Chimerix, DeSimone, Merz, & More in NC Innovation News
Summary
—Chimerix’s (NASDAQ: CMRX) lead antiviral drug candidate failed a late-stage clinical trial of its ability to prevent a potentially deadly infection in transplant patients, sparking a more than 80 percent drop in the Durham company’s stock.But Chimerix shares showed a small recovery after Point72 Asset Management, led by hedge fund billionaire Steven Cohen, disclosed in a securities filing that it owned a 5.3 percent stake in the drug developer.DeSimone is currently on leave from his teaching duties to serve as CEO of Carbon3D, a Silicon Valley-based 3D printing technology company spun out of UNC.—Merz North America received FDA approval to expand use of one of its drugs to include upper limb spasticity, a condition that makes muscles in the arms stiff and flexed.—In other funding news, MapAnything, a company that provides mapping and location-based analytics for Salesforce users, raised $7.3 million in a Series A round of financing.