Halvern and Palisade part ways; Sundari names a new research chief

Halvern Therapeutics and Palisade Rx ended a four-year research partnership after their lead kidney disease candidate failed to outperform standard treatment in a mid-stage trial. Halvern keeps rights to two earlier programs.

Sundari Life Sciences appointed a new chief scientific officer, a former academic who led neuroscience research at a large European drugmaker. She starts in November, weeks before the company's Alzheimer's readout.

Nordlicht Pharma will spend €400 million to expand a sterile injectables plant in County Cork, adding about 250 jobs over three years.

Marrow Peak raised $180 million in a Series C round to fund protein crystallization experiments in low-Earth orbit, which the company says yield more uniform drug formulations.