Biohealth Innovation - 477th Edition, October 12, 2021

Biohealth Innovation

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October 12, 2021

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Supernus Pharmaceuticals to Acquire Adamas Pharmaceuticals Strengthening its CNS Product Portfolio - Supernus Pharmaceuticals

ROCKVILLE, Md. and EMERYVILLE, Calif., Oct. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUPN) and Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADMS), today announced a definitive agreement for Supernus to acquire Adamas through a tender offer for $8.10 per share in cash (or an aggregate of approximately $400 million), payable at closing plus two non-tradable contingent value rights (CVR) collectively worth up to $1.00 per share in cash (or an aggregate of approximately $50 million), for a total consideration of $9.10 per share in cash (or an aggregate of approximately $450 million). The first CVR, worth $0.50 per share, is payable upon achieving net sales of GOCOVRI® of $150 million in any four consecutive quarters between closing and the end of 2024. The second CVR, worth $0.50 per share, is payable upon achieving net sales of GOCOVRI of $225 million in any four consecutive quarters between closing and the end of 2025. The transaction is expected to close in late fourth quarter 2021 or in early first quarter 2022.

The transaction will provide Supernus with two marketed products: GOCOVRI (amantadine) extended release capsules, the first and only U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medicine indicated for the treatment of both OFF and dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson’s disease receiving levodopa-based therapy; and Osmolex ER® (amantadine) extended release tablets, approved for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and drug-induced extrapyramidal reactions in adult patients.

WIB-Capital Region: Build Your Own Biotech Startup Toolkit (BHI’s Sarah Miller to present this Thursday October 14th)

Calling all women entrepreneurs! Whether you’re already a founder, thinking of starting your own company, or are curious to learn more about the ins and outs of launching a new venture, join Women In Bio-Capital Region and a panel of women founders to hear their experiences, learn about available resources, and ask any questions you may have. From financing to IP law to business strategy, learn from a diverse group of speakers who will share their experiences and perspectives from the world of biotech start-ups. Join us for a one-stop shop to start building your own personal biotech startup toolkit.

Tonix Pharmaceuticals Completes Acquisition of Infectious Disease R&D Center in Frederick, MD | citybiz

CHATHAM, N.J., Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: TNXP) (Tonix or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced it has completed the acquisition of its new research and development center (RDC) located in Frederick, Md. The approximately 48,000 square foot facility will support Tonix’s expanding infectious disease pipeline, including:

TNX-1800 – a live virus vaccine designed to protect against COVID-19
TNX-801 – a live virus vaccine designed to protect against smallpox and monkeypox
TNX-3500 – a small molecule antiviral under development to treat COVID-19
TNX-2100 – a peptide based skin test to measure functional T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2

Tonix purchased the RDC from Southern Research, a collaborating partner on TNX-1800 and TNX-801 development.

QIAGEN Receives U.S. Department of Defense Contract to Further Expand Production Capacity for NeuMoDx | Business Wire

GERMANTOWN, Md. & HILDEN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced that it had won a U.S. government contract to increase the production capacity for consumables used on its NeuMoDx 96 and 288 integrated PCR testing systems, an important step to support laboratory testing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Tweet this QIAGEN was awarded a $3.4 million contract by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of and in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to expand production capacity for COVID-19 tests running on NeuMoDx instruments at its site in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The platforms offer a unique combination of speed, flexibility, throughput and ease of use for molecular diagnostics testing, including laboratory-developed tests. By the end of March 2022, QIAGEN plans to scale up production to more than 16 million tests per year, up from the current level of about 10 million.

BHI EIR Feedback Day October 27th. Register Now!

Are you a biohealth start-up in Maryland, DC or Virginia seeking feedback on your biohealth business idea, pitch deck, or commercialization plan? Schedule your feedback session with BHI EIRs on one of the following dates. Pre-registration is required; Sign up here tinyurl.com/EIRfeedback

For questions/more information, contact BHI.

Christine Dingivan of Emmes - Washington Business Journal

When Christine Dingivan took her first job in biotech, she assumed she would stay a couple years and go back to clinical medicine as a practicing surgeon. But when she discovered how much she loved research, that plan changed permanently.

“It all just came together for me, but it was not the career that I set out for when I went to medical school,” Dingivan says. “When you develop a new drug and it becomes available, whether it’s for cancer or an influenza vaccine or a pandemic — like the Covid-19 vaccines — you see the millions of people that have the opportunity to benefit from that work. You can only treat so many patients in one career, and I really felt like I was making a bigger impact in a way.”

