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4 n e w h a v e n B I Z | J a n u a r y 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m A r o u n d t h e R e g i o n BIC acquires Boston digital writing company BIC, which manufactures stationery products such as pens and pencils and has its U.S. headquarters in Shelton, recently acquired digital notebook company Rock- etbook. BIC is paying $40 million upfront for the startup, with the potential for more pay- ments based on future performance. Boston-based Rocketbook makes cloud-connected, smart and reusable note- books and accessories. A Rocketbook notebook can be written in just like the traditional pen and paper note- books students have been using for years, but the content can be sent to various cloud services for storage and later access. If a user wipes the notebook with a damp cloth, the writing disappears, so the notebook can be reused indefinitely. Green manufacturer opens CT plant in Beacon Falls A New York company that recycles old bottles and jars into a product used to create greener concrete has opened a 16,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Beacon Falls. Urban Mining Industries held a so opening in December for the facility at 105A Breault Rd., the company's first in Connecticut. e company is currently based in New Rochelle, N.Y., but anticipates moving its headquarters to Stamford within a year, according to its founder, Lou Grasso. Grasso has developed a proprietary process to recycle glass discarded by con- sumers in curbside recycling bins to create a product that can replace up to 50% of the cement used in concrete. Yale, VA to study BioXcel drug for PTSD, substance abuse Yale researchers are launching a study to see if an anti-agitation drug developed by a New Haven biotech can help people with alcohol and substance abuse disorders related to post-traumatic stress. BioXcel erapeutics will collaborate with the VA Connecticut Healthcare Sys- tem and Yale University School of Medicine on the investigator-led study. e study will be supported by a $807,911 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Med- ical Research Programs. e VA Connecti- cut Research & Education Foundation is the grant recipient. e experimental drug, BXCL 501, is a minty, thin film formulation of an old- er drug known as dexmedetomidine or "DEX." It dissolves under the tongue or inside the cheek. e company is on track to apply for FDA approval of the drug in early 2021 to treat agitation in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Based at 555 Long Wharf Dr., BioXcel uses artificial intelligence to repurpose older drugs and discover new ones. Two area lighting manufacturers combine Two New Haven area makers of lighting products for hotels, restaurants, museums, offices, universities, monuments and more are joining forces. West Haven's e Lighting Quotient recently acquired Electrix LLC, a longtime architectural lighting manufacturer based in New Haven's Hill neighborhood. Architectural lighting pioneer Sylvan R. Schemitz founded e Lighting Quotient in 1977 and its products include office lighting brand Tambient as well as perfor- mance luminary brand Elliptipar, accord- ing to the company website. e Lighting Quotient, located on Boston Post Road, said the acquisition will strengthen its position in the LED lighting market and add to its manufacturing oper- ations in the state. Orange-based supply company acquires Nashville business Colony Hardware Inc., an Orange-based company that distributes equipment and supplies to the construction industry, has acquired a Nashville company, Care Supply. Colony Hardware has 37 branches, all on the eastern half of the country, and this acquisition expands its footprint in Tennessee. Colony Hardware provides its customers with tools, equipment and supplies needed at a construction job site, from concrete cutting equipment and scaffolding to drills and mixers. According to its website, it supplies more than 25,000 different products. Care Supply is also a direct-to-jobsite distributor of construction products and supplies. Tori Spelling to pitch New Haven company's migraine drug Migraine drugmaker Biohaven Phar- maceuticals has added another celebrity pitchwoman to its marketing arsenal. e New Haven-based company has hired former Beverly Hills 90210 star Tori Spelling to promote its newly approved migraine drug Nurtec ODT. e actress, singer and mother of five has a sizable social media following and attracted a new generation of fans in 2019 during her stint as "the unicorn" on Fox's hit television show "e Masked Singer." Spelling, who has suffered from migraines, has given Biohaven-sponsored interviews to some local Fox affiliates and promoted Nurtec to her more than 1.2 