Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., of Lexington, Mass., disclosed positive data from a Phase IIb study in metastatic melanoma for STA-4783, a first-in-class heat shock protein 70 inducer that activates natural killer cell-mediated tumor killing

The Phase IIb multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolled about 300 patients in eight European countries and in Israel...Protherics plc, of Cheshire, UK, said Critical Care Medicine published CytoFab Phase IIb data that showed tumor necrosis factor alpha - a critical inflammatory mediator in sepsis - became undetectable in all patients receiving CytoFab two hours after treatment began, while placebo patients remained at baseline

Transport Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Framingham, Mass., said Phase IIb data published in the current issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases showed that its first-generation drug-device combination product, SoloVir, produced a 35-hour reduction in the intent-to-treat population median time to cold sore healing in the active treatment group vs

The companies are enrolling 100 subjects in a Phase IIb at-home trial in premenopausal FSAD patients

D-Pharm Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, completed enrollment in its Phase IIb trial of DP-b99, a neuroprotective drug that addresses the damaging processes occurring in the brains of stroke patients

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd., of Petach Tikva, Israel, initiated a Phase IIb trial of its lead drug, CF101, in rheumatoid arthritis patients the same day it reported promising Phase IIa results...The Phase IIb study is expected to enroll about 250 patients

Peplin expects to conduct Phase IIb trials for non-melanoma skin cancer in the U.S

A Phase IIb trial is ongoing using CoFactor plus 5-FU in an infusional regimen for first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer...Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Short Hills, N.J., said it is beginning a Phase IIb, multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of seliciclib (CYC202), an orally available molecule that targets cyclin-dependent kinases, as a third-line treatment in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

Ltd., of Tokyo, and Vectura Group plc, of Chippenham, UK, said their collaborative product, NVA237, an inhaled once-daily treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, successfully completed a Phase IIb multiple dose-ranging trial

Adventrx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said an independent data safety monitoring board recommended that a Phase IIb study of CoFactor (ANX-510) continue without any modifications after a planned interim analysis

A 114-patient Phase IIb trial, which looked at cocaine users who also were on methadone maintenance therapy for heroin addiction, did not achieve its primary endpoint in improving cocaine abstinence for three consecutive weeks, but results indicated that twice as many patients in the treatment group achieved 50 percent or greater increase in cocaine-free days

Actelion Ltd., of Allschwil, Switzerland, reported a preliminary analysis of its 413-patient, Phase IIb dose-finding study showing that its intravenous clazosentan reached statistical significance vs

Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, reported positive Phase IIb data of lorcaserin hydrochloride (formerly ADP356) in obesity...Panacos Pharmaceuticals Inc. , of Watertown, Mass., started a Phase IIb trial of bevirimat (formerly PA-457), its lead candidate to treat HIV

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, of Rockville, Md., started a Phase IIb proof-of-concept study for NicVAX, which is being developed to treat nicotine addiction and prevent smoking relapse

It is in an ongoing Phase IIb trial in Crohn's disease

Vertex expects to start additional studies of VX-950, an oral protease inhibitor, in the second half of this year, including a Phase IIb study in about 400 patients who failed prior standard-of-care treatment

Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Vancouver, British Columbia, started a Phase IIb study with IPL512,602 in patients suffering from moderate to severe asthma

Palatin Technologies Inc., of Cranbury, N.J., and King Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Bristol, Tenn., completed enrollment in two Phase IIb trials of bremelanotide in patients with erectile dysfunction...The primary objective of the Phase IIb studies is to identify safe and efficacious doses for evaluation in Phase III pivotal trials slated to begin in the first quarter of 2007

Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, completed recruitment in a Phase IIb obesity trial of AOD9604 called the OPTIONS study, which is designed to assess weight loss at lower doses of the product than previously tested