2013

• Covagen secures CHF 42 million in a tranched Series B financing with an option to obtain an additional CHF 14 million that would increase the total amount of the financing round to CHF 56 million. This is one of the largest private financing rounds for a preclinical-stage biotech company in Europe.
• Roche and Molecular Partners enter into alliance to develop new cancer treatment. Partnership will combine novel biologics (DARPins) with Roche drug-conjugate technology. Molecular Partners is entitled to receive upfront and initiation payments up to CHF 55 million. Furthermore, Molecular Partners will receive research funding and can earn more than CHF 1 billion if all development and sales milestones are met for all potential products. In addition Molecular Partners will receive tiered royalties on any future product sales into the double-digit percentage range.
• Roche gains FDA approval with breakthrough therapy designation for its chronic lymphocytic leukemia agent Obinutuzumab which was discovered at Roche Glycart in Schlieren.
• InSphero ranks no. 5 of the 100 best start-ups in Switzerland.
• The University of Zurich opens new research facilities in the Bio-Technopark.
• The University Hospital commissions an innovative integrated PET/MRI scanner for state-of-the-art imaging in the fields of oncology, neurology, and cardiac diagnostics.
• The first of four planned 11-story buildings is inaugurated.

2012

• ProteoMediX AG has been awarded the Swiss Technology Award 2012 in the category start-up.
• Covagen announced that it has entered into a strategic research collaboration and license agreement with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (Osaka, Japan) and its fully owned subsidiary Tanabe Research Laboratories U.S.A., Inc. of San Diego Calif. (TRL). For the global, exclusive rights to bispecific FynomAbs against one target pair, Mitsubishi Tanabe will pay to Covagen EUR 4.0 million upfront. Under the agreement, Mitsubishi Tanabe will fund all research activities and be solely responsible for the development, manufacturing and global commercialization activities. Upon achievement of certain research, development and regulatory milestones, Covagen will be entitled to receive payments of up to EUR 108.25 million for FynomAbs against the first target pair as well as tiered royalties on worldwide net sales of products resulting from the collaboration.
• Business Acquisition: Scanco Medical AG to acquire b-cube AG Scanco Medical AG and b-cube AG are pleased to announce that the two companies have entered negotiations for Scanco Medical to acquire b-cube in mutual agreement.
• Allergan, Inc. (NYSE: AGN) and Molecular Partners AG announced that they have significantly expanded their existing relationship by entering into two separate agreements to discover, develop, and commercialize proprietary therapeutic DARPin^® products for the treatment of serious ophthalmic diseases. Molecular Partners will receive combined upfront payments of USD 62.5 million under the two agreements and is eligible to receive additional success-based payments, including up to USD 1.4 billion in aggregate development, regulatory and sales milestones, and tiered royalties up into the low double-digits for future product sales.
• Cytos to raise up to CHF 37 million from international and strategic investors to advance asthma clinical program.

2011

• Molecular Partners enters into a strategic research collaboration and option agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc. in immunology to develop multispecific DARPins^®. Molecular Partners will receive significant upfront fees, license payments and research funding as part of an innovative agreement, as well as development and sales milestones of up to USD 200 million for each option. Upon commercialization, Molecular Partners will be entitled to a tiered and up to double-digit royalty on worldwide net sales.
• Sunstar Suisse SA acquires ETH spin-off Degradable Solutions.
• BiognoSYS, Covagen, NemoDevices, Neurimmune und Redbiotec belong to the Top 100 Start-ups in Switzerland.
• Allergan and Molecular Partners enter into an exclusive license agreement for MP0112 for the treatment of retinal disease. Molecular Partners will receive an up-front payment of USD 45 million and is further entitled to receive additional payments of up to an aggregate of USD 375 million upon meeting certain development, regulatory and sales milestones. In addition, Molecular Partners will receive tiered double-digit royalties on any future sales of MP0112.