Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) made clear in its conference call on consensus-beating fourth quarter earnings that the firm will continue efforts to make its immuno-oncology presence "strong, deep and wide," but officials also made note of the newer push in antifibrotics via the whopper deal in November with Galecto Biotech AB and another earlier this month with the California Institute for Biomedical Research. Read More
Amgen Inc. reported after market close Tuesday that despite higher than expected fourth quarter profits, bolstered by strong sales of Enbrel (etanercept), sales of Neupogen (filgrastim) fell 11 percent year over year, driven by the impact of U.S. competition, inventory issues and foreign exchange rates. Read More
The $49.5 million initial public offering (IPO) by drug-device maker Zosano Pharma Corp. was modest by comparison to 2014 blockbusters by the likes of Juno Therapeutics Inc. and Kite Pharma Inc. Read More
Enough with the inexplicable delays, lawmakers and health advocates said Tuesday as they discussed a bill that would force the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to schedule new drugs in a predictable, more timely manner. Read More
SHANGHAI – China-based Ascentage Pharma Group said APG-1387 is set to enter phase I trials as a new chemical entity under the Chinese 1.1 drug classification, a special category for innovative therapies not approved in other countries. Read More
HONG KONG – The global orphan drugs market has been growing steadily, becoming big enough to garner the attention of big pharmaceutical companies, and rare disease patients in Asia Pacific will benefit from that trend. Read More
Investors are little inclined to plow meaningful sums into companion diagnostics without patent protection, but the world of life science patents is in a state of flux due to at least two cases that have reached the Supreme Court. Read More
Intrexon Corp., of Germantown, Md., said it closed its public offering, including the full exercise by underwriters of their option to purchase an additional 562,500 common shares as overallotments. Read More
Biodelivery Sciences International Inc. (BDSI), of Raleigh, N.C., entered an assignment and revenue-sharing agreement with Meda AB, of Stockholm, under which Meda will transfer the marketing authorizations for Onsolis (fentanyl buccal soluble film) for breakthrough cancer pain in the U.S. and the right to seek marketing authorizations for the product in Canada and Mexico back to BDSI, which originally licensed the rights to Meda in 2007. Read More
Envisia Therapeutics Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., initiated an open-label phase IIa study to investigate the safety and tolerability of its lead candidate, ENV515, in patients with glaucoma. Read More
Transcelerate Biopharma Inc., of Philadelphia, said two new members, Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., and Novo Nordisk A/S, of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, joined the biopharmaceutical nonprofit organization. Read More
Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, Germany, said it inked a collaboration with the Population Health Research Institute and the Canadian Stroke Prevention Intervention Network to conduct the global phase III, indication-seeking trial, NAVIGATE ESUS, which will investigate the benefits of once-daily, oral factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source or cryptogenic stroke. Read More