→ Jump­ing in­to the erupt­ing field of gam­ma delta T cells, J&J has signed a col­lab­o­ra­tion with La­va Ther­a­peu­tics. Like a se­ries of oth­er biotechs that have emerged in re­cent years, Nether­lands-based La­va de­vel­ops bis­pe­cif­ic an­ti­bod­ies that grab gam­ma delta T cells, which are in­volved in rec­og­niz­ing can­cers and oth­er types of anti­gens, to at­tack eva­sive tu­mors. Fi­nan­cial terms were not dis­closed.

→ Fol­low­ing pos­i­tive re­sults from a Phase III study on its lead drug, Myokar­dia is try­ing to raise $605 mil­lion in a stock of­fer­ing. The of­fer­ing comes af­ter the tri­al re­sults al­most dou­bled the biotech’s stock price from $61.09 to $120.16 as of this morn­ing, and with Myokar­dia prepar­ing to ask the FDA for ap­proval ear­ly next year. The drug treats hy­per­trophic car­diomy­opa­thy, a dis­or­der that in­ter­feres with the abil­i­ty of the heart to pump blood through the body. Peak sale es­ti­mates are for over $2 bil­lion.

→ The FDA has ap­proved Po­m­a­lyst – the thalido­mide-de­riv­a­tive de­vel­oped by Cel­gene for mul­ti­ple myelo­ma and now owned by Bris­tol My­ers Squibb – for AIDS-re­lat­ed and HIV-neg­a­tive Ka­posi’s Sar­co­ma. Bris­tol My­ers said this is the first new ap­proved treat­ment in over 20 years for Ka­posi’s Sar­co­ma and the first oral agent.

RNA biotech GreenLight Biosciences has been handed an offer for potential acquisition.

GreenLight said in a release that it has received a non-binding “indication of interest” from Fall Line Endurance Fund to acquire GreenLight’s capital stock for $0.60 per share in cash. The release said any potential agreement between the two parties would depend on certain conditions.

Through a special committee, the biotech will evaluate the offer but added there’s no certainty a deal will go forward. GreenLight will also not make any more announcements until a deal comes through or “otherwise determines” a statement is necessary.

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended nine drugs for approval this week while also giving thumbs up for six expanded indications, including Novo Nordisk’s approved obesity medication Wegovy for younger people. Wegovy is already approved as an obesity treatment in the EU for adults, and the new indication would allow prescriptions for adolescents aged 12 and older.

A public T cell biotech’s chief executive has decided to leave the company.

TScan Therapeutics said Friday morning that CEO David Southwell stepped down earlier this week, leaving both his chief executive and board member roles. Filling in is Gavin MacBeath, the company’s CSO and COO. He became the acting CEO on Tuesday, and will continue to remain CSO and COO, TScan’s announcement read.

The German life science group Sartorius will be picking up French contract manufacturer Polyplus for the price of €2.4 billion, or $2.6 billion.

On Friday, Sartorius announced the acquisition through its French subgroup, Sartorius Stedim Biotech, which will be acquiring Polyplus from private investors ARCHIMED and WP GG Holdings IV. Polyplus has 270 employees and produces materials and components that go into making viral vectors that are used in cell and gene therapies. This includes DNA/RNA reagents as well as plasmid DNA. Polyplus has locations in France, Belgium, China and the US.