Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, Germany, said its Bayer Healthcare unit began enrolling patients in the phase III COAST trial of Stivarga (regorafenib) in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with resected liver metastases. Read More
Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., said the biologics license application for V503 has been accepted for standard review by the FDA. Read More
Theravance Inc., of South San Francisco, and Glaxosmithkline plc, of London, said the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a positive opinion recommending marketing authorization for umeclidinium/vilanterol (UMEC/VI), under the proposed brand name Anoro, as a once-daily maintenance bronchodilator to relieve symptoms in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Read More
Cytokinetics Inc., of South San Francisco, priced its public offering of about 4.4 million shares at $8 apiece, an 18.8 percent discount to Wednesday’s closing price. Gross proceeds are expected to total about $35 million. Read More
Based on its name, Longevity Biotech Inc. might be mistaken for a company seeking a prescription for aging. In a way, that’s true, admitted Scott Shandler, president and CEO, since the company is building a platform designed to help patients to live longer and healthier lives. But the name also is a bit of a double entendre, alluding to the company’s technical ability to improve the half-life of molecules of interest. Read More
With a median overall survival of barely more than a year and five-year survival rates just barely in the single digits, glioblastoma multiforme is among the deadliest cancers. Part of the problem is that the cancers can be hard to get out. Read More
Drugmakers, patient advocacy groups, insurance companies and medical associations are lining up en masse in opposition to proposed changes to Medicare Part D that focus on the bottom line. Read More
Shares of Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp. (NASDAQ:RPTP) hit a 52-week high of $17.69 Thursday after the company reported encouraging top-line results from a planned 18-month analysis of an ongoing, three-year phase II/III trial of RP103 (delayed-release cysteamine) in Huntington’s disease (HD). Read More
Avaxia Biologics Inc., of Lexington, Mass., was issued U.S. Patent No. 8,647,626, “Compositions Comprising TNF-specific Antibodies for Oral Delivery.” The patent covers AVX-470, Avaxia’s treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. Read More