By Anette Breindl Science Editor Predicting protein folding has made strides in recent years, mainly through unconventional approaches. Computer games like foldit have been able to apply crowdsourcing to proteins, and solve structures that had evaded traditional computing power. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 13, 2010.) But George Rose, who is at Johns Hopkins University, said he thinks that the problem can, and perhaps should, be solved in a more fundamental way. Current methods for predicting a
By Marie Powers Staff Writer Although the official start of summer is still a few days away, the biotech world already is producing a bumper crop of initial public offerings (IPO). As a trio of companies – Bluebird Bio Inc., PTC Therapeutics Inc. and Regado Biosciences Inc. – prepared to price IPOs this week, a fourth, Onconova Therapeutics Inc., filed a registration statement with the SEC, seeking to raise up to $75 million. (See BioWorld Today, May 1, 2013, May 17, 2013, and May 20, 2013
News of at least a three quarter delay in seeking regulatory approval for Fabry disease candidate migalastat unsurprisingly sent shares of Amicus Therapeutics Inc. falling 24 percent in Monday morning trading, but reports of the firm's recent meeting with the FDA left room for optimism for the Glaxosmithkline plc-partnered molecular chaperone. The agency was "extremely engaging," Amicus CEO John Crowley told BioWorld Today. "All in, I think it was a very encouraging meeting with the FDA
By Jennifer Boggs | BioWorld Today | Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Boston, presented data on lead candidate ACY-1215 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma at the 18th Congress of the European Hematology Association. ACY-1215 is an oral, selective HDAC6 inhibitor currently being evaluated in a Phase Ib trial in combination with Revlimid (lenalidomide, Celgene) and a Phase I/II trial in combination with the first-in-class drug Velcade (bortezomib, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Co.) for the treatment of
DUBLIN, Ireland – In a sharp slap in the face to the company's management and its would-be acquirer Royalty Pharma, shareholders in Elan Corp. plc voted down three of four motions tabled at an extraordinary general meeting Monday. The move scuppers Royalty's bid, which was contingent on the rejection of all four proposals. But it also represents an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the M&A strategy that Elan CEO Kelly Martin put together with his management team since it sold its interest in
By Cormac Sheridan | BioWorld Today | Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Tacking toward the middle, the Supreme Court gave the FTC some berth Monday in challenging pay-for-delay settlements between generic and brand drugmakers, but it closed the hatch on a "quick look" approach that would presume all such agreements are unlawful. While the ruling doesn't toss the settlements overboard, it clears the way for more antitrust challenges, both by the FTC and third parties. It also could churn up some rough seas for existing settlements that may now face potential class
By Mari Serebrov | BioWorld Today | Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Abbvie Inc., of Chicago, reported preliminary results from a Phase I study of ABT-199/GDC-0199, an investigational BCL-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) selective inhibitor, in patients with high-risk relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and in patients with relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The open-label, multicenter, international trial was designed to assess the safety, determine the maximum tolerated dose and recommended Phase II dose, and evaluate the
Eisai Inc., of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., expanded its Hatfield, UK-based EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa, Russia and Oceania) Knowledge Centre with a additional global packaging capability. The new facility will primarily handle the blister packaging of Eisai's investigational treatment lenvatinib which is used to treat thyroid cancer as well as other types of solid tumors. The Hatfield site is the company's EMEA headquarters and is growing in significance to Eisai's worldwide business as it
Ambrx Inc., of San Diego, and Zhejiang Medicine Co. Ltd. (ZMC), of Shanghai, China, formed a collaboration to develop and commercialize ARX788, Ambrx's most advanced internally developed site-specific antibody drug conjugate targeting HER2-positive breast cancer. Under the agreement, Ambrx and ZMC will continue the development of ARX788, with ZMC bearing the ongoing development cost. ZMC will receive commercial rights in China while Ambrx retains commercial rights outside of China and receives
