Based on promising Phase II data, two companies in South Korea are moving ahead with late-stage development in the gout space, with JW Pharmaceutical getting approvals to begin a multinational Phase III trial for epaminurad, while LG Chem has recently submitted an application for a Phase III program with its contender tigulixostat.

Private Company Edition: Third quarter venture capital funding for biopharmaceutical firms fell from Q2, but activity remains near all-time highs year-to-date. Several companies announced VC financings in early October, including Ascidian, which launched with $50m in series A financing.

Public Company Financings: Theravance sold its 85% interest in Trelegy royalties from GSK and Innoviva sold its 15% interest for up to $1.8bn in total. Also, ProKidney grossed $597m from its SPAC merger, Pliant raised $200m in a post-Phase IIa offering and Marinus earned $110m in a PRV sale.

Pieris and Genentech try partnering again after a disappointing IO tie-up before. Biogen’s hectic May includes partnerships with Ginkgo, Envisagenics, Capsigen and an opt-in on TMS’s stroke candidate.