Stephan Braun

What’s next for the #pharma industry in Germany?   This was just one of many important questions I heard addressed at the Handelsblatt Pharmaceutical Conference in Berlin—a key event for the German pharma sector.  This year’s meeting offered an insightful and timely look at our country’s future as a #biopharma industry hub. There were many valuable discussions covering a wide range of topics: pressures on pricing and reimbursement, intense competition, rising healthcare costs, a shortage of skilled workers, the impact of AI, therapeutic innovation, and more.  It's encouraging to see the pharma industry playing a more and more important role in the German market, but its long-term success depends on effectively navigating these many complex issues. Our team at Vetter Pharma believes the implemented German pharmaceutical strategy is a strong, important step in the right direction – especially given the lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic regarding the security of supply and critical dependencies.  I very much enjoyed participating in the panel discussion "Germany, USA, or Asia? Industry considerations live from the practice level." It was excellently moderated by #Handelsblatt editor Theresa Rauffmann and also included Benedikt von Braunmühl, CEO of Rentschler Biopharma – our valued partner in the Xpert Alliance. They’re also a #CDMO with a shared mindset as a family-owned, globally operating business. A special thank you to the Verband Forschender Arzneimittelhersteller e.V. (VFA) and its president Han Steutel for their strategic support in making this event possible. Vetter is a proud member of this organization, which serves as a vital advocate for a strong and innovative pharmaceutical landscape in Germany and beyond. #GermanPharma #FutureofPharma #HealthCareInnovation #HBPharma

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Shilpa Biologicals, a fully owned subsidiary of Shilpa Medicare Limited, signed a strategic partnership agreement with Switzerland-based mAbTree Biologics to co-develop and commercialize mAbTree’s novel biologic asset—a checkpoint inhibitor for immuno-oncological applications. #shilpabio, #vbshilpa

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T Cell Engagers for Solid Tumors: What? How? Who? I’m happy to announce the release of my latest video in the “Emerging Therapeutics in Oncology 2025” video series - T Cell Engagers for Solid Tumors. Bispecific antibodies - and T cell engagers in particular - are taking over oncology right now. However, when it comes to T cell engagers, their therapeutic efficacy is really limited to B cell malignancies (much like CAR-T cells)…why is this? In this video (available for free - link in comments), I discuss the biological and therapeutic foundations of T cell engagers and lay out the major problems that they face when it comes to solid tumors. I then describe the three types of T cell engager designs that are being developed for use in solid tumors (see graphic), and I briefly mention the various biotech companies behind this push. I’m very excited to share this video with you all because this is one of my favorite types of therapeutics right now. So, I hope to see you inside!

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Usually, I am not posting about companies other than #PAIABiotech!❤️ But last week, #Tubulis, a German ADC developer, announced the successful closing of a huge €308 million financing round which is the largest since many years. And they presented great clinical data (links in the comments below 👇). This made me check back in with ADCs. Earlier this year I attended ADC world in London and left with the feeling that ADC companies still had a lot of challenges ahead. 👉 So what makes Tubulis tubutecan platform unique? The short answer: it unites chemical innovation, linker engineering, and payload integration - enabling production of highly stable and soluble ADCs with high DAR. Here’s how they do it: 🔹 Chemical handle: P5 (ethynylphosphonamidate) – highly selective for cysteines. Unlike maleimides, it avoids payload loss in serum → increased stability and higher tumor exposure. 🔹 Spacer: Branched PEG chains (24 units) improve solubility and counterbalance hydrophobicity of the payload and release trigger. 🔹 Payload: Exatecan, a potent topoisomerase 1 inhibitor. Benefits: ✅ High DAR of 8 without aggregation → higher tumor exposure ✅ Homogeneous conjugates → predictable PK/PD ✅ No retro-Michael reactions → superior stability vs. maleimide-based ADCs ✅ One-pot, scalable reaction 🚨 Critical questions for ADCs: what about side effects? Apparently the first ADC TUB-040 was well tolerated in a phase 1/2a trial in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and advanced non-small cell lung cancer! Quite encouraging results that seem to justify the excitement around Tubulis.🚀 And a fun fact: Tubulis CEO, Dominik Schumacher, is the son of Qiagen’s co-founder and biotech pioneer Jürgen Schumacher… I am Sebastian, founder of PAIA Biotech, posting regularly about developability of biologics and technologies for assessing molecules in early discovery. #developability #antibodydiscovery #ADC #AI #PAIA  

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I am very pleased to share that CSL Behring in Germany has successfully concluded negotiations with the GKV-Spitzenverband on an innovative, national, success-based reimbursement model for an advanced therapy medicinal product in haemophilia. This model is being implemented for the first time in Germany. It adds to the "reimbursement toolbox" for the national payer in Germany. This success underscores our commitment to pioneering therapies that not only improve patient care but also set new standards in the healthcare industry. The performance-based payment model addresses key challenges, such as the question of long-term durability reimbursement to the treatment success of each individual patient – with the added potential to reduce long-term costs for the healthcare system. If the drug's effectiveness exceeds the agreed timeframe of the durability guarantee, the healthcare system will save the equivalent of the annual therapy costs of other treatments in the therapeutic area. This model differs from previous cohort models and represents a significant advancement in gene therapy reimbursement, where the performance model is defined at a national level, but success is tracked individually. This is the novelty in Germany! We are proud to lead the way in bringing innovative therapies to patients in Germany and look forward to continuing our mission to enhance the lives of patients worldwide.

