The company plans to use proceeds from the offering to complete clinical development of Ravicti in hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and to fund post-approval studies in UCD...Hyperion gained rights to Ravicti from Ucyclyd Pharma Inc., a subsidiary of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp...at the same unit price.

Targeted Medical Pharma Inc., of Los Angeles, said results from an open-label study of oral amino acid-based erythrocyte stimulating system (ESS) for the treatment of chronic anemia showed that hemoglobin increased an average of 11.39 percent from baseline measurement to 45 days...Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said VX-787 in a Phase II influenza challenge study resulted in statistically significant improvements in viral and clinical measurements of infection...Also, 93 percent of

The volasertib clinical development program is the company's most advanced in cell cycle inhibition

Dezima Pharma BV, of Naarden, the Netherlands, said it raised €14.2 million (US$18.6 million) for the clinical development of its cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor, DEZ-001 (previously TA-8995), and to develop additional earlier-stage dyslipidemia assets...It will use the proceeds to advance its opthalmic programs through clinical proof of concept

Antisense Pharma GmbH, of Regensburg, Germany, revised its business objectives related to the advancement of its next-generation TGF-beta inhibitor oligonucleotide program...In conjunction with the changes in its clinical program, the company said it reduced its work force by 50 percent and outsourced noncritical research and development functions...Kiadis Pharma BV, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said it received a No Objection Letter from Canadian regulators to proceed with a Phase II study testing

Competitors in atopic dermatitis include Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Oculus Innovtive Sciences and LEO Pharma A/S...Atopic dermatitis was also part of a recent set of collaborations between LEO Pharma A/S and institutions in Australia, France, Germany and the U.S., including the International Institute of Dermatology and Allergy with Charité University of Medicine in Berlin...The company is planning to begin clinical studies in the first half of 2014

Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd., of Hong Kong, said pinoxacin hydrochloride received approval for clinical studies from the State Food and Drug Administration

The data, from the latest pre-specified interim analysis of the study, were presented at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando, Fla

Two posters feature clinical data of PROSTVAC evaluated as monotherapy or in combination with a radiopharmaceutical...The preliminary results from the studies supported the further clinical investigation in patients suffering from advanced prostate cancer, the company said...BHR Pharma LLC, of Herndon, Va., said the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted an orphan medicinal product designation for treating moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) to its intravenous progesterone infusion agent

As this money is dispensed through its clinical development programs, the company expects to receive £12 million in government R&D tax credits, bringing the total pot to £60 million...Pharma doesn't want more questions than answers, so you can't do development on a shoestring or cut corners...The total amount raised in the private placement is $7.9 million.

Acceleron Pharma Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said it started a Phase II study testing dalantercept (ACE-041), an angiogenesis inhibitor designed to target the activin receptor-like kinase pathway, in combination with Inlyta (axitinib, Pfizer Inc.), a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma...Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc., of South San Francisco, inked a clinical collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a unit of

ASG-5ME is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting the SLC44A4 antigen and is being co-development with Agensys Inc., an affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc...Data were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco

Tivozanib – an oral, once-daily, VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, partnered by AVEO with Astellas Pharma Inc., of Tokyo – turned up pleasing results in the Phase III trial that compared progression-free survival rates with Nexavar (sorafenib, Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc.) in kidney cancer, but overall survival (OS) rates caused some eyebrows to rise...Clinical Cancer Research included a paper that suggested the compound, ENMD-2076, acts potently against breast cancer cell lines that lack

Aileron's pharma investors, including Roche, hold traditional venture stakes in the company, with no rights of first look or first refusal, according to Yanchik...While continuing to converse with big pharma, Aileron also is exploring potential relationships with mid-cap and large biotechs, which are "becoming more significant players in the collaboration field," Yanchik said...Together, the three collaborated in the seminal discovery of the first biologically active stapled peptide and translation

Cerulean Pharma Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said CRLX101 achieved the predefined gating criterion for advancement into the second stage of a Phase II trial in advanced ovarian cancer...That allows Lorus to initiate a biomarker clinical investigation to further explore the effects of the drug at relevant doses determined in the trial...The complete clinical study report for the interim analysis would be supplied to the FDA during the review within 60 days of the resubmission

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., filed a clinical trial application with the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to initiate a Phase I study of ALN-TTRsc, an RNAi therapeutic targeting transthyretin (TTR), in TTR-mediated amyloidosis...ALN-TTRsc is the first GalNAc-siRNA to enter clinical development...Cerulean Pharma Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said it dosed the first patient in a Phase II study of lead candidate CRLX101 in advanced gastric cancer

Acura intends to complete clinical testing for a new drug submission via the 505(b)(2) pathway in the first half of 2014...BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, said the European Independent Board of Experts held its first meeting on the ReLive Phase III trial evaluating the efficacy of Livatag (doxorubicin Transdrug) in primary liver cancer and recommended continuing the global, multicenter, randomized study without modification. (See BioWorld International, June 29, 2011...About 79.6 achieved clinical

that included a $30 million equity investment and a $50 million synthetic royalty agreement linked to future sales of Meningitec, a vaccine Nuron acquired earlier this month from Pfizer Inc., and its HibTiter vaccine (Haemophilus b conjugate vaccine [diphtheria CRM197 protein conjugate]), in-licensed from Wyeth LLC and subsequently out-licensed in January to Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp., of Osaka, Japan. (See BioWorld Today, Jan. 13, 2012.) In a second biotech deal on the same day, HC Royalty

Arno is conducting clinical and preclinical studies of three drug candidates to treat a variety of cancers...MEI Pharma Inc., of San Diego, completed a private placement of common stock and warrants in a financing led by new investors Vivo Ventures and New Leaf Venture Partners...NeRRe Therapeutics Ltd., of London, raised £11.5 million (US$18.4 million) to develop a portfolio of clinical and preclinical neurokinin receptor antagonists divested from GlaxoSmithKline plc, also of London. #kicker123