The work was presented at the New York Academy of Sciences Conference on Probiotics, Prebiotics and the Host Microbiome: The Science of Translation, and results indicated that RP-G28 significantly altered the microbiomes of 82 percent of the study participants who received the treatment

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, reported year two data from the AMPLE (Abatacept Versus Adalimumab Comparison in Biologic-Naïve rheumatoid arthritis Subjects With Background Methotrexate) trial of 646 patients comparing the safety and efficacy of the subcutaneous formulation of abatacept (Orencia) vs

Pfizer Inc., of New York, began a Phase I trial of PF-06410293 (adalimumab), its biosimilar version of Humira

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., of New York, said it submitted a favorable safety report to the institutional review board for the first group of patients in its ongoing Phase IIa trial of NurOwn cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of New York, presented updated efficacy and safety data from the Phase III long-term trial of Zerenex (ferric citrate), the company's ferric iron-based phosphate binder drug candidate for the treatment of elevated serum phosphorus levels, or hyperphosphatemia, in patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis

Bellus' partner, Auven Therapeutics, of New York, (previously Celtic Therapeutics) is funding 100 percent of the development costs of Kiacta

Acelrx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., reported top-line data that showed its sublingual Sufentanil NanoTab PCA (patient-controlled analgesia) System met the primary and secondary efficacy endpoints in a placebo-controlled, Phase III study. In the 48 hours following major orthopedic surgery, patients treated with sufentanil NanoTabs realized a significantly greater score in the Summed Pain Intensity Difference (SPID) than placebo-treated patients. Secondary endpoint data showed

Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New York, reported initial results from OBADIAH, an ongoing Phase IIa trial of obeticholic acid (OCA) as a treatment for primary bile acid diarrhea (PBAD), showing that treatment with OCA is associated with statistically significant increased levels of fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) and improvement in clinical symptoms in patients with PBAD

In 2011, Clovis paid an undisclosed up-front fee to Pfizer Inc., of New York, plus potential milestones of $255 million, in exchange for the right to develop and commercialize the oral Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, or PARP, inhibitor, then in Phase I studies

Izun Pharmaceuticals Corp., of New York, expanded its ongoing Phase II trial assessing the effect of IZN-6N4, on oral mucositis (OM) to two additional medical centers, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Beth Israel Medical Center, a component of the Continuum Cancer Centers of New York

Celsus Therapeutics plc, of New York, reported interim results from the first cohort of its Phase II trial of MRX-6, a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory cream, for allergic contact dermatitis

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, and Pfizer Inc., also of New York, said results from a prespecified subanalysis of the ARISTOTLE trial were published in Circulation, showing that the reductions in stroke or systemic embolism, number of major bleeding events and mortality demonstrated with Eliqus (apixaban) compared to warfarin were consistent across subgroups defined based on levels of International Normalized Ratio control in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMS), of New York, disclosed results from a 12-month subgroup analysis of a National Institutes of Health, open-label, long-term research study of metreleptin, an investigational agent for the treatment of metabolic disorders associated with inherited or acquired lipodystrophy (LD

Almirall SA, of Barcelona, Spain, and Forest Laboratories Inc., of New York, reported positive topline results from AUGMENT COPD, the second six-month pivotal Phase III trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of investigational fixed-dose combinations of aclidinium bromide (LAMA) and formoterol fumarate (LABA), delivered in the Pressair (Genuairn outside the U.S.) inhaler

Pfizer Inc., of New York, said that top-line data for a Phase IV trial of Celebrex (celecoxib) capsules or naproxen in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients demonstrated no difference in changes to systolic blood pressure, the primary endpoint, and diastolic blood pressure, the secondary endpoint

GlycoMimetics partnered GMI-1070, a synthetic glycomimetic molecule designed to inhibit all three selectin types, in a worldwide agreement with Pfizer Inc., of New York, in 2011. (See BioWorld Today, Oct. 12, 2011

Almirall SA, of Barcelona, Spain, and Forest Laboratories Inc., of New York, reported top-line results from a six-month pivotal Phase III study testing fixed-dose combinations of aclidinium bromide, a long-acting muscarinic beta2 agonist, and formoterol fumarate, a long-acting beta2 agonist, delivered using Almirall's inhaler Genuair

Kythera Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of New York, reported that MRI measurements of patients treated with ATX-101 demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in submental fat (SMF), commonly known as double chin, during an oral session at the Aesthetic Meeting 2013 in New York

Secondary objectives are safety and tolerability, dyspnea, fluid overload, blood pressure, diuretic dose and New York Heart Association classification