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AC Immune's promising Parkinson ́s vaccine & a British biotech buys a US company for pennies per share

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Joachim Eeckhout & Eduardo Longoria
December 15, 2025

 

Good morning! After 30 years with basically nothing new, gonorrhea drug development just pulled a full Double Impact—Jean-Claude Van Damme style. The FDA approved Innoviva’s oral antibiotic Nuzolvence (zoliflodacin) for uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea, one day after clearing GSK’s Blujepa for the same indication, marking the first new class of treatments for the sexually transmitted infection in decades. The timing matters: drug-resistant gonorrhea is rising, the infection hits 80+ million people globally each year, and current options rely on injectable antibiotics that don’t always work or can’t be used at all. Nuzolvence’s approval, backed by a large global Phase 3 trial run with the non-profit GARDP, gives clinicians a rare new oral option just as public health agencies have been warning that resistance is catching up faster than innovation. 

Enjoy today’s read!

—Joachim E.

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SNAPSHOT

AC Immune’s Parkinson’s vaccine shows promise after holding steady in Phase 2 trials

 

AC Immune’s experimental Parkinson’s vaccine showed encouraging Phase 2 results, with signs of slowed disease progression and a strong safety profile, sending its stock up nearly 14%. 

Why it matters: Parkinson’s affects over 10 million people worldwide with no cure in sight. A vaccine that slows progression could reshape treatment options and improve quality of life for millions.

Backstory: AC Immune is testing a vaccine that prompts the immune system to attack alpha-synuclein, a protein tied to Parkinson’s. Its mid-stage trial involves ~150 early-stage patients over 76 weeks. This vaccine has been very strategic for AC Immune after it attempted to lower costs by narrowing its focus and cutting 30% of its workforce.

Big picture: These findings mark the first time an active immunotherapy has shown potential to slow Parkinson’s, a breakthrough moment in neurodegenerative disease research.

Zoom in: Interim results from 34 patients in treated groups show stable neurofilament light chain levels (a marker of nerve damage), while placebo groups worsened. Clinical measures of motor function appeared to stabilize as well. The side effects were mostly mild, with injection site reactions (over 50%), low rates of fatigue (12%), and headaches (15%).

What’s next: The full data of this phase 2 trial, arriving by mid-2026, is eagerly anticipated and AC Immune plans to seek regulatory feedback to potentially fast-track development.

SNIPPETS

What’s happening in biotech today?

❌ Penny buyout: UK-based Cycle Pharmaceuticals is acquiring Applied Therapeutics in a deal valued at just 8.8 cents per share ($13.4 million in total value), following a year of significant setbacks for the American rare disease biotech. Applied’s lead drug candidate, govorestat, failed to meet endpoints in late-stage trials for both classic galactosemia and CMT-SORD, leading to an FDA rejection, layoffs, and a dire financial position. The acquisition includes contingent value rights offering potential payouts tied to future regulatory approvals and sales milestones, and a promissory note of up to $8.5 million to sustain Applied’s operations. Applied’s board unanimously approved the deal, expected to close in early 2026.

 🗑️ TIGIT tossed: Arcus Biosciences has terminated development of its TIGIT-targeting cancer drug domvanalimab after a Phase 3 trial in untreated gastric and esophageal cancers was halted for futility, as it failed to show survival benefits over Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo. The trial combined domvanalimab with zimberelimab and chemotherapy, but an independent committee found no improvement in outcomes, prompting Arcus to shift focus to its other cancer candidate, casdatifan. The setback adds to a series of failures for TIGIT-based therapies across the industry. Despite the disappointment, Arcus remains well-funded and plans to expand casdatifan’s development in kidney cancer and other tumor types.

 🧬 Peptide power: Syneron Bio, a Chinese biotech startup focused on developing macrocyclic peptide therapeutics for oncology and chronic diseases, has raised nearly $100 million through Series A and A+ financing rounds. The funding was led by AstraZeneca and its joint AstraZeneca-CICC Healthcare Investment Fund, with participation from major investors including Pfizer’s Biotech Development Fund, GL Ventures, 5Y Capital, and others. The investment follows a strategic collaboration formed in March between AstraZeneca and Syneron, which includes up to $3.4 billion in potential milestone payments.

⚖️ VC bankruptcy: Biotech venture firm Apple Tree Partners (ATP) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid a legal dispute with its primary financial backers, entities tied to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, over the withholding of nearly $100 million in pledged funds. ATP says the restructuring will protect its 30 biotech startups, many focused on advanced therapies, from collapse.

🌊 Series A splash: Sidera Bio, a Danish biotech company, has secured approximately 700 million kroner ($109 million) in a Series A funding round, one of the largest early-stage biotech financings in Denmark’s history. The round attracted major international investors, including Novo Holdings, Forbion, RA Capital Healthcare Fund, and Gilde Healthcare. Sidera is led by CEO Keld Flintholm Jørgensen, a former executive at Lundbeck and Roche, and inked a licensing deal with the Chinese Lepu Medical Technology earlier this year for exclusive, ex-China rights to obesity candidate MWN105, a GLP-1/GIP/FGF21 triple agonist.

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