Although the official start of summer is still a few days away, the biotech world already is producing a bumper crop of initial public offerings (IPO). As a trio of companies – Bluebird Bio Inc., PTC Therapeutics Inc. and Regado Biosciences Inc. – prepared to price IPOs this week, a fourth, Onconova Therapeutics Inc., filed a registration statement with the SEC, seeking to raise up to $75 million. (See BioWorld Today, May 1, 2013, May 17, 2013, and May 20, 2013.) Onconova filed its S-1 Friday
By Marie Powers | BioWorld Today | Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) planned takeover of Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $650 million in cash and $350 million more in potential milestone payments brings aboard the Phase III-ready ARN-509 for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) behind the pharma firm's approved androgen inhibitor Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) for the same indication. "The beauty of this [deal] is that Zytiga will be coming off patent at just about the time we would expect, if all goes well, ARN-509 would be
By Randy Osborne | BioWorld Today | Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMS), of New York, and Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, of Nanjing, China, expanded their strategic relationship formed in 2010. The companies have agreed to collaborate in China on the development and commercialization of the subcutaneous formulation of BMS' Orencia (abatacept), for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Orencia is already on the market for the indication in the U.S., Europe and Japan. Ipsen SA, of Paris, said that, as part of an accelerated execution
Astex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Dublin, Calif., updated Phase I trial results for SGI-110 in a poster session at the 18th Congress of the European Hematology Association, June 13-16 in Stockholm, Sweden. Of 15 heavily treated intermediate or high-risk patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, six achieved a clinical response with a median duration of 92 days. The company said the updated results showed promise for clinical activity of the drugs in heavily pretreated MDS patients and confirmed
On Thursday, Cempra Inc. disclosed a successful end-of-Phase II meeting with the FDA, citing only the need for additional funding to proceed with the planned Phase III trial testing intravenous (I.V.)-to-oral administration of macrolide antibiotic solithromycin in community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). So it was little surprise when the Chapel Hill, N.C.-based biotech priced a public offering Friday, selling 7.25 million shares at $7 apiece for gross proceeds of about $50.8 million
By Jennifer Boggs | BioWorld Today | Monday, June 17, 2013
Don't Spare the Rod Scientists at the University of California at Santa Barbara and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have demonstrated that changing the shape of nanoparticles can affect their targeting to certain cell types. Rod-shaped nanoparticles or nanorods bearing antibodies targeted the endothelial cells that line blood vessels more specifically than spherical nanorods with the same antibodies, probably because an elongated rod shape allows more antibodies to interact with the
Mast Therapeutics Inc.'s $22.9 million from a public offering will fund the second Phase III trial with the sickle cell disease candidate MST-188, a purified form of a nonionic, triblock copolymer (poloxamer 188) that was first developed for the treatment of heart attacks. The new cash is expected to let San Diego-based Mast reach top-line data, said Brandi Roberts, chief financial officer, although it "probably won't get us through filing the new drug application and getting ready for
By Randy Osborne | BioWorld Today | Monday, June 17, 2013
SHANGHAI, China – A licensing agreement may help troubled Israeli Biolinerx Ltd. get a toehold in China with its hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment BL-8030. In a deal worth as much as $30 million in initial and milestone payments, Biolinerx, of Jerusalem, entered an agreement for the development, manufacture and commercialization of BL-8030 with liver therapy specialist Jiangsu Chia-tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (CTTQ), of Jiangsu, China. CTTQ is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Sino
By Shannon Ellis | BioWorld Today | Monday, June 17, 2013
By Anette Breindl Science Editor Predicting protein folding has made strides in recent years, mainly through unconventional approaches. Computer games like foldit have been able to apply crowdsourcing to proteins, and solve structures that had evaded traditional computing power. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 13, 2010.) But George Rose, who is at Johns Hopkins University, said he thinks that the problem can, and perhaps should, be solved in a more fundamental way. Current methods for predicting a