Bayer and Dewpoint Therapeutics partner to research new treatments for cardiovascular and gynecological diseases
Bayer and Dewpoint Therapeutics, a biotechnology company with sites in Boston and Dresden, Germany, announced an option, research and license agreement worth up to USD 100 million. The partnership will leverage Dewpoint’s proprietary platform for biomolecular condensates and Bayer’s small molecule compound library to develop new treatments for cardiovascular and gynecological diseases. 
Merz, a global, diversified healthcare company, has announced plans for a new business structure that will enable the company to better address customer and patient needs, shorten innovation cycles and capitalize on new market opportunities. 
HERTFORDSHIRE, England & PITTSBURGH & Mylan N.V. (NASDAQ: MYL) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced that the name of the new company to be formed by the planned combination of Mylan and Upjohn, a division of Pfizer, will be Viatris (pronounced 'viǝ-trīs). 
Boehringer Ingelheim presented promising preclinical data from its pan-KRAS program including the novel, oral inhibitor BI 1701963 at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston, USA(1). Based on these results the compound has been advanced to Phase I clinical testing alone and in combination with trametinib in patients with different types of advanced solid tumors with KRAS mutations. 
AstraZeneca has agreed the sale and licence of the commercial rights to Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate immediate release) and Seroquel XR (quetiapine fumarate extended release) in Europe and Russia to Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH (Cheplapharm). Seroquel and Seroquel XR, used primarily to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, have lost their compound patent protection in Europe and Russia. 
Novartis today announced positive topline results from the Phase III REACH2 study evaluating Jakavi® (ruxolitinib) in patients with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). The study met its primary endpoint of superior overall response rate (ORR) at day 28 of treatment with Jakavi, compared with best available therapy (BAT)[1].