Built on established products and royalties from drug delivery technology, Alkermes is getting ready to launch its first novel product. Scrip talked to CEO Richard Pops about the preparations.

As Sandoz tries to assist African Union member states by selling its pandemic response portfolio medicines for zero profit, mAbxience has partnered with AstraZeneca to produce a vaccine. And CDMO Hovione has struck a deal with Ligand to boost manufacturing of Captisol, a critical ingredient for Gilead’s remdesivir.

Private Company Edition: The Novo Holdings Repair Impact Fund wants to fund another round of antimicrobial resistance efforts. Also, Atlas Venture raised a new $400m fund, Everest closed a $310m series C round and Cognition received a $78.5m grant.

The Belgian drugmaker is getting hold of a device that delivers an inhaled formulation of the anxiety drug alprazolam which can rapidly terminate an epileptic seizure 30 seconds after it has begun.