according to the protocol, all patients were to have been treated with both bortezomib and lenalidomide prior to study entry...Based on the positive results GSK said it is planning to make regulatory submissions in Europe, the U.S., as well as other regions during the next few

In other news, closed its initial public offering (IPO) of 3.5 million American depository shares (ADSs) at $8.90 per share...Operating expenses for the quarter increased to $128.1 million compared to $66.8 million for the first quarter of 2012, with Jazz citing high cost of product sales due to a change in product mix and lower gross margin due to inclusion of products from the EUSA Pharma acquisition...PM01183 is designed to bind covalently to the minor groove of DNA to induce a specific degradation

turned its attention to other candidates in its pipeline...In a preliminary prospectus supplement filed with the SEC May 7, the company said proceeds will be used to expand its drug development activities and to move certain candidates to later stages of development prior to partnering...continue to view shares as undervalued based on the >$1B potential of ISIS-SMN-Rx, as well as the promise of ISIS-TTR-Rx and Isis' 20+ other pipeline candidates," he wrote

In separate news, another Galapagos unit, Argenta, inked a deal with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, to apply its respiratory drug discovery services to an undisclosed target within Boehringer's respiratory disease portfolio...In other news, BioInvent said the first patient has been treated in a Phase II study of BI-505 for smoldering multiple myeloma, or asymptomatic myeloma

The news also adds to the growing fear that biosimilar drug development will prove trickier – and, perhaps costlier – than previously envisioned

Apricus Biosciences Inc., of San Diego, said it intends to cease financing its French subsidiaries, Finesco SAS, its French holding company, Scomedica SAS, its French sales company and NexMed Pharma SAS, its marketing company...In other news, law firm Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC, of New York, said it is investigating claims on behalf of purchasers of Spectrum securities, after shares (NASDAQ:SPPI) fell as much as 38 percent on March 13 on news that the company slashed its revenue projections

Celtic Therapeutics Management LLLP, of New York, changed its name to Auven Therapeutics Management LLLP to overcome confusion related to other Celtic entities...Clinigen Group plc, of Burton-on-Trent, UK, and Theravance Inc., of South San Francisco, entered an exclusive commercialization agreement in the European Union and certain other countries located in Europe for Vibativ (telavancin) in nosocomial pneumonia, including ventilator-associated pneumonia, known or suspected to be caused by

Zhangjiang Biotech Pharmaceutical Base will be able to consult with HUYA's experts in drug development and commercialization, while HUYA will have the first opportunity to evaluate certain R&D projects conducted at the base

Domainex Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, is seeking to raise £1.5 million (US$2.32 million) to advance its kinase-based drug development programs for TBK1/KKe and epigenetics targets...In both studies the JE vaccine was shown to be highly immunogenic in children/adolescents age 2 months to younger than 18 years with a safety profile comparable to pediatric vaccines licensed for other diseases

Cancer Research UK's Drug Development Office in London and partner AstraZeneca plc, of London, opened a three-armed study testing AZD0424 in a Phase I trial expected to recruit up to 30 patients, initially across all solid tumor types...In other news, Boehringer Ingelheim said it enrolled the first patients in its Phase III interferon-free (IFN-free) program, HCVerso, testing its IFN-free polymodal regimen combining faldaprevir (BI 201335), a next-wave once-daily protease inhibitor, and BI 207127

In other news, Evotec said a compound identified and optimized in a research collaboration with Osaka, Japan-based Ono Pharmaceutical Co...In separate news, Janssen reported that the FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 10-5 late Thursday to recommend approval of canaglifozin, a selective sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, to treat Type II diabetes in adults

It also licensed rights to an oral calcitonin tablet to Tarsa Therapeutics Inc., of Philadelphia, which is developing it for postmenopausal osteoporosis...Velocity Pharmaceutical Development LLC, of South San Francisco, entered a licensing agreement with EuMederis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, to pursue a drug development program using EuMederis' EuPort technology, which optimizes the pharmaceutical properties of peptide drugs

to Firdapse, a drug in development for Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome BioMarin agreed to invest $5M in Catalyst under a promissory note and note purchase agreement 11/1/12 Colby Pharmaceutical Co. (San Jose, Calif.) MannKind Corp. (Valencia, Calif.) $140 Deal for disease-specific antigen compounds and intra-lymph node injection (INLI) technologies from its MKC1106 cancer vaccine program Colby is paying up to $140M in up-front and milestone payments to MannKind, which also will receive tiered

Galderma Pharma SA, of Lausanne, Switzerland, agreed to acquire Spirig Pharma AG, of Egerkingen, Switzerland

The company expects to receive about $725,200 after sales commission and other expenses...SK Biopharmaceuticals, of Seoul, South Korea, said YKP10811, its treatment for chronic idiopathic constipation, was awarded funding from the Korea Drug Development Fund to support clinical development for the next two years...The Korea Drug Development Fund was established in September 2011 with assets of $1 billion to develop at least 10 new drugs by 2020

Distribution of Prothena ordinary shares in the demerger is conditioned upon, among other conditions to the demerger, a registration statement filed with the SEC, having been declared effective by the SEC and the affirmative vote of the Elan shareholders...Galderma Pharma SA, of Lausanne, Switzerland, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., of Montreal, reached agreement on terms of a revised North American aesthetics arrangement, resolving Galderma's pending litigation related to Valeant's

Apexigen Inc., of Burlingame, Calif., signed a manufacturing supply agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany, under which the big pharma firm will provide cell line development with the high expression BI-HEX system, full process and method development, scale-up and clinical Phase I supply for APX005, a humanized monoclonal antibody designed to target CD40 for treating cancer...Gentium SpA., of Villa Guardia, Italy, inked an agreement with the National University Corporation

The contract, issued under the Russian Federation's "Pharma 2020" development initiative, provides matching funding over a period of about three years, which will be used to support preclinical and clinical studies...Lorus Therapeutics Inc., of Toronto, partnered with Cancer Research UK's Drug Development Office (DDO) and the charity's commercial arm, Cancer Research Technology, to move a cancer treatment into clinical testing...Early this year, Theravance's partner for Vibativ, Astellas Pharma Inc

and strategic global markets Financial terms were not disclosed 9/12/12 Oxford BioMedica plc (Oxford, UK) Immune Design Corp. (Seattle) ND Master services deal to use Oxford BioMedica's expertise in lentiviral vector clinical development for Immune Design's therapeutic vaccine candidate for cancer and other chronic diseases Financial terms were not disclosed 9/28/12 QLT Inc. (Vancouver, British Columbia) Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. (Montreal) $112.5 Sale of wet, age-related