Research collaborations with China, including those in the life science sector, are being put under the microscope as defense authorities express concerns about Chinese espionage in Europe.

Sunday’s sales agreement between US-based Kempharm and Orphazyme will be decided on May 30, when the company’s creditors meet to vote on the proposal.

Co-Founder and former CSO of Orphazyme Thomas Kirkegaard Jensen and Bo Rode Hansen, CEO of Scandion Oncology, are both involved in another secret venture backed by Novo Holdings.

Allan Flyvbjerg, CEO of Steno Diabetes Center in Copenhagen, says Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide has proved itself a fierce challenger to Novo Nordisk’s newest generation of diabetes drugs.

In 2015, Genmab partnered with relatively unknown biotech firm Biontech. Reflecting on how far Genmab has come since, CEO Jan van de Winkel is still confident that partnerships, rather than acquisitions, are the way forward. If it had acquired Biontech at the time, the CEO speculates Genmab may have put a stop to other activities – including the Covid-19 vaccine efforts that went on to save millions of lives. This and fairness are worth remembering as biotech firms are increasingly strapped for cash, van de Winkel reflects.