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Swiss biotech breakthrough: Mabylon AG has raised CHF 30 million to advance its human-derived antibody therapies against allergies. 🦠 💰The funding, led by former Roche executives and board members, will push lead program MY006—a tri-specific antibody for peanut allergy—into Phase Ia/b trials by 2027, while also accelerating pre-clinical programs for birch-related and grass pollen allergies. Based in Schlieren, Mabylon is pioneering next-gen treatments using naturally occurring human antibodies, addressing a huge unmet medical need. 🩺 Congrats to Alcide Barberis (PhD, CEO) and the Mabylon team on this milestone! 👏 Read the full article by Startupticker.ch here 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/gMSVe-RM #SwissStartupAssociation #SwissStartups #Biotech #HealthTech #VCfunding

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I am thrilled to announce that Gero entered into a joint research and license agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to develop novel therapies for age-related diseases. This strategic partnership grants Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize antibody drugs against specific targets discovered by Gero’s AI platform — which analyzes human datasets to identify core drivers of aging and age-related decline. In addition to an upfront payment, Chugai will pay up to ~$250 million in milestones. If Chugai successfully launches a product, it will also pay royalties on sales to Gero. Considering the multi-indication potential of Gero's targets deal holds multi-billion dollar potential for Gero as well as for Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Congratulations to the Chugai team - Hideaki Shimada, Tomoyuki Igawa, Yumiko A., Noriyuki TAKAHASHI, AKIRA Hiraide, Takuma Tsuchida, Masako Kimura, Masaki Honda, Zulkarnain H., and to the Gero team - Peter Fedichev, Maxim (Maksim) Kholin, Yury Melnichek, Brian Kennedy, Olga Burmistrova, Hannah England, and thank you for your commitment to our shared goals! The synergy between our technology platforms was clear from the very first meeting: Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.’s cutting-edge biologics capabilities complement Gero’s unique approach to AI-driven target discovery. Together, we aim to create first-in-class therapies that don’t just treat symptoms, but tackle the biological root causes of aging. A huge step forward for #longevity biotech — and for Gero’s mission to help more people live longer, healthier lives. Look for press coverage in the comments.

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It’s an exciting weekend for IO Biotech! 🙌 I’m thrilled to share that we’ll be presenting our Late-Breaking Abstract on Monday 9.50 - 10.00 CEST at #ESMO2025 in Berlin, featuring the data from our Phase 3 trial in first-line melanoma. Although the data did not suffice for a regulatory path with FDA we are still proceeding with our plans to discuss the data with the agency in Europe. The outcome of our IO -013 study not only validates our T-win technology platform it also underscores our leading position having the only vaccine strategy that has shown clear and meaningful clinical benefit with no added toxicity in a large randomised study. The textbook drug we are all looking for. Now we are looking to secure the next steps to bring this drug to patients not only in melanoma but also in other indications as will be highlight in our poster today Sunday at #ESMO2025 poster presentation 1557P between 12.00 and 12.45 CEST where we give an update on our trials in Head and Neck and Lung cancer. It’s an honor to be part of the global oncology community gathered here in Berlin — all united by the shared goal of advancing science and improving outcomes for patients. #ESMO25 #IOBiotech #Melanoma #Immunotherapy #Oncology

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Another week, another intriguing milestone in ADC space! 🚀 German biotech Tubulis GmbH has officially dosed the first patient in its Phase I/IIa 5-STAR 1-01 trial for TUB-030, marking another step forward in the rapidly evolving antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) space. 🔬 The trial, enrolling ~130 patients across the U.S. 🇺🇸 and Canada 🇨🇦, will assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of TUB-030, an ADC designed to target 5T4, an antigen prevalent in solid tumors. This study will optimize dosing and generate the first clinical proof-of-concept for this novel ADC. 💰 This milesone follows the company’s major €128M ($138.8M) financing round, one of Europe’s largest recent biotech fundraises. The company is leveraging its Tubutecan linker-payload and conjugation technology platform to improve ADC stability and targeted delivery—key differentiators in this competitive field. If you follow the news over the last couple years, it is clear, ADCs remain one of the most dynamic and high-growth areas in oncology drug development, with increasing investments from both biotech and pharma. And I am really excited about SpiroChem’s momentum in this field, because #ADCs are at the core of our expertise! Our unique capabilities enable biotech and pharma teams to overcome key challenges in ADC development. Some key highlights about our ADC solutions: ✅ Strong expertise in designing novel coupling handles (amines, acids, esters, click-chemistry, Michael acceptors) for stable and selective conjugation. ✅ Ability to balance solubility, permeability, lipophilicity, and stability to enhance ADC effectiveness. ✅ We care about ensuring optimal payload attachment to preserve drug action and prevent premature release in circulation. ✅ Specialized facilities for working with highly potent molecules in both discovery (medicinal chemistry) and process chemistry (route optimization). ✅ And of course, intellectual property (IP) protection! We develop new chemical routes and proprietary linkers to create novel ADCs. 💥 Now, I think when speaking about ADCs, the key is safety and compliance, an important factor when you hire a CRO to do the job. Our tox lab is set up to perform chemistry with highly potent molecules as well cytotoxic molecules! We have developed a #ADC chemistry, high potent compounds and tox lab specialty in the handling and preparation of toxic payloads for ADCs, such as modification of payloads, de novo synthesis of payloads (shorter route) or preparation of linker-payload constructs ready for bioconjugation to antibodies. Check our ADC capabilities (link in the comments). Let’s talk! 🤝 

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