged the rights to develop and commercialize ABY-018--a humanized monoclonal antibody against an oncology target--in its home territory. Amp biosimilars is in line to receive royalties. Release
> PureTech became the latest early-stage tech investor to shun Nasdaq and head to the London Stock Exchange for an IPO. Boston, MA-based PureTech is aiming to raise $160 million (€146 million) from investors in London, who it thinks will be more receptive to its business model than their peers in New York. The assumption is underpinned by the presence of other companies with similar models on the London exchange, notably Allied Minds (LSE:ALM), Imperial Innovations (AIM:IVO) and IP Group (LSE:IPO). Allied Minds, like PureTech, is based in Boston. FierceBiotech
> Apeiron Biologics co-founder Josef Penninger bemoaned the funding difficulties facing Austrian biotechs. CNBC spoke to Penninger for a profile of the biotech scene in Vienna, in which people highlighted how the financing situation is bad compared to other parts of Europe. Apeiron got off the fundraising treadmill, at least temporarily, in 2010 by inking a £207 million ($316 million) deal with GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK). At that time, Penninger saw few ways to raise the sort of money Apeiron needed because of a shortage of investors in later-stage financing rounds that persists in Austria to this day. CNBC