Celladon Corp., of San Diego, said it dosed the first patient in a Phase IIb trial testing Mydicar, a genetically targeted enzyme replacement therapy intended to restore levels of SERCA2a, a regulator of calcium cycling in the heart and cardiac contractility...Proacta Inc., of San Diego, said the FDA cleared its investigational new drug application for clinical testing of PR610, a hypoxia-activated, irreversible multikinase inhibitor aimed at treating cancer

MediciNova Inc., of San Diego, reported positive preliminary results of a Phase Ib trial involving multiple administrations of intravenous MN-221 (bedoradrine), a highly selective beta(2)-adrenergic receptor agonist, over several days in stable, moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Meritage Pharma Inc., of San Diego, began a Phase II trial of oral budesonide suspension for eosinophilic esophagitis

The work was carried out by a consortium led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including the Harvard School of Public Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the University of California at San Diego

OncoSec Medical Inc., of San Diego, said data from an interim analysis from two Phase III trials, HNBE-01 and HNBE-02, using electrochemotherapy to treat locally occurring recurrent and second primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) showed that OMS ElectoChemotherapy achieved the primary endpoint of preserving quality of life, compared to surgery

Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, and the University of Alberta said they treated the first patient in an islet cell transplant Phase I/II trial testing emricasan (IDN-6556), a pan-caspase inhibitor

last year through a co-promotion agreement with San Diego-based Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc. (See BioWorld Today, June 1, 2011, and Sept. 30, 2011...Zogenix Inc., of San Diego, said it started a Phase I trial testing Relday, a candidate based on a combination of the firm's DosePro needle-free subcutaneous drug delivery system with its once-monthly formulation of risperidone

OncoSec Medical Inc., of San Diego, received Investigational Review Board (IRB) approval at the University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center for a Phase II trial evaluating OncoSec's OMS ElectroImmunotherapy to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

MediciNova Inc., of San Diego, said it has scheduled an end-of-Phase II meeting with the FDA Oct. 22

Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said Obesity published a new study, BLOOM-DM, regarding the use of newly approved obesity drug lorcaserin in obese and overweight patients with Type II diabetes

OncoSec Medical Inc., of San Diego, said its Phase II study testing plasmid interleukin-12 (DNA IL-12) with electroporation has completed about 50 percent of enrollment, with no Grade 3 or higher adverse events related to treatment reported

Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, reported findings from an ongoing expanded access protocol clinical study that showed treatment with metreleptin, an investigational medication under evaluation for the treatment of diabetes and/or hypertriglyceridemia in patients with rare forms of inherited or acquired lipodystrophy, reduced blood glucose and triglyceride levels

NovaRx Corp., of San Diego, said it completed enrollment in its Phase III trial testing Lucanix (belagenpumatucel-L), a whole tumor cell vaccine, in post-front-line maintenance in non-small-cell lung cancer

Halozyme Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, reported Phase II results showing that its prandial insulin formulations, including its recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20) enzyme, met the primary endpoint in patients with Type I diabetes, showing A1C noninferiority...Findings were presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting in San Diego

Orexigen Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, started enrollment in its long-term research study of Contrave (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR) for weight loss, the Light Study

The data, presented at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers annual meeting in San Diego, showed that significantly more patients treated with Gilenya 0.5 mg remained free from relapse during the study period as compared with those on placebo or interferon beta-1a IM

Polynoma LLC, of San Diego, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Life Sciences International Inc., reported the start of a Phase III trial for POL 103A, a melanoma vaccine

Zogenix Inc., of San Diego, said it submitted an investigational new drug application for Relday, a combination of the firm's DosePro needle-free, subcutaneous drug delivery system plus a subcutaneous once-monthly formulation of risperidone for treating schizophrenia

Ocera Therapeutics Inc., of San Diego, reported preliminary data from an open-label Phase II study evaluating the effectiveness and safety of OCR-002 (ornithine phenylacetate) for the treatment of cirrhosis of the liver and upper gastrointestinal bleeding...Marshall Edwards Inc., of San Diego, said the first patients were dosed in a Phase I trial of ME-344, the company's lead mitochondrial inhibitor candidate, in patients with refractory solid tumors