Allele claims Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody cocktail and Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine infringe its fluorescent protein patent. Regeneron asks court to toss suit against it, arguing use of protein for FDA submission is protected. A different court denied Pfizer/BioNTech’s motion to dismiss similar suit.

Private Company Edition: With $8.9bn raised in the second quarter, venture capital investment in biopharma companies reached its second highest quarterly total to date – behind only Q1 of this year. Also, Nimbus Therapeutics raised $105m and European drug developers get in on the VC action. 

The intellectual property, also held by Eureka, may offer a new pathway for treating relapsed MM patients. Sorrento inks cancer partnerships with Karolinska Institutet and Mayo Clinic.

Expanded indications will be key for Novartis's Beovu and a successful diabetic macular edema trial has provided a fillip, a week after the wet AMD-approved drug posted a 44% slump in sales.