MIMETAS is Hiring!

Will YOU be the next one to join our cause to improve the drug development process utilizing human-relevant tissue and disease models? We are looking for commercial and scientific talent to join our teams in the Netherlands and the USA! We are looking for people to join us in the following roles:

In Gaithersburg, USA:

Business Development Manager
Westcoast Territory Manager
Operations Manager

In Oegstgeest, NL:

Business Development Manager
Digital Marketing Specialist
Scientific Marketing Writer
Product Manager
Field Application Specialist
Cell Culture Analyst

Do you see yourself shining in one of these roles? Apply now and we can’t wait to meet you! See the vacancies here --> https://lnkd.in/gNmZhPQ9

Women In Bio - Capital Region (Congrats to BHI’s Natsumi Takahashi-Vitiello joining WIB leadership team )

Welcome Dr. Ilana G. Goldberg, Melissa Lawrence, Samantha Black, PhD, Somayeh Hooshmand, Priscilla Fussell, and Natsumi Takahashi-Vitiello, PhD to our WIB-Capital Region Leadership Team! We are so excited to work with you!

Central Virginia to fast-track development of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing with launch of 'cluster accelerator'

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Activation Capital, a leading entrepreneurship and ecosystem development organization, announced the launch of a cluster accelerator to catalyze the growth of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D in Central Virginia. A coalition of private-public entities from Greater Petersburg and Greater Richmond helped form the accelerator, secured $2.5M in seed funding from GO Virginia and others, and appointed Activation Capital as the organizing entity - a first-of-its-kind initiative for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

NIA Small Business Funding Opportunities | National Institute on Aging

NIA participates in a broad range of funding opportunities, research and development (R&D) programs, and technical assistance that address innovations in healthy aging as well as Alzheimer’ disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD).

IonQ Becomes First Publicly Traded, Pure-Play Quantum Computing Company; Closes Business Combination with dMY Technology Group III

COLLEGE PARK, Md., October 01, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IonQ, Inc. ("IonQ" or the "Company") (NYSE: IONQ), a leader in quantum computing, completed its previously announced business combination with dMY Technology Group, Inc. III ("dMY") (formerly NYSE: DMYI), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, on September 30, 2021. Starting this morning, the common stock and warrants of the combined company, IonQ Inc., will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols "IONQ" and "IONQ.WS," respectively.

IonQ is a trailblazer in quantum computing with the world’s most powerful trapped-ion quantum computer, and is the only company with its quantum systems available through the cloud on Amazon Braket, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. This business combination provided IonQ with $636 million in gross proceeds to fund future growth and accelerate the commercialization of its industry-leading quantum computers.

Children's National Hospital reaches 100% COVID-19 vaccine compliance

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Children's National Hospital in D.C. has announced that 100% of its workforce, around 8,500 team members, is compliant with its COVID-19 vaccination policy.

"Back in December when vaccines first became available, around 1,500 of those team members were hesitant to get the shot," a spokesperson for Children's National said. "So a lot of targeted work and action took place since then to get to 100% compliance…"

Image: https://www.fox5dc.com

Starting a health technology company in Baltimore? Here are 43 resources to know - Technical.ly Baltimore

The digital health sector was growing rapidly. Then the pandemic came. In this case, it was a story of growth.

Following distancing requirements and loosening regulations, telemedicine became the name of the game for many healthcare systems across the nation. It was an area where Baltimore startups could add value, whether it was the “digital front door” of b.well Connected Health or Tissue Analytics‘ work with healthcare institutions to remotely monitor woundcare patients.

New Opportunities for Job Creation in Maryland’s Life Sciences Industry BY ALISSA DUBETZ, CHARLOTTE KESTEVEN, AND AARON MELAAS

Maryland has one of the nation’s strongest life sciences industries. The state’s array of universities, federal labs, and firms employ 54,000 people, generate breakthrough discoveries, and supply a range of technologies that have been key to the COVID-19 pandemic response. Despite Maryland’s high concentration of employment in research and development (R&D), the sector’s 7.4 percent growth between 2015 and 2020 trailed other leading states such as Massachusetts (58 percent) and North Carolina (38 percent). Beyond R&D employment, the state’s life sciences manufacturing sector expanded at one of the fastest rates nationwide (31 percent), but remains relatively less concentrated than the national average, indicating significant potential for further growth. Maryland’s life sciences industry also faces competition from other states for investment, particularly in entrepreneurs and startup firms that have the potential to sustain job creation across the state.