Plus, news about OPKO, HealthCare Royalty, Inventiva, Exscientia and GT Apeiron:
Boehringer Ingelheim ups its R&D budget: Back in April, the company said it would invest €36 billion ($39 billion) in R&D between now and 2028. Boehringer now plans to increase that figure by an undisclosed amount “to be ready for potential launches as early as next year,” according to a spokesperson who touted upcoming readouts in oncology, mental health and pulmonary fibrosis. — Nicole DeFeudis
Valneva, Pfizer’s Lyme vaccine candidate advances: The companies said they completed testing of a primary vaccine series for their shot, called VLA15. The Phase 3 VALOR study will have participants get a one-year booster dose as the final step, and they’re planning to make regulatory submissions in the US and Europe in 2026. The trial ran into “good clinical practice” hurdles last year, leading to the removal of thousands of study participants. Those issues led to trial hiccups, delays and a major downsizing at a CRO involved in the study. — Kyle LaHucik
OPKO, HealthCare Royalty ink $250 million purchase agreement: OPKO receives profit share payments from Pfizer per a licensing agreement for Ngenla, a treatment for pediatric growth hormone deficiency. OPKO CEO Phillip Frost said the agreement allows the company “to retain a significant portion of Ngenla’s profit share payments in the near term” and “permits OPKO to maintain the full benefit of the $100 million of remaining potential milestone payments from Pfizer.” — Katherine Lewin
Inventiva extends cash runway with royalty certificates: The certificates amount to approximately €20.1 million ($22 million), with Inventiva CEO Frederic Cren saying that the move will extend the company’s cash runway and “demonstrates the commitment from our key shareholders to continue the development of lanifibranor.” Lanifibranor is being developed for the treatment of MASH/NASH. It’s currently being tested in the NATiV3 Phase 3 trial. Inventiva plans to use 95% of the proceeds from the royalty certificates to progress the trial. — Katherine Lewin
Exscientia acquires GT Apeiron’s oral CDK7 inhibitor program: The program includes GTAEXS617, which will be investigated in a Phase 1/2 trial in patients with HR+/HER2- breast cancer whose cancers have progressed on CDK4/6 inhibitors. Exscientia is paying $10 million upfront, plus $10 million in equity. — Katherine Lewin