The latest from small and Emerging Pharma companies featuring Ambros Therapeutics, Cytokinetics, Day One Biopharmaceuticals/Mersana Therapeutics, Ikarovec/VectorBuilder, Rakuten Medical, and Soley Therapeutics.

For news on the large and mid-sized bio/pharmaceutical companies, see Global Briefs

* Ambros Therapeutics Launches as New Company
* Cytokinetics Gets FDA Approval for Heart Drug 
* Day One Biopharmaceuticals Acquires Mersana Therapeutics 
* Ikarovec, VectorBuilder in Technology Agreement
* Rakuten Medical Raises $100 M for Regulatory Approval
* Soley Therapeutics Raises $200 M in Financing 

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Ambros Therapeutics Launches as New Company 
Ambros Therapeutics, an Irvine, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, has announced its launch as a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing late-stage therapies for severe, underserved diseases beginning with neridronate for complex regional pain syndrome Type 1 (CRPS-1). Ambros launches with an oversubscribed $125 million Series A financing. 

Source: Ambros Therapeutics 

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Cytokinetics Gets FDA Approval for Heart Drug 
Cytokinetics, a South San Francisco, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Myqorzo (aficamten), 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg tablets for the treatment of adults with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to improve functional capacity and symptoms. This is the first drug approval for the company. 

Source: Cytokinetics 

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Day One Biopharmaceuticals Acquires Mersana Therapeutics 
Day One Biopharmaceuticals, a Brisbane, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, has acquired Mersana Therapeutics, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based bio/pharmaceutical company, adding an oncology-focused antibody drug conjugate to the company’s clinical pipeline. 

Source: Day One Biopharmaceuticals 

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Ikarovec, VectorBuilder in Technology Agreement 
Ikarovec, a Norwich, UK-based bio/pharmaceutical company focused on vision, and VectorBuilder, a Chicago, Illinois-based life sciences technology company, have entered an agreement for VectorBuilder’s adeno-associated virus capsid technology to be used in combination with Ikarovec’s gene therapy candidate, IKAR-003, for intermediate age-related macular degeneration.

Source: Ikarovec 

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Rakuten Medical Raises $100 M for Regulatory Approval 
Rakuten Medical, a San Diego, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company developing Alluminox, a platform-based photoimmunotherapy, has announced the closing of a $100-million Series F financing round, which it will use to advance its top priority: securing US regulatory approval for Alluminox. 

Source: Rakuten Medical 

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Soley Therapeutics Raises $200 M in Financing 
Soley Therapeutics, a South San Francisco, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, has announced a $200-million Series C financing to advance its cell stress-sensing platform and pipeline of therapeutics into the clinic. Proceeds will support IND-enabling work and clinical trials for two internally discovered and developed oncology assets, in addition to advancement of the non-oncology stress-reducing drug candidates for neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic diseases, and continued platform scale-up. 

Source: Soley Therapeutics