In other news, Addex said dipraglurant demonstrated dose-dependent mGlu5 receptor occupancy in a nonhuman primate positron emission tomography study, showing the correlation between the plasma concentration of dipraglurant and occupancy of dipraglurant on mGlu5 receptors in the brain...The goal is to validate emerging epigenetic targets for oncology indications and to demonstrate the eligibility of selected target families for drug formalations

GW Pharmaceuticals plc, of Porton Down, UK, received commercial approval for lead cannabinoid product Sativex in Italy for moderate to severe spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients who have not responded adequately to other anti-spasticity medications...The technology is being developed to aid in understanding the biology critical to cardiac tissue engineering, for applications in regenerative cell therapy for heart disease and for predictive use in vitro assays for drug rescue and development

Eisai Inc., of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., said the European Commission granted orphan drug designation to multityrosine kinase inhibitor lenvatinib for the treatment of follicular and papillary thyroid cancer...In separate news, Eisai said it filed a Type II variation application with the European Medicines Agency for Halaven (eribuln), requesting an indication extension to include treatment of earlier-line metastatic breast cancer patients

Sagent expects to close the transaction over the next several months...Addition of Vaxfectin to the influenza vaccines substantially increased both antibody and T-cell responses compared with nonadjuvanted vaccines in mice and guinea pigs, according to Vical

BIO's Special 301 Submission encouraged the USTR to perform out-of-cycle reviews of patent systems in these countries. (See BioWorld Today, April 2, 2013...The company said it plans to file an investigational new drug application for ES414 next year...The team designed the vaccine to elicit antibodies against not only heroin, but also 6-acetylmorphine and morphine

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, said the FDA approved a supplemental new drug application for the HIV-1 therapy Sustiva (efavirenz), including dosing recommendations for HIV-1 infected pediatric patients three months to three years old and weighing at least 3.5 kg...Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., said the FDA has approved Liptruzet (ezetimibe and atorvastatin) tablets to treat elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with primary or mixed hyperlipidemia as adjunctive

In separate news, Hyperion said it exercised its option to acquire Buphenyl (sodium phenylbutyrate) tablets and powder, an FDA-approved therapy for the chronic management of the most prevalent UCDs, and Ammonul (sodium phenylacetate and sodium benzoate) injection, a hospital-based product used to treat UCD patients in hyperammonemic crisis, from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Montreal...According to a March 2012 agreement between Hyperion and Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. (later

ChemRar Ventures, of Moscow, said it signed a scouting agreement, for a period of 18 months, with Sanofi SA to source a venture investment in Russia...In granting the motion, the judge ruled that the plaintiffs failed to offer any reliable evidence that Mr. Cooper's disease was caused by Actos (pioglitazone HC1)," said Kenneth D. Greisman, senior vice president, general counsel, Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A. Inc...Actos is prescribed for use with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in

It's the second oncology compound within the Janssen pipeline to receive the designation in the last three months...The company expects to repurchase about $7.5 billion of common stock over the next 12 months, financed through a combination of debt issuance and operating cash flows, with the remainder to be repurchased over time with no time limit

The agreement is subject to customary regulatory and legal approvals, including the approval of at least 66.67 percent of the votes cast by Resverlogix shareholders at a special meeting called for May 28...Resverlogix also will transfer $5 million to $10 million of cash to provide for the initial capitalization of Spinco. (See BioWorld Insight, April 15, 2013, and BioWorld Today, April 30, 2013

to formulate CytoDyn's PRO 140 bulk drug substance through a fill-and-finish process for clinical-ready vials to advance two National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Phase IIb studies...The goal is to validate emerging epigenetic targets for oncology indications and to demonstrate the eligibility of selected target families for drug formalations

The label now carries a boxed warning, advising patients that discontinuing treatment puts them at increased risk of stroke, and the postmarketing experience section was updated to include thrombocytopenia...Like plasma, Kcentra is used in conjunction with the administration of vitamin K to reverse the anticoagulation effect and stop the bleeding...NextBio, of Santa Clara, Calif., said it inked a multiyear collaboration with Paris-based Sanofi SA aimed at using NextBio Clinical to incorporate patient

Merck will continue to retain rights to its existing portfolio of sitagliptin-containing products...The first suit pertains to a previously disclosed investigation into discounts and rebates to specialty pharmacies for Myfortic

Pfizer Inc., of New York, said the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a negative opinion for Xeljanz (tofacitnib citrate) for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis...Pfizer intends to appeal the opinion and seek a re-examination by CHMP

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., of San Rafael, Calif., said it submitted a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency for Vimizim (BMN-110, elosulfase alfa), an enzyme replacement therapy for patients with rare lysosomal storage disorder mucopolysaccharidosis Type IVA, also called Morquio A syndrome

It does not bind to blood coagulation factors or other blood proteins...The acquisition had been expected to be completed on Thursday, making Obagi a wholly owned subsidiary of Valeant

flutemetamol to help select patients for a Phase I trial testing Eisai's E2609, a BACE inhibitor for the potential treatment of Alzheimer's disease...Lambrolizumab is Merck's investigational antibody therapy targeting programmed death receptor that is currently being evaluated for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma, and other tumor types...The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine gave approval to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Laval, Quebec, for its proposed acquisition of

Addex Therapeutics, of Geneva, said regulatory authorities in the Netherlands gave approval to start in the first half of this year a Phase I study of ADX71441, a GABA-B receptor positive allosteric modulator, for Charcot-Marie-Tooth1A (CMT1A) neuropathy and other disease indications...The company expects to deliver safety, pharmacokinetic and biomarker data by the end of the year...Those and other data were presented at the European Association for the Study of the Liver meeting in Amsterdam, the

Addex Therapeutics SA, of Geneva, reported preclinical data showing that its mGlu5 negative allosteric modulator oral small molecule, dipraglurant, dose-dependently prevented the abnormal excitatory effect observed on brain slices of transgenic primary generalized torsion dystonia 1 (DYT1) mice overexpressing the human mutant TOR1A gene by decreasing the paradoxical neuronal activity induced by the dopamine D2 receptor agonist quinpirole. DYT1 is a common and severe genetic form of dystonia