ViroPharma Inc., of Exton, Pa., completed enrollment in a Phase II study testing subcutaneous delivery of Cinryze (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]) vs

A second two-year Phase III study testing oral calcitonin in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee is ongoing, despite an independent data monitoring committee's conclusion earlier this year that there was no basis for continuing the study due to lack of efficacy. (See BioWorld Today, July 26, 2010

A separate Phase IIa study testing the compound in rheumatoid arthritis also has been allowed to move to the next dose group, with data from the study expected in the second quarter of 2011

R-Tech Ueno Ltd., of Tokyo, completed a Phase II study testing UF-021 (Ocuseva) in retinitis pigmentosa to improve visual function in the central part of the ocular fundus

A previous Phase III study testing Avastin in untreated advanced ovarian cancer also met its endpoint of progression-free survival

SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Foster City, Calif., and partner Sigma-Tau SpA, of Rome, said final results from a clinical study testing Zadaxin (thymalfasin) to enhance immune response to the MF59 adjuvanted H1N1 influenza monovalent vaccine Focetria (Novartis AG) showed that, when evaluated 84 days following vaccination, 60 percent of patients in the high-dose Zadaxin arm achieved seroconversion, compared to 55 percent in the vaccine-only arm

Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said the independent data monitoring committee for its Phase III SUCCEED trial recommended that the study testing oral mTOR inhibitor ridaforolimus in patients with metastatic sarcomas continue to its final analysis without modification to the study protocol

Ninety-six patients have been enrolled in the study testing NTx-265, and the firm expects enrollment will be finished by the end of the first quarter of this year

SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Foster City, Calif., and partner Sigma-Tau SpA, of Rome, reported additional top-line results from a study testing the potential of Zadaxin (thymalfasin) to enhance immune response to the MF59 adjuvanted H1N1 influenza monovalent vaccine Focetria (Novartis AG

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, of Los Angeles, said results of a study testing tumors of five patients with glioblastoma multiforme suggested that the firm's lead cancer vaccine product candidate, ICT-107, which targets those antigens, may effectively target not only the cells that make up the bulk of certain cancerous tumors, but also the cancer stem cells that are widely believed to give rise to them and cause their recurrence

Viral kinetic data indicated that in the presence of SOC, the majority of patients achieved an undetectable level of HCV RNA after 15 days of treatment, and the pharmacokinetic profile of ritonavir-boosted RG7227 was more favorable and less variable than that observed in previously reported studies testing higher doses of unboosted RG7227

EpiCept Corp., of Tarrytown, N.Y., provided an update on its Ceplene (histamine dihydrochloride), including plans to initiate two new studies of the drug: a Phase I/II study testing Ceplene and low-dose interleukin-2 in combination with Gleevec (imatinib, Novartis AG) on eradication of minimal residual disease in adults with chronic myeloid leukemia, and a Phase II study of Ceplene/IL-2 plus Vidaza (azacitidine) vs. Vidaza alone in patients with higher risk myelodysplastic syndromes who have

Initial data from an ongoing Phase Ib/II study testing voreloxin in combination with cytarabine showed that of 11 evaluable patients in the first three cohorts, three have achieved a complete remission (one at 20 mg/m2 of voreloxin and two at 34 mg/m2 of voreloxin

Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Emeryville, Calif., and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Wayne, N.J., said they started enrolling patients in the STORM (Sorafenib as Adjuvant Treatment in the Prevention of Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma) trial, a Phase III study testing Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets in primary liver cancer patients following surgery or local radiation

Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp., of Calgary, Alberta, said a Phase I study testing two forms of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), Pregnyl, which is derived from human urine, and Ovitrelle, which is a recombinant form of hCG, showed that both were distributed in a similar fashion into the circulation and cerebrospinal fluid when administered by a single intramuscular injection

ISTA Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Irvine, Calif., said results from a 60-patient study testing Xibrom (bromfenac ophthalmic solution) in combination with Lucentis (ranibizumab, Genentech Inc.) in age-related macular degeneration showed that patients receiving Xibrom required 1.6+/-0.69 injections of Lucentis during the six-month study period vs. 4.5+/-0.41 injections for patients getting Lucentis alone

Karo Bio is continuing its Phase IIb program with a 172-patient study testing eprotirome given concomitantly with statins

Kamada, of Weizmann Science Park, Israel, successfully concluded Phase I clinical studies testing the safety and tolerability of the aerosolized version of its flagship product Alpha-1 Antitrypsin using an optimized eFlow Electronic Nebulizer to treat various lung diseases

The company also reported data from a Phase I study testing perifosine in combination with sorafenib (Nexavar, Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Bayer Healthcare) demonstrating that the combination has been generally well tolerated so far