Public Company Edition: Three $100m-plus US initial public offerings launched on 15 July after two smaller biopharma IPOs earlier in the month. Also, Gelesis announced a SPAC merger, Brii and Amniotics launched ex-US IPOs, and Intellia, Cerevel and Kymera priced large follow-on offerings. 

Swedish biotech Amniotics is developing a broad pipeline of unique stem cell therapeutics based on technology that is broadly applicable to major disease markets which should eventually draw the attention of big pharma players, its CEO tells Scrip.

Launched to develop a better stent for treating bifurcated lesions, Stentys discovered its device appears to be effective in treating a larger unmet clinical need: acute myocardial infarction. This strategy shift holds great promise, but the company must convince physicians that its self-expanding stent will succeed where others have failed, and that it is superior to traditional stents from the major cardiovascular players.

In this interview, Marv Woodall, the architect of Johnson & Johnson's cardiology business, reflects on the ups and downs of building a stent business, integrating a hostile takeover, and why--despite all their success--stents have not met their original goal.