The two firms hope improvement in the six-minute walk test might be accepted by the US FDA as registrational endpoint for reldesemtiv in spinal muscular atrophy. Blackstone acquires Clarus, while Merck licenses TriNKETs from Dragonfly.

Lynovex, a reformulated version of a molecule which has been around for decades for a rare metabolic disease, has just succeeded in a Phase IIb study to treat exacerbations in cystic fibrosis. The mutation-agnostic therapy could improve on current treatments for breakthrough exacerbations, and reduce the associated long-term damaged.

Pipeline Watch has been updated to bring greater depth and detail to a potential therapeutic product’s progress through the R&D pipeline. The table brings you a snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events in the pharma and biotech industries.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Venture Funding Deals column provides a monthly review of emerging In Vitro Diagnostic, Medical Device, and Pharmaceutical companies that have received venture funding. This month’s column covers deals announced December 2014 through January 2015.