Clavis Pharma ASA, of Oslo, Norway, recruited the first patient in its pivotal Phase III study assessing its lead product elacytarabine in patients with late-stage acute myeloid leukemia (AML...Intellect Neurosciences Inc., of New York, said that it has locked the database of the company's Phase Ib trial for its lead Alzheimer's candidate, OXIGON (OX1

The trial is being sponsored by Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of New York, Aeterna's licensee for perifosine in North America...Tranzyme Pharma Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., said its ghrelin agonist TZP-102 achieved clinically meaningful and statistically significant results in a Phase II trial of diabetic patients with gastroparesis

HRA Pharma emphasized that ella is not intended for routine use as a contraceptive...But HRA Pharma argued that its drug is not an abortifacient...HRA Pharma's partner in Europe, PregLem SA, also is developing ulipristal as a treatment for uterine fibroids under the trade name Esmya

Action Pharma AS, of Holte, Denmark, said preliminary results of the firm's randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, sequential, dose-finding trial of AP214 demonstrated that the compound, which is being developed for the protection against acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass, was well tolerated and safe at all three dosage levels tested...Pfizer Inc., of New York, said results from a Phase III study demonstrated that Macugen (pegaptanib

The New York-based firm priced 7 million shares at $5 apiece, marking a 10 percent discount to Wednesday's closing price mirrored by a 10.2 percent fall in the company's stock Thursday (NASDAQ:ZIOP), which closed at $5.01, down 57 cents...Noxxon Pharma AG, of Berlin, closed a €33 million (US$40.8 million) Series D round led by new investor NGN Capital, with participation from existing investors TVM Capital, Sofinnova Partners, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Seventure Partners, VC Fonds

Staff Writer Despite the difficult venture capital markets, NeuroTherapeutics Pharma Inc. (NTP) raised a whopping $43 million in Series B financing to advance its epilepsy and pain compounds into clinical trials...NeoStem Inc., of New York, has converted redeemable Series C preferred stock by RimAsia Capital Partners LP

The financing has been subscribed by MP Healthcare Venture Management Inc., a jointly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp...Pronota is using the proceeds to develop its lead program in acute heart failure until full clinical proof of concept...The company plans to use the funds to support several clinical trials

If approved, JZP-6 is slated to go up against big pharma players Pfizer Inc., of New York, which markets Lyrica (pregabalin) and Indianapolis-based Lilly, which sells Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride...A portion of the funds might also be used to start clinical trials for new indications for lead product Hextend, including severe malaria

GSK is developing IDX899 under its joint venture formed last year with New York-based Pfizer Inc., known as ViiV Healthcare, which is focused solely on developing medicines to treat HIV...Oncos also noted that it has selected its modified oncolytic adenovirus CGTG-102 as its lead clinical candidate.

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., of New York, added $1.5 million from three investors, each investing $500,000...Cardiome Pharma Corp., of Vancouver, British Columbia, drew down $25 million from a $100 million credit facility provided by Merck & Co...Proceeds will support clinical trials of FP-01, a synthetic, thermostable universal flu vaccine

A handful of other companies are working on bronchodilator plus corticosteroid formulations, including Forest Laboratories Holdings Ltd., of New York, which has partnered with Spanish pharma firm Almirall SA to develop an inhaled once-daily LABA combined with a corticosteroid...Funds will be used to support clinical trials and in-licensing deals for product candidates or additional technologies and complementary business asset acquisitions. (See BioWorld Today, Jan. 29, 2010...Net proceeds are

And Regado is banking on big pharma's interest, particularly those firms developing oral Factor Xa inhibitors, such as New York firms Bristol-Myers Squibb Co

Proceeds will fund a Phase III combination Reolysin and paclitaxel/carboplatin trial with platinum-failed head and neck cancers, as well as other clinical and R&D activities and general corporate purposes...The company expects to use the net proceeds of about $7.3 million to focus on regulatory and partnering activities for picoplatin, clinical development, other general corporate purposes and working capital...Those funds will be used for business development activities and other general corporate

Enobia Pharma Inc., of Montreal, started a Phase II trial to test two different doses of ENB-0040, a bone-targeted enzyme replacement therapy, in hypophosphatasia...Medivation Inc., of San Francisco, and Pfizer Inc., of New York, have begun two Phase III trials, called CONTACT and CONSTELLATION, of the investigational drug dimebon (latrepirdine) in patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease...Pending FDA clearance, Tolera anticipates starting clinical testing in 2010

Proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, including clinical development of its leading compounds...A.P. Pharma, of Redwood City, Calif., entered a definitive securities purchase agreement with existing accredited investors, providing for a private placement of up to $13.1 million in two tranches...A.P. Pharma expects to complete the first tranche of the private placement on Oct. 22

LifeCycle Pharma A/S, of Hørsholm, Denmark, reported results from the 12-month extension phase of a Phase II trial of LCP-Tacro tablets, a once-daily immunosuppression drug, in stable liver transplant patients, showing that it had improved bioavailability by about 30 percent, leading to a 70 percent dosing compared to Prograf, a marketed, twice-daily tacrolimus capsule from Deerfield, Ill.-based Astellas Pharma Inc...Following a verbal clinical hold notice from the FDA, the agency gave Repros a

GENova Biotherapeutics Inc., of New York, signed an agreement with PacificWave Partners Ltd...PacWave will approach major pharma companies, which are currently making acquisitions of smaller biotech companies, in an attempt to position GENova as a potential acquisition target

The New York-based company's data from two Phase III trials of ceftaroline for community-acquired pneumonia held "no surprises," according to a research note from Cowen & Co...In Phase II studies, clinical cure rates reached as high as 98 percent with no relapses

Acceleron Pharma Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., and Celgene Corp., of Summit, N.J., initiated a Phase II trial of ACE-011 in metastatic breast cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia...Foresight Biotherapeutics, of New York, said the first patient has been dosed in a placebo-controlled, masked, randomized, multicenter clinical trial of FST-100 in patients with viral conjunctivitis