Aclaris bags St. Louis biotech for $20M; Pfizer investing $100M in gene therapy work

→ The Pfizer vets at Confluence Life Sciences have agreed to be bought out by Aclaris $ACRS in a deal that comes with $20 million in cash and stock. The biotech’s lead product include CDD-450, a novel MK-2 pathway inhibitor, topical Janus kinase inhibitors, and IL2-inducible T-cell kinase inhibitor programs.

→ Pfizer is pumping $100 million into its operations in Sanford, NC as it expands manufacturing capability for gene therapies. The move will add 40 jobs at the campus. Pfizer bought out Chapel Hill-based Bamboo last year in a $700 million deal as it ramped up its focus on gene therapies.

→ There’s more bad news for Juno Therapeutics. Another law firm is taking aim at Juno in a class action suit, saying its failure to disclose deaths of patients in its notorious mid-stage study of JCAR015 had left investors exposed.