Following last year's licensing deal with Precision Biosciences and the acquisition of Prevail Therapeutics, Eli Lilly is expanding its gene therapy efforts by backing Jaguar, a start-up staffed by former AveXis bosses.

With superiority over epoetin apparently off the table, FibroGen and AstraZeneca expect a US FDA advisory committee in July, and hope that additional safety analyses for roxadustat will help support a positive overall risk-benefit profile.

Private Company Edition: Clover’s $230m financing was the largest of recent mega-rounds. Century Therapeutics ($160m), Vividion ($135m) and eGenesis ($125m) also raised big rounds and investors Foresite Capital ($969m), Sofinnova Partners ($540m) and OMX Ventures ($150m) raised new VC funds. 

Interview: recently appointed CEO Richard Francis will apply his background in big pharma and biotech to building the UK start-up Purespring Therapeutics with a focus on using gene therapy technology to target renal diseases.