Millie Hoe Science Journalist

Novo Nordisk expands Irish facility after Wegovy pill success Novo Nordisk CEO announces Irish facility expansion after Wegovy pill success, despite competition from Eli Lilly and legal action against Hims & Hers.

Novo Nordisk confirms Irish expansion to produce Wegovy® pills, meeting surging demand for obesity treatments. A key step in scaling global supply. #Pharma #Wegovy #Ireland #ObesityTreatment

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Fujifilm Biotechnologies invests $540m in Teesside facility Fujifilm Biotechnologies expands its Teesside facility with a £400 million investment to boost UK biomanufacturing.

Fujifilm opens a $540M UK expansion, uniting R&D, manufacturing, and quality control under one roof. This state-of-the-art site aims to streamline biopharma production and innovation.
#Biopharma #Innovation #UKExpansion

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PharmaEssentia to establish $46m Puerto Rican facility PharmaEssentia invests $46 million in Puerto Rico to bolster BESREMi production and strengthen US supply chains.

PharmaEssentia invests $46M in Puerto Rico to establish a U.S. manufacturing hub for BESREMi®, boosting supply chain resilience and supporting global demand for its hematology therapy. Operations expected by 2027. #Biopharma #PuertoRico

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Capsida confirms cause of death in clinical trial fatality The gene therapy company’s update offers some clarity, but experts still have questions.

Capsida Biotherapeutics confirms cerebral edema as the cause of death in its SYNRGY trial for STXBP1-related disorders. The trial remains paused as investigations continue. Patient safety is the priority. #GeneTherapy #ClinicalTrials

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www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/c...

AdvanCell and 48Hour Discovery partner on radiotherapeutics The partnership will focus on a novel lead-based therapy for gastrointestinal cancer.

AdvanCell and 48Hour Discovery team up to develop a ²¹²Pb-based peptide radiotherapeutic for gastrointestinal cancer, combining cutting-edge discovery and alpha therapy expertise. #Biotech #Innovation

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HanchorBio teams with WuXi to produce immuno-oncology proteins The collaboration will focus on the advancement of HanchorBio’s oncology and autoimmune pipelines.

HanchorBio teams up with WuXi Biologics to accelerate the manufacturing of immuno-oncology fusion proteins. This partnership aims to streamline development timelines and advance innovative cancer therapies. #Biotech #ImmunoOncology

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Cellares hits $600m milestone for automated smart factories The latest round of series-D funding secured over $250 million for the construction of several sites.

Cellares secures $600M in funding, including $257M in Series D, to scale automated smart factories globally. Aiming for clinical manufacturing in 2026 and commercial launch by 2027. #Biotech #CellTherapy

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A vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau comes under intense scrutiny An RFK, Jr.-linked vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau is not cancelled, despite reports.

An excellent piece of investigative journalism by our talented editors Joshua Abbott and Søren Hough. Opens an interesting conversation regarding the ethics of clinical trials conducted overseas, and the implications of anti-vaccination sentiments.

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www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/b...

mRNA-antibody combination treatment keeps melanoma at bay Five-year interim data published by Moderna and Merck show a 49% reduction in melanoma recurrence and deaths.

mRNA-antibody combo shows promise in keeping melanoma at bay🧬💉 A groundbreaking step in cancer treatment. Learn more:
#CancerResearch #mRNA #Innovation

www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/m...

SK biosciences secures $30m Ebola vaccine partnership The firm announced its participation in a scheme to improve Ebola virus vaccine development.

SK Bioscience secures $30M partnership to enhance Ebola vaccine production! 💉🌍 A major step in global health innovation. Learn more:
#Vaccines #Biotech #GlobalHealth

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Alcami consolidates NC footprint with $6.7m manufacturing plant The plant will be a part of the state’s famous Research Triangle Park (RTP).

Alcami invests $6.7M in a new NC facility to expand manufacturing! 🏭💊 This move strengthens its footprint and boosts capacity. Read more:
#Biotech #Manufacturing #Innovation

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Agenus and Zydus close $141m manufacturing deal The collaboration involves Zydus’ acquisition of two of Agenus’ manufacturing sites.

Agenus & Zydus ink $141M deal to boost oncology manufacturing! 🧬💊 This partnership aims to advance cancer therapies with cutting-edge platforms. Learn more:
#Biotech #Oncology #Innovation

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AI antibodies are being put to the test Monod Bio, a spinout from Nobel laureate David Baker’s lab, is utilizing AI to create antibody mimics for the lab and clinic.

Can AI outperform nature? 🤖🧬 Artificial antibodies are being tested, promising breakthroughs in biotech and medicine. Can they rival the immune system? Read more:
#AI #Biotech #Innovation

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Sartorius expands sustainable manufacturing network The company continues to prioritize ISCC certification for its manufacturing hubs.

Sartorius expanded its sustainable manufacturing network to Germany and Tunisia, achieving ISCC-Plus certification. This supports eco-design, recyclability, and reduced fossil-based material use.

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Agenus and Zydus close $141m manufacturing deal The collaboration involves Zydus’ acquisition of two of Agenus’ manufacturing sites.

Agenus and Zydus signed a $141M deal making Zydus the exclusive manufacturer for Agenus' oncology drugs, botensilimab and balstilimab, boosting Zydus' US biologics presence.

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Rakuten and Lotte ink manufacturing deal at J.P. Morgan The partnership will focus on advancing the production of Rakuten’s oncology platform.

Rakuten partnered with Lotte Biologics to manufacture monoclonal antibody intermediates for its oncology platform, focusing on photoimmunotherapy for head and neck cancer.

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Ascidian partners with Forge Biologics against Stargardt disease The companies have entered a manufacturing partnership to advance Ascidian’s lead retinal candidate.

Ascidian Therapeutics partners with Forge Biologics to develop ACDN-01, a gene therapy for Stargardt disease, leveraging Forge's cGMP manufacturing and proprietary technologies.

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IAVI builds on clinical success with mRNA vaccine against HIV The nonprofit has begun a Phase I clinical trial in South Africa to test a vaccine against HIV in healthy adults.

IAVI's mRNA vaccine against HIV shows promise in clinical trials, demonstrating safety and immune response. It uses mRNA for faster production and aims to guide the immune system to produce bnAbs.

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Senate blocks FDA fast-tracking of rare-disease medicines The Priority Review Voucher (PRV) program is designed to incentivize rare disease drug development.

Recently, the Senate blocked unanimous passing of a bipartisan bill to reintroduce the FDA's Priority Review Voucher program, which aimed to expedite rare pediatric disease drug approvals.

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A look at up and coming therapies for Alzheimer’s disease Several new projects in the cell and gene therapy space are homing in on a cure.

Europe's CGT sector is advancing Alzheimer's treatment with innovative therapies. This article highlights emerging approaches, promising hope for patients and progress in neurodegenerative care.

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Oligo-peptide conjugate combats aggressive breast cancer A bridged nucleic acid conjugate shows promise in treating triple-negative breast cancer in animal models.

A new oligo-peptide conjugate shows promise in treating triple-negative breast cancer, reducing tumor mass by 74% in mice without toxicity, offering hope for aggressive cancer treatment.

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www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/o...

The BioXconomy Modalities team’s favorite innovations of 2025 Reflecting on a year of landmark therapeutic discoveries in cancer research, infectious disease, and more.

Below, you’ll find entries from Drug Modalities Editor Søren Hough (SH) and reporters Nnenna Ohaka (NO) and Millie Hoe (MH) as they reflect on some of their favorite news stories of the year.

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www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/y...

Dynorphins could be the key to solving epilepsy, says EpiBlok German gene therapy company EpiBlok are hoping to upregulate the naturally occurring peptides.

EpiBlok aims to change epilepsy treatment by using dynorphins, neuropeptides released during seizures, to target drug-resistant focal epilepsy while minimizing neurotoxicity risks.

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www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/d...

Tivic forms CDMO after acquiring assets from Scorpius The move compounds a rough year for Scorpius following the shutdown of its North Carolina sites.

Scorpius closed its North Carolina facilities, cut 28% of its workforce, and restructured to address a $297M deficit. Legal issues and financial struggles further impacted the CDMO's operations.

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Eli Lilly to build $6bn manufacturing facility in Alabama The Alabama site is the third installment of four that Eli Lilly has planned for the US.

Eli Lilly plans a $6 billion manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama, focusing on GLP-1 medicines like orforglipron. The site will use AI, ML, and sustainable practices, creating 450 jobs.

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NextCell leverages MSCs for diabetes treatment The Swedish startup seeks to halt disease progression in newly diagnosed type-1 patients.

NextCell, a Swedish startup, is using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to halt type 1 diabetes progression in newly diagnosed patients. Their scalable manufacturing process was highlighted at the CGT International Europe event.

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GLPs slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s A new clinical trial has shown promising safety and efficacy results for liraglutide in the treatment of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects 24 million people across the globe, but GLPs may be able to offer a solution.

A new Phase IIb (NCT01843075) clinical trial has shown liraglutide may be able to slow disease progression.

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Senate bill introduced to boost American-made biomanufacturing The legislature hopes to establish a domestic center of excellence for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle have proposed legislation in the US Senate to establish a National Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Center of Excellence (COE) to boost the country’s biotechnology industry.

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Cellipont partners with Ronawk to advance MSCs The collaboration will focus on scaling up the manufacturing of stem cells using Ronawk’s platform.

Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Cellipont announced a partnership with Ronawk, a biotechnology start-up company focusing on the efficient culturing of cells.

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Caring Cross works to bring CAR-Ts to India Caring Cross will work with the Amrita Research Center to decentralize CAR-T therapies.

Major US non-profit Caring Cross announced a collaboration with the Amrita Research Center, based in Delhi, India, to bring the manufacturing of integral cancer therapies to Indian hospitals.

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