million followers on Facebook. Spelling joins TV star Khloe Kardashian, a longtime migraine sufferer, in the com- pany's marketing efforts. Thetis bowel disease drug wins FDA 'orphan' status A Connecticut startup's experimental treatment for ulcerative colitis in children has been deemed an "orphan" drug by the Food and Drug Administration, making it eligible for financial incentives. e compound, TP-317, is a naturally occurring lipid discovered by researchers at Harvard Medical School. Early-stage human trials found it to be safe in healthy volunteers. etis Pharmaceuticals has billed it as an alternative to immunosuppressive agents to treat the chronic inflammatory bowel disease, which afflicts between 63,000 and 110,000 children a year in the United States. e FDA reserves the orphan label for drugs that treat rare diseases. Companies developing such drugs are eligible for tax credits, fee waivers and a period of market exclusivity aer the drug is approved. Post University debuts gaming and esports degree programs Students at Waterbury-based Post University can now major in gaming and esports management at both the undergrad- uate and graduate levels. e Malcolm Baldrige School of Business at Post University will offer the programs starting in the spring 2021 semester in both in-person and online versions. Topics covered in the programs in- clude compet- itive gaming, the history of the industry, the psychology of gaming, new media and streaming, as well as the economics of the industry. Students can choose a concentration in entrepreneurship or event planning and management and must complete a required internship or capstone project. Amphenol acquires sensor tech company MTS Systems for $1.7B Wallingford connector and cable maker Amphenol Corp. recently announced plans to buy MTS Systems Corp., a Min- nesota company that makes testing and simulation hardware, for $1.7 billion. e acquisition will allow Amphenol to add MTS' sensor-based products to the Wallingford manufacturer's offerings, as the company continues its strategy of leaning into sensor technology, Amphenol CEO Adam Norwitt said. Acquiring MTS could position Am- phenol as a player in the growing sensor technology industry, Norwitt said, and Amphenol thinks the sector's growth has long-term potential. e transaction is expected to close by the middle of 2021. Deal reached for sale of Sports Haven property Sportech PLC, a United Kingdom-based betting technology business, has reached an agreement to sell its Sports Haven property in New Haven for $6.75 million. The Criterion Group LLC of New York City, a real estate development firm, plans to purchase the property at 600 Long Wharf Dr., subject to inspections and due diligence, according to an an- nouncement. B R I E F S I t's been a big year for Connecticut's bioscience industry, especially with Pfzifer's Groton location playing a role in helping develop the company's COVID-19 vaccine. Perhaps the biggest news of the year for the local industry dropped in December, when Alexion Pharmaceuticals, the homegrown New Haven company that was founded by a Yale doctor and moved its corporate headquarters to Boston a few years ago, announced it has agreed to be acquired by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for $39 billion. e deal, which still requires regulatory approvals, would give AstraZeneca a stronger foothold in immunology and rare diseases, which Alexion has specialized in since its founding. Alexion is best known for its rare blood-disorder drug Soliris. AstraZeneca, based in London, is known lately for its work developing a COVID-19 vaccine with the University of Oxford. Alexion was founded by Yale New Haven $39B Alexion-AstraZeneca deal puts New Haven in bioscience spotlight Hospital physician and Yale University School of Medicine professor Leonard Bell but moved its headquarters to Boston in 2017. It has maintained a large presence in New Haven, where it employs hundreds of workers, and in 2019 announced plans to spend $10 million to grow its local research and development presence. It's not clear yet what impact the deal, if approved, will have on Alexion's New Haven presence and workforce, but it will be something to watch in the year, and perhaps years, ahead. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED The Alexion building in downtown New Haven. PHOTO | COURTESY ROCKETBOOK Rocketbook manufactures cloud-connected, smart and reusable notebooks and accessories. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Urban Mining Industries has opened a new facility in Beacon Falls. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Tori Spelling PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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