VX-880 is the first iteration of a cell therapy strategy which Vertex believes can bring curative treatment for Type 1 diabetes, but competition in this field is building.

Private Company Edition: Scrip spoke with the leaders of Gateway Labs and Cure at the BIO International Convention about their mini ecosystems. Also, radiopharmaceutical firm ITM raised €188m ($201.9m), Santa Ana Bio emerged with $168m and Alzheon’s series E totaled $100m.

A year is a long time in biopharma. Pharmaprojects’ annual pipeline review finds changes in the therapeutic spread of drug candidates and a reordering of the top R&D companies, as Chinese firms made their presence felt all the more over the past 12 months.

Lilly has agreed to pay $1.4bn to acquire Point even though the company’s two lead candidates are out-licensed to Lantheus. The deal looks like an early-stage play to build a strong position in an emerging field.