EuroBiotech: More Articles of Note

> London trumpeted a tripling in the number of life science jobs created in the city by foreign companies. London & Partners, the company set up by the mayor to promote the city, tallied up 325 new jobs in 2014, up from 101 the year before. The jump is largely attributable to Takeda, which went on a hiring spree at the European R&D oversight hub it runs in London. Pfizer ($PFE) also contributed by putting down roots in the city to boost its gene therapy program. Release

​> Circassia Pharmaceuticals (LON:CIR) once again persuaded British investors to open their wallets. The allergy immunotherapy player attracted the ubiquitous Neil Woodford to a £275 million ($432 million) private placement, the money from which allowed Circassia to acquire Aerocrine and Prosonix. The deals give Circassia the makings of a sales team and a pipeline of generic treatments for asthma and COPD. FierceBiotech | FT

​> Ipsen (EPA:IPN) bought OctreoPharm Sciences in a €50 million ($56 million) deal. The acquisition of the private German company gives Ipsen a preclinical treatment for neuroendocrine tumors (NET), the broad therapeutic field in which the French pharma's Somatuline is already approved. OctreoPharm is also developing a NET imaging tool. Ipsen plans to retain OctreoPharm's facility and staff. Release

​> Cortendo bolstered its clinical pipeline by handing over $35 million for a pair of acromegaly drugs. The deals are intended to give Cortendo a readymade endocrine disease franchise, with the Phase II acromegaly assets following Phase III Cushing disease treatment COR-003 down the pipe. Cortendo picked up one of the acromegaly drugs in a $30 million deal with Aspireo Pharmaceuticals, while the other was added to its pipeline in return for a $5 million payment to Antisense Therapeutics (ASX:ANP). The Swedish-American biotech financed the deals with a private placement. FierceBiotech

​> GW Pharmaceuticals ($GWPH) relocated its CEO, Justin Gover, to Southern California. Gover is moving from GW Pharma's British headquarters to the U.S. in anticipation of the approval of the company's cannabis-derived epilepsy treatment. The move isn't the start of an exodus, though. GW Pharma used the release to reiterate its commitment to its home country, where it has increased headcount from 190 to 325 over the past two years. FierceBiotech

​> ArGEN-X (EBR:ARGX) entered into an alliance with Leo Pharma. The deal sees arGEN-X give Leo exclusive access to a preclinical antibody program against inflammation-related skin diseases. In return, arGEN-X will pick up €4.5 million ($5 million) in pre-IND payments--part of which will be received upfront--and could snag more than €100 million in clinical, regulatory and sales milestones as the asset advances. Release