Financings

Aisling Capital, a late-stage life sciences investment firm, closed its latest fund with $280 million in committed capital.

Allena Pharmaceuticals Inc. completed its IPO of about 5.3 million shares at $14 per share, the low end of its previously proposed range, for gross proceeds of about $75 million.

Aptose Biosciences Inc. entered a common shares purchase agreement of up to $15.5 million with Aspire Capital Fund LLC.

Assembly Biosciences Inc. priced a public offering for gross proceeds of about $60.2 million.

Biogeneration Ventures completed the final close of its third early stage fund raising €82 million (US$95.2 million).

Celgene Corp. priced three series of senior unsecured notes for an aggregate principal amount of $3 billion.

Eiger Biopharmaceuticals Inc. priced its underwritten public offering of 1.85 million shares of common stock at $10 per share.

Frazier Healthcare Partners closed Frazier Life Sciences IX LP, exceeding its target with approximately $419 million in capital commitments.

Hutchison China Meditech Ltd. closed its underwritten public offering of American depositary shares (ADS) on Nasdaq at $26.50 per ADS, raising gross proceeds of approximately $301.3 million.

Intellia Therapeutics Inc. priced a public offering for gross proceeds of about $150 million.

Kymera Therapeutics LLC raised $30 million in a series A round.

Spero Therapeutics Inc. priced its IPO of 5.5 million shares at $14 per share, the low end of its previously proposed range, for gross proceeds of $77 million.

Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. announced its IPO to raise A$50 million (US$38.4 million) on the Australian Securities Exchange.

VBI Vaccines Inc. closed its underwritten public offering and concurrent registered direct offering for aggregate gross proceeds from the offerings of approximately $71.9 million.

Deals

Arcturus Therapeutics Inc. and Synthetic Genomics Inc. cemented a research collaboration and worldwide licensing deal for the development of self-amplifying RNA-based vaccines and therapeutics for human and animal health products.

Aviragen Therapeutics Inc. and Vaxart Inc. entered a definitive merger agreement that will result in a combined company, Vaxart Inc., focused on developing orally delivered therapeutics and prophylactics to address a variety of viral infections.

Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH is enlisting early stage RNAi specialist Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc. to discover and develop new therapies for chronic liver diseases, starting with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The deal includes $10 million up front and up to $191 million in success-based development and commercialization milestones, excluding royalties, for an undisclosed target.

Encycle Therapeutics Inc. is partnering with Pfizer Inc. to optimize constrained peptides, or "nacellins," of interest, previously identified by Pfizer during a screening of Encycle's nacellin library.

Horizon Discovery plc in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, introduced two new gene knock-out and knock-in rat models for investigating the role of alpha-synuclein in brain function and Parkinson's disease pathogenesis.

Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. and Amgen Inc. are winding down a JV with a $780 million payout to redeem the Asian conglomerate's shares in the business, Kirin-Amgen Inc. The business will now become a wholly owned subsidiary of Amgen.

Mallinckrodt plc said it is acquiring Ocera Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for orphan and liver diseases.

Mereo Biopharma Group plc reached an agreement with Astrazeneca plc for an exclusive license, including an option to acquire, AZD-9668, an oral inhibitor of neutrophil elastase.

Neuraly Inc. and 1st Biotherapeutics Inc. agreed to co-develop brain-penetrant c-Abl inhibitors for Parkinson's disease.

Neurovive Pharmaceutical AB signed a collaboration agreement with the University of Florida to conduct biomarker research for its traumatic brain injury program.

Novartis AG has proposed buying radiopharmaceuticals specialist Advanced Accelerator Applications SA in a deal valuing the company at $3.9 billion.

Poxel SA entered a deal in Asia for imeglimin with new partner Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd., which is taking on the costs of conducting phase III development and commercializing the oral type 2 diabetes treatment in Japan, China and 11 other countries.

Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. signed a research collaboration agreement with Duke University, granting the company an option to an exclusive license to intellectual property and technology related to CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

Xynomic Pharma Inc. acquired exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize BI-882370, a second-generation RAF inhibitor, from Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH.

. . . And More

Abbvie Inc. said the FDA is giving a priority review to elagolix, a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist, for the management of endometriosis with associated pain. The product is being developed with San Diego-based Neurocrine Biosciences Inc.

Agilis Biotherapeutics LLC said the European Commission designated Agil-FA an orphan medicinal product to treat Friedreich's ataxia.

Astrazeneca plc's Calquence (acalabrutinib) got the FDA's green light as a second-line therapy for adults with mantle cell lymphoma.

Astrazeneca plc and its biologics research and development arm, Medimmune, posted a miss for the phase III STRATOS 2 and TROPOS trials of tralokinumab, an anti-interleukin-13 immunoglobulin-G4 monoclonal antibody, in severe, uncontrolled asthma.

Australia's life sciences sector is expected to bring in almost A$3 trillion (US$2.2 trillion) by 2025. The government is pumping funds into the sector and working with industry to update regulations and building needed translational infrastructure to attract global attention.

Phaserx Inc. received a delisting notice from Nasdaq informing it that its stock will be suspended from Nasdaq after it rejected a plan to regain compliance with the minimum stockholders' equity requirement. The company plans to appeal the decision.

Versartis Inc. said it retained Cowen Inc. to assist in evaluating possible strategic transactions to diversify its pipeline.