PharmaVentures advises Douglas Pharmaceuticals on its licensing deal with Daré Bioscience

London, UK, 6 September 2023: PharmaVentures is pleased to announce that it acted as the exclusive advisor to Douglas Pharmaceuticals on its U.S. license agreement with Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: DARE) to develop and commercialise R-131-2, a novel topical medicinal candidate for the treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Under the agreement with Douglas Pharmaceuticals, Daré Bioscience will be responsible for advancing the development of R-131-2 in the U.S. while Douglas Pharmaceuticals will retain rights in other territories. Douglas Pharmaceuticals will also support the further development of the product and regulatory package and manufacture the drug for clinical and commercial supply.

Stephen Waterman, Managing Director at PharmaVentures, said “We are pleased to have assisted Douglas in finding a suitable U.S. partner for the development and commercialisation of R-131-2 and excited for the potential impact this pharmacological treatment can have on women affected with these conditions. We look forward to helping Douglas with more partnerships for R-131-2.”

Fintan Walton, Founder and CEO of PharmaVentures, said “PharmaVentures has advised and supported our long-standing client, Douglas Pharmaceuticals, through the discussion with Daré Bioscience. This is yet another exciting example of how PharmaVentures can help clients reach their partnering goals.”

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For further information, please contact:

Stephen Waterman
Managing Director
stephen@pharmaventures.com

 

About PharmaVentures

PharmaVentures is a premier transaction advisory firm and a leading international company in partnering, M&A deals and strategic alliances.

For over 30 years, PharmaVentures has acted as advisor on over 1000 deal related projects covering licensing, mergers, acquisitions, divestments, and joint venture activities for companies worldwide.

PharmaVentures’ deep bank of specialist experience, deal analytics and network of contacts among innovators and large pharma makes it uniquely placed to support business in all aspects of deal making and strategic planning.

PharmaVentures is well known for its deep insight into deal structures and its success for generating partnering interest.

PharmaVentures’ services include:

  •  M&A (divestments, mergers, acquisitions, and strategic transactions)
  • Licensing (in and out licensing)
  • Fundraising Support
  • Strategy (commercialisation, deal strategy, due diligence, market entry)
  • Valuations (licensing, M&A, and fundraising)
  • Pricing and Market Access

PharmaVentures is based in London, UK, and employs over 30 professionals and has associates in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

NOTE: This Press release is issued by PharmaVentures Limited, whose wholly owned subsidiary PharmaVentures Capital Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (741356). This communication is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or engage in any investment products, securities or services and should not be deemed as such.

For more details, visit https://www.pharmaventures.com

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pharmaventures/

About Douglas Pharmaceuticals

Douglas Pharmaceuticals is New Zealand’s largest privately owned pharmaceutical and healthcare company. It was founded in 1967 by pharmacist Sir Graeme Douglas and today employs over 700 people and exports to over 40 countries around the world.

The Douglas mission is to ‘Improve Lives’ by providing innovative, competitive, and high-quality healthcare solutions. Douglas’ core business is producing prescription drugs for areas including oncology, dermatology, the central nervous system, and immunology. Douglas develops, manufactures, and distributes novel and generic products, with a preference for those where there is a strong intellectual property position as well as technical complexity in areas of high unmet need.

Furthermore, as of Sep 2022 a state-of-the-art research and development facility has opened in West Auckland, which aims to use world class medical research to find solutions for a range of serious illnesses. The $50MM Douglas Innovation centre is part of the long-established Douglas campus in Auckland. The three story, 4,500sq metre building was 18 months in construction. It employs 100 people and includes laboratory, pilot scale product development suites, commercial manufacturing rooms which can handle highly potent and cytotoxic products, and office space. Manufacturing capabilities include soft gelatine encapsulation, liquids, creams, and modified release oral dosage forms.

For more information, please visit: www.douglas.co.nz

 

 

Financial and Technical Aspects Driving Today’s Life Sciences Deal Making

PharmaVentures Podcast Series, Edition 11

Listen as Andrew Guise gives key insight into the deal making landscape – asset value, accessing the market, positioning and the actual deal process in the current economic climate – from the unique position standing astride both the financial world and the technical world translating science into value.

About the Interviewee:

Andrew Guise is a Managing Director at PharmaVentures and is a member of the Corporate Advisory Team.

Andrew is a highly accomplished executive with a wealth of experience in finance, business development, and leadership. Notable deals including IPOs for IsoTis, Genmab and Thrombogenics, secondaries for Serono ($4bn), divestments of, St Martins Healthcare (hospitals), Degussa Dental, Synthes Stratec (ortho), Plasso to Becton Dickenson (lab supply), Oxxon to Oxford Bio (immunotherapy), Surface Therapeutics to Serentis (dermatology), Zyentia to Lonza (protein refolding). Andrew has held Board positions at Oxford Biosensors (POC diag), Oxitec (pest control), Prolysis (anti -infectives), Purity Health (reformulation), and Gaia Biotherapeutics (cannabinoids).

During his professional career Andrew has acted as advisor (SME to FTSE 100), VC investor, and held Board / C suite roles in a number of life science companies across multiple sectors.  Andrew has over 30 years’ experience in all areas of healthcare. Andrew holds a BEng in Biochemical Engineering and a PhD in Protein Refolding.

About the Presenter:

Adrian Dawkes is a Managing Director at PharmaVentures and has been with the company since 2007. Adrian has led multiple consultancy, licensing and M&A mandates.

During his professional career, Adrian has significant multi-discipline expertise spanning research and development through to sales, marketing and business development. Adrian has over 30 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and consultancy services sectors. Adrian holds a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Immunochemistry.

 

 

 

 

 

The impact of AI on drug development

by Dr Fintan Walton, CEO and Founder, PharmaVentures.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown remarkable potential in transforming various industries, and drug development is no exception. However, harnessing the power of AI in this field comes with its unique challenges.

One of the primary challenges is data quality and quantity. AI algorithms require vast amounts of high-quality data to make accurate predictions and decisions. In drug development, obtaining comprehensive and reliable data from clinical trials, genomics, and other sources can be a complex task. Additionally, integrating data from diverse sources and ensuring data privacy and security pose significant hurdles.

Another challenge lies in the interpretability and transparency of AI models. In drug development, understanding the reasoning behind AI-generated predictions is critical for gaining regulatory approval and building trust among stakeholders. Complex AI models often function as black boxes, making it challenging to explain their decisions to researchers and regulators.

Additionally, the lack of standardised protocols and regulations for AI in drug development presents obstacles. Regulatory agencies are yet to establish clear guidelines for validating and approving AI-driven drug development processes, causing uncertainty and slow adoption.

Lastly, the high cost and expertise required for AI implementation pose challenges for smaller pharmaceutical companies and research institutions. Investing in AI technologies and building in-house expertise can be financially demanding and may deter widespread adoption.

Addressing these challenges requires collaborative efforts from stakeholders, including regulators, researchers, and industry players. Striking the right balance between innovation and regulation, improving data accessibility and standardisation, and enhancing AI model interpretability are crucial steps towards fully leveraging the potential of AI in drug development. With careful consideration and collaboration, AI can revolutionise the discovery and development of lifesaving medications.

The author of this commentary was solely the AI application ChatGPT not Fintan Walton!

Issue 38


Termsheet 38

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Current Challenges for CROs and CDMOs in Drug Development and Supply

Listen as Frank Dollard, Steve Garland and Jansen Jacob discuss the ways in which pharma and biotech companies are getting control back over their supply chain and the opportunities they are seeing from best practice;  how the importance of quality and efficiency, including moves towards new low-cost regions in the West, are reducing risk for manufacturers whilst governments are trying to squeeze costs to meet the needs of a larger proportion of people requiring more medicines.

About the Interviewees:

Frank Dollard is a Senior Advisor at PharmaVentures.

Frank has a 40-year track-record of success and innovation in the Pharmaceutical Industry working for Glaxo, BMS and Pliva. His main experiences cover Manufacturing, Quality Management, Commercial, Supply-Chain and Procurement (Strategic Sourcing) within the ethical & generic pharmaceutical and devices industry. He has formed and led teams in Europe/USA/Latin America and the Pacific Rim. Frank is a chemistry graduate from the University of Liverpool. Since joining PharmaVentures, Frank has opined on multiple divestment projects, including the recent sale of Novartis’ manufacturing plants to Siegfried.

Steve Garland is an Expert Advisor at PharmaVentures.

With over 35 years’ experience in the biologics industry Steve’s career has covered the manufacturing, process development, business development and general management of vaccine (human and animal), recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies and cell and gene therapy product supply.  Steve has worked in both the CDMO and multi-product organisations and has extensive experience of microbial, yeast and mammalian cell culture systems ranging from less than 500mL to 12,000L scale using single use disposable and purpose designed and built stainless steel equipment.

A microbiologist by education Steve has lived and worked in the Netherlands.  He has led technology transfer projects into, out of and within the UK, has worked as a process expert on facility design and build within and without of the UK and has been process/facility lead on several M&A assignments.

Jansen Jacob is a Vice President at PharmaVentures.

Jansen is a healthcare transactions professional with nearly 20 years in the life science sector with expertise in M&A, licensing, business strategy, commercial due-diligence and deal structuring. At PharmaVentures, Jansen has played a key role in the divestment of manufacturing and R&D businesses on behalf of top 10 large pharmaceutical companies, resulting in multi-million dollar deals. Over the years he has also worked on a diverse range of assignments including licensing, valuation and strategy projects.

About the Presenter:

Adrian Dawkes is a Managing Director at PharmaVentures and has been with the company since 2007. Adrian has led multiple consultancy, licensing and M&A mandates.

During his professional career, Adrian has significant multi-discipline expertise spanning research and development through to sales, marketing and business development. Adrian has over 30 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and consultancy services sectors. Adrian holds a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Immunochemistry.