GSK is working to resolve the issues with its contract manufacturer, and it is expected that new inventory of Horizant will be available in pharmacies in June...Innate Pharma SA, of Marseille, France, reported preclinical data for two of its programs...PRCN-829 is designed to deliver multiple genes, including Factor H, to neural stem cells

Cytokinetics Inc., of South San Francisco, received an award from Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy to support preclinical research on muscle function in a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy conducted with the firm's fast skeletal muscle troponin activator, tirasemtiv...The refund was received to support research and clinical development of PBT2 for Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases, as well as for other Prana research activities into Parkinson's disease and other neurological indications

Astellas Pharma Inc., of Tokyo, and Nagasaki University signed a collaborative research agreement to discover new drugs for the treatment of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) caused by dengue virus...In separate news, Astellas signed a deal to access the TSUBAME2.0 supercomputer at the Tokyo Institute of Technology to discover candidates for NTDs caused by dengue virus...In other news, The Nasdaq OMX Stockholm's listing committee approved the listing of NeuroVive's shares

Acceleron Pharma Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said the FDA granted orphan designation for ACE-536 for the treatment of beta-thalassemia and for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes...Other candidates currently undergoing tests required for investigational new drug applications with the FDA include an undisclosed iBioLaunch-produced monoclonal antibody and vaccines for anthrax, malaria and yellow fever...The agreement aims to identify inhibitors of a kinase that plays a key role in tissue

According to Soligenix, the results showed that it is possible to produce vaccines capable of withstanding temperatures at least as high as 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) for at least six months, eliminating the standard cold chain production, distribution and storage logistics required for most vaccines...TransTech Pharma Inc., of High Point, N.C., said the FDA granted fast-track designation for TTP488, a small-molecule chemical compound in development to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD

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 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, when other alternatives are not suitable...In other news, Elan said its Tysabri (natalizumab) restructuring transaction is

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 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, when other alternatives are not suitable...Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lexington, Mass., and Astellas Pharma Inc., of

The companies will target development of drugs to treat topical ophthalmic diseases, including ocular allergy, dry eye and other inflammatory eye conditions...Araxes Pharma LLC, of San Diego, said it inked an exclusive arrangement with Janssen Biotech Inc., a unit of New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson, to develop first-in-class therapeutics against a certain cancer target...Titan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of South San Francisco, said the FDA's Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee is

Exelixis Inc., of South San Francisco, partnered with Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi), of Stockholm, Sweden, to distribute and commercialize Cometriq (cabozantinib) for metastatic medullary thyroid cancer in the European Union and potentially other countries...Shimojani LLC, of San Francisco, licensed an invention from Nigata University that it said has potential to substantially reduce the risk of hemorrhage in acute ischemic stroke patients, including those who receive tissue plasminogen

The complaint alleges that Daiichi Sankyo pays female sales employees less than male employees for performing the same work, promotes or advances female sales employees at a slower rate than male sales employees, treats pregnant employees and working mothers of young children adversely compared to other employees and subjects women to other discriminatory terms and conditions of employment

AMRI, of Albany, N.Y., signed a license agreement with Chai Therapeutics LLC, an affiliate of Bessor Pharma LLC, of Framingham, Mass., to develop its tubulin inhibitor, ALB109564, which is in Phase I testing...Teva opted to make a one-time payment of $880,000 in lieu of future payments...Jennerex Inc., of San Francisco, published a study showing that its lead cancer candidate, Pexa-Vec (JX-594), disrupted blood supply to a tumor

Concerns over the potential toxicity of BCX5191 also led to the termination of a proposed merger between BioCryst and Presidio Pharmaceuticals Inc., of South San Francisco, which had been intended, in part, to combine the two companies' work in HCV. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 27, 2012, and Dec. 3, 2012

to test AXL1717, an oral small-molecule insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor inhibitor, in patients with malignant astrocytomas, a type of brain tumor...In other news, Novartis said the FDA approved a new use of Gleevec (imatinib) to treat children newly diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

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...Research and further development will be funded and carried out through a special purpose development company, Spitfire Pharma Inc., of South San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – The annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference is perhaps more renowned for the dealmaking that occurs on the periphery of San Francisco's Westin St. Francis than for the news and views expressed within the hotel's hallowed halls

The Merck expansion grants the big pharma further access to Adimab's technology to discover and optimize fully human antibody candidates, including potentially bispecific antibody candidates, across all disease areas...StemPar Sciences Inc., of San Francisco, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center entered a license agreement through which StemPar plans to develop cancer therapeutics based on compounds designed by researchers at the two

Under the agreement, Pepscan will use its CLIPS platform and other protein mimicry technologies to help discover new antibodies...to purchase up to 1 million shares, or about 1.06 percent of the company's outstanding stock, at a price of $161.25 per share, marking a 4.46 percent discount to the Dec. 27 closing price

PharmaIN Corp., of Bothell, Wash., and LAT Pharma LLC, of Chicago, said the FDA granted orphan designation for terlipressin for the treatment of ascites due to all etiologies except for cancer...Terlipressin is designed to reduce portal vein pressure and increase mean arterial pressure in cirrhotic patients with splanchnic vasodilation...Tranzyme Pharma Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., reported the successful completion of its chemistry-based drug discovery collaboration with New York-based

Public biopharmaceutical companies, which had a great year, by and large were not able to fully leverage their increased stock valuations, successful clinical results and product approvals into follow-on and other financings...The company paid $350 million in cash, with the remainder made up of milestones: $195 million related to the development and regulatory approval of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) inhibitor AVL-292, and up to $380 million in potential payments contingent